Cavs Questions: Preseason Is Over, the Roster Is Set, Philly…

By the Cavaliers Nightly Desk · Wednesday, October 14

The Cavaliers closed their preseason Tuesday with a 132-116 loss at Orlando that got away early, finishing the exhibition slate at 1-2. Cleveland's roster has already been trimmed, and the clock is now on three injured regulars to be ready for the regular-season opener at Philadelphia on Oct. 22.

Cavaliers Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

How did the finale against Orlando go?

Cleveland trailed 52-72 at halftime after Orlando ran off an 11-0 run and then a 10-0 run in the second quarter, and the Magic's lead grew to 31 points. The Cavaliers outscored Orlando 33-24 in the fourth with the bench on the floor, but by then it was already decided. Final: 132-116.

Who actually stood out?

Meleek Thomas led everyone off Cleveland's bench with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting, including two 3-pointers in 13 minutes. Mario Hezonja added 12 points and six rebounds, and Jaylon Tyson chipped in 12. Donovan Mitchell ran the offense well too, with 15 points and eight assists, even as the result got away from him.

Who's no longer with the team?

Kadary Richmond and Curtis Jones, both added in late September on camp deals, left the team on Oct. 12 — three days after Jaxson Robinson and Noam Yaacov signed their own camp deals. That leaves 21 players under contract, with the real trim to the regular-season number still ahead of Oct. 22.

When are Merrill, Tomlin and Diop expected back?

Sam Merrill (right elbow), Nae'Qwan Tomlin (back) and Khalifa Diop (left knee) are all listed day-to-day, and the team's estimated return date for all three is Oct. 22 — the same day as the regular-season opener at Philadelphia. That is the number to watch: if Cleveland gets even two of the three back for Game 1, the rotation looks very different than it did Tuesday.

What's left before the opener?

Nothing is on the schedule for nine days. The Cavaliers open the regular season Oct. 22 at the 76ers on ESPN, then come home to face the Nets on Oct. 24, the Timberwolves on Oct. 26 and the Wizards on Oct. 28. Preseason finished at 1-2; whatever this group is this year starts for real in Philadelphia.

The verdictPreseason is in the books at 1-2, and the roster is already down to 21 after Richmond and Jones left last week. The real test starts Oct. 22 at Philadelphia, with Merrill, Tomlin and Diop all trying to make that date.

What was the Cavaliers' preseason record?

Cleveland finished the preseason 1-2: a loss to the Celtics on Oct. 8, a win over the Magic on Oct. 11 and a loss to the Magic on Oct. 13.

When does the Cavaliers' regular season start?

Cleveland opens the regular season Oct. 22 at the Philadelphia 76ers on ESPN.

By the Cavaliers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.