Cavs The Blog Podcast

If you want an in depth discussion around Covid-19 from someone who actually knows what he's talking about, this is the podcast for you. Long time CtB die-hard, Simmo, just happens to be a viral immunologist, and we saved up a couple weeks worth of questions and topics around Covid-19 to bounce off his brain. This is our least basketball-centric, and most educational podcast ever. Buckle up for Covid-19 homeschool.  We started out with an update on the homeschool situation, the TP situation, and the Covid-19 situation in Simmo's native Australia and what the response there looks like right now (with a sidebar on Australian History and Politics). Then we got into what the curve looks like around the world. Then we plunged into the weeds, man. Transmission Rates (R values) and what the spread Covid 19 might look like and how our view of the virus could be changing. The thinking has really changed asymptomatic carriers being major spreaders The recommendation is to wear masks when out of the house n

We were joined by long time listener, first time caller, Jason as we discussed the TP situation in the Pestak household, what's it like to homeschool, and how we're all keeping sane. Next up, we talked about the economy and what the new normal might look like in terms of player salaries and the financial future of the NBA. We discussed what the playoffs might look like if they do occur for 2020. We got into our favorite Covid-19 memes, and then talked about the insanity that is the Netflix tour-de-force, Tiger King. After that we got into Mike DeWine, the DeWine family, and Greene county politics. It was a lot of fun. Stay safe out there, peeps.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Wow. What a few weeks it's been for the Cavs, as they've gone 5-6 since the all star break and have played their best ball of the season... a season that likely will be cut short by a global pandemic. Yep. Talk of "the Roni," as some of the kids are calling it, featured heavily in our first podcast in a month. Tom and Nate desperately needed to get into the podcast booth to talk about the surreal times we're living in, and we hope you're jonesing for some content to get you through the long hours of social distancing. First off, Tom's out of TP. Second, Nate's trying not to horde, but compulsively shopping whenever he can (though not excessively). Don't worry, though, your tapwater will be the same Monday as it was last week, and next week the shelves of your happy grocers will be stocked again. (Pro Tip: check out your local Asian grocery if you're short on supplies. And yeah, we just mostly just had some "WTF is going on, and why has Nate been so OCD about all thi

To celebrate a rare victory, Nate Smith and Tom Pestak welcomed our prodigal brother Eli Kim back to the podcast booth after an eight month absence! Yep, the fingers behind @CavsTheTweets was in studio and we covered topics ranging as far afield as a Trae Young three point attempt. We covered the brutal Clips loss, and the jubilant win against Atlanta, and then oscillated wildly: Korean cinema (go see Parasite!); what players have been in the dunk contest and the three point contest; how we see the playoffs shaping up; why do the Cavs keep nominating Collin Sexton for player of the month; what makes The Office so good; why is Vince Carter on the Hawks; the Cavs being a top ten revenue team; and so so much more.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nate Smith, David Wood, and Tom Pestak slunk to the podcast boost and lamented the lost opportunity against the Knicks. Nate spent a lot of time ranting about John Beilein. David Wood wondered whether coach was a plant to lose games. All agreed that Kev really was playing his butt off to get out of dodge. We complained about the game's horrendous officiating full of moments that literally would've been personal fouls in the NFL. We growled at the Knicks pinball bumper lineup of power forwards that seem straight out of a 2K video game. In brighter news, the Super Bowl brought good memories to Nate, and we spent a good deal of time reminiscing about the commercials, J-Lo and Shakira, Patrick Mahomes' brilliance. We then got on the subject of the insane pyramid scheme recruiting email Nate had received and how the folks at SOS Success Dynamics really captured the Zeitgeist of this Cavs squad. We're still hoping for "maximum spillover" and that the Cavs will "cycle" soon, despite h

No fan base in American sport ever loved a player the way Lakers fans loved Kobe. We grieve for them and all the families who lost so much today. Tom Pestak and Nate Smith got into the podcast booth and mourned the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and all the victims of the tragic helicopter crash in California today. Tom Pestak's basketball fandom was intertwined with years of sportshate for Kobe Bryant, and he'd spend hours trolling messsage boards and combing through stats: arguing with Kobe stans to prove that Kobe was the inferior player to LeBron. "Ringz was always their answer." As he and Kobe grew older, it seemed a silly pursuit and Tom gained a grudging respect for Mamba, especially for his never ending competitiveness, and his embrace of being a husband, father, and mentor. Our best Kobe memories: Games against LeBron in 2008, the Game Seven against Phoenix in 2006 when he refused to shoot, and the last game of his career. In that game, Tom came full circle and was rooting

Tom talked Nate off a blogging ledge as they briefly touched on the game and then spent a good 90 minutes talking about everything. Why do we do these things we do, like write, blog, play music, perform standup comedy, or podcast about Cavs games? What is the point? We Dad-bitched about how much it work it is to have a full time job, kids, and to do something you love, and if it's worth it. Tom Pestak's grounded nature came in handy as we went over the NBA, the Cavs, personal finance, bitcoin, having a five year plan, realism versus romanticism, and why we see ourselves in professional sportsmen. We went over officiating, the existential crisis caused by instant replay, why NBA coverage denigrates its own game, how (not) to withdraw large amounts of cash from the bank, the CoCoMelon basketball song, and so much more.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nate Smith and David Wood got in the podcast booth to break down Tristan Thompson's big game and the state of the Cavs as a whole. We went over TT's monster night, Beilein outcoaching Dwane Casey, the slugs/thugs debacle, Andre Drummond, "yay" or "nay?", who should be in the all star game, what it's like to get cooking appliances for Christmas, and our favorite topic, the infuriating Collin Sexton.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

G'Day! Since acquiring Dante Exum to join his countryman Matthew Dellavedova, the Cavs are now tied with the Sixers for the Association lead in Aussies. What better occasion to post a podcast that is 50% Aussie!? Nate Smith was joined all the way from Perth, Australia by long time commenter Simmo, and the half Australian EvilGenius. We told the John Dory about what got Simmo into the Cavs in the first place, what it's like to watch the NBA in Australia and who the most popular Aussies in the association are. Rapt in our early impressions of Dante Exum, we took a squiz at the sports scene in Oz (it's a Dog's breakfast), and had a sook over the sweltering heat of the down under summer. Since Australia starts the new year 13 hours before Ohio, we thought it would be great to have a go at our Cavalier and NBA new years resolutions. We had a Captain Cook at the roster, John Beilein, and the Cavs' front office as we tried to figure out how to deliver the goods to make the Cavs and their players

Nate, Ryan Yankee and EG congregated around the yule log with some egg nog and cookies. We discuss tonight's contest, the state of the roster post JC departure, and whether or not new Cav, Dante Exum, will make any sort of impact. We also give out our annual Santa's Wish List items to all the Cavalier players and front office members. Ryan apparently has a LOT of pH balanced water to give away, Nate went more traditional, and EG... well, let's just say EG probably just stands for Evil Grinch for this one.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

David Wood, Tom Pestak, and Nate Smith were around to take in this very weird Cavalier game, and break down what went well and what went wrong. What's with the subtitle? Well, Tom spent a long time late in the podcast talking about the Linux distro "Peppermint" and a short time early in the podcast talking about Chris Parnell's tattoo in the movie Hot Rod. This one's weird. We went off on the Cavs, John Beilein, Kyrie Irving, the midseason tournament idea, the rise of the upperclassman in the NBA draft, Kevin Love's defense, his untradeability, and whether teams would rather have Marvin Williams. And that was just the NBA talk. The non-NBA talk ranged from the the problems with teaching youth shooting and the dangers of playing "knock-out," the scourge of corporate email, the inefficiency of large organizations, Rocket league, e-sports Raspberry Pi, whether or not to tuck a t-shirt into your jeans, and rec league basketball.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPri

We took a tour of what ails the Cavs and the NBA we tooted our own horn a little bit that we're still here, and still fresh since 2008.  In an era where the media, players, and the Association itself seem flawed and unable to protect the game and their brand because of their inability to be honest with themselves or look beyond the hot take du jour, we're still fresh, unadulterated, and unsponsored: speaking our minds, staking out uncomfortable opinions, and not caring who we piss off. We're still pure... and completely full of ourselves. Full of laughter, we three blowhards, Ryan Yankee, Nate Smith, and Tom Pestak, gathered in the podcast booth for our most disjointed podcast in years. As Tom and Ryan dropped in and out we took on an array of subjects: the game, Kevin Love, Depression, Pickup Basketball, Sexland, the Cavs' lack of size, the ridiculousness of the National Teambuilding Association, officiating woes, the scourge of flopping, and so much more. We had a long talk about the NBA'

Nate, David, and Tom got in the podcast booth dissected the Cavs win over the Wizards and the NBA at large. Topics included a story of Tom raging about League Pass, a trip down Amnesia Lane to take a look at the 2007-2010 Cavs, David discussing how to really annoy opponents in rec league basketball with habits that include "touching their calves," and Nate explaining the rules to cockroach poker. We didn't want to go to bed. Like the Cavs, we were just having too much fun.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nate Smith, EvilGenius, and Tom Pestak piled into the podcast booth with the World Series and a comical Rockets/Wizards 321 point basketstravaganza playing in the background. The three amigos broke down topics from around the Cavs and the Association, including Tristan Thompson's newfound offensive excellence, John Beilein's entertaining postgame analysis, Cedi Osman's evolving role, the Cavs young trio (Sexton, Garland, Porter Jr.), and the Italian Anthony Davis.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It's been over six months since we got to experience a regular season Cavs game. With the NBA tipping off tonight, and the Cavs getting it started tomorrow, Nate, Tom, and Ryan Yankee hopped in the podcast booth to preview the Cavs and the NBA. We went pretty long in the tooth on this one, talking all things Cavs: starters, Beilein, what success looks like, and even our thoughts on the Cavs' new play-by-play guy. We went deep on the NBA, taking on all the big storylines and going through all the over/unders, and the awards for every team. It was an NBA extravaganza. It's a fun couple of hours.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Get ready Cavs fans... with the leaves turning, a new season is just around the corner, and who knows what shades of wine and gold it might bring? So many things are new and different, from the head coach to the players the the very landscape of the NBA. And, while some things will never be the same, as with the untimely passing of Fred McLeod recently, there's a lot to look forward to, however uncertain the outcome might be. To wax unpoetically about topics ranging from these mystery Cavs to youth soccer adventures to the masked, brittle-boned philosopher Kyrie... Nate, Tom and EG filed into the podcast booth this evening. We do our best to keep things light, keep our expectations firmly in check... and speculate on what should be one of the more interesting seasons in the Association in recent memory.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

 As the slow NBA summer drips like molasses on a hot Ohio day, about the only new information we have regarding the Cavaliers is that they're predicted by most prognosticators to be the worst team in the League this season. The Worst? I mean... Kevin Love isn't exactly chopped liver... and the wine & gold do have some promising young talent. But, sure... maybe they really want to make sure that Atlanta trade never nets the Hawks more than two second rounders. To discuss the dismal view on the Cavs, Nate and EG spent a lazy summer evening in the podcast booth. We attempted to look for bright spots, but also wondered aloud about how much worse the US Men's Basketball Team can get, how much worse things could be for certain paper thin NBA benches this season, and much more. Nate included his search for a basketball worthy shoe, and EG started a re-naming contest for the Clippers. Yeah, we got waaaay too much time on our hands... pass the liverwurst.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/bra

 So long… Farewell… Aufwiedersehn… Goodbye! I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye… For well and for true, the Mike Longabardi Era is finally at an end  in Cleveland as he joins Sashi Brown as part of the crack team of former  Cleveland sports icons Ted Leonsis has wrangled together. So, of  course, we had to jump in the podcast booth and talk about it. Nate, Tom (for a while), Eli and EG gave the long and short of the  defensive “wizard’s” time here, and also hit on Kevin Love pulling out  of Team USA activities, the  probable issues of free  agency tampering in the NBA, and finished our marathon recap of the  offseason moves of the Western Conference. There’s also plenty of  irrational shade for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from EG, possibly  irrational love of Brandon Clarke from Nate, sharp So Cal criticism from  Eli, and out of context outrage about rice cookers from Tom. So, your  average two hour plus, insane content jammed Thursday night pod in the  dead of summer…possibleAdvertising Inquiries: https://

Sorry we've been absent for so long this off season... but it's been one of the longest, slowest and most inactive in Cleveland Cavalier history. Sure, there was some flow on draft night... but the action has trickled to the point where even those new rookies barely saw the court in the Summer League. The one thing that did happen, is that the team at long last officially parted ways with J.R. Smith. The featured graphic pays tribute to the man with the pipe, as we fondly remember all of his contributions, hijinx and antics over the course of his illustrious stint in the wine & gold. To further reminisce about JR's time with the team, Nate, Tom and EG shook off the summer doldrums and poured into the podcast booth. We also touch on the Cavs' summer of sloth, give our grades on how the rest of the teams in the East did on their summer vacation, and spend a bunch of time breaking down our top sports movies of all time. There's even bonus content of Tom explaining a physics book he's

Whew. That was a close one. Almost lost EvilGenius who pledged to ghost this team if they ended up with Bol Bol. Fortunately for us, the Cavs passed. Bol ended up lasting until the 44th pick, when the Nuggets traded with the Heat to grab the oddly proportioned human. After the 26th pick, the Cavs followed up their selection of Darius Garland at No. 5 by selecting Dylan Windler of Belmont. During the pod, they surprised us all by trading back into the first round and grabbing Kevin Porter Jr. from USC, who'd been rumored to the Cavs as early as the late lotter. Nate Smith, Evil Genius, Eli Kim, and Tom Pestak all squeezed into the podcast booth for a draft pod, and broke down all the Cavs' big swings: the pros and cons of Darius Garland (and his Jedi Robes), the surprise of J.R. Smith being moved on draft night, and the Cavs' and the NBA's focus on shooting. Then we  picked the biggest winners and losers of draft night. Winners included Atlanta, Memphis, Cam Johnson, and definitely New Orleans.