Former Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland had some laughs at the team getting eliminated in embarrassing fashion after trading him. Cleveland did make the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in the post LeBron James era. However, they struggled in the series to get there against weaker teams and got swept by the New York Knicks.
Garland appeared on Lonzo Ball’s podcast and had the following message about the Cavaliers getting eliminated:
“Playoffs over with for them. It was lowkey tough to watch, especially seeing how we were playing early on in the year. Seeing such a total 180, something totally different on the court. It is what it is.”
Cleveland drastically changed the roster by trading Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for James Harden. The trade saw improvements made in the regular season with Harden helping both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley become more consistent offensive contributors.
Garland was laughing earlier in the conversation when one of the hosts talked about the Cavaliers season in the present tense. Other hosts chimed in that the season was already over since the sweep took them out after just four games. Cleveland saw Donovan Mitchell getting little help from his teammates when the defense zoned in on him again.
Darius Garland Said He Got His Joy Back
Getting traded away from a contending roster of the only team you’ve ever played for is a tough task for NBA players. Garland witnessed this happening mid-season and was treated like a scapegoat for the Cavaliers falling short in recent years.
Another interesting quote featured Garland talking about getting his joy back from playing with the Clippers:
“Man, it’s been great. Getting to a system where I can actually be me. Have the ball in my hand for the majority of the game and have control of the pace of the game. It was really good. It was fun when I was out there playing for sure. I got my joy back.”
Garland referenced getting to play a traditional point guard again since he had to share the ball with Mitchell in Cleveland. The conversation led to Garland praising Kawhi Leonard and talking about how he makes the game easier for all teammates.
Clippers Will Invest In Darius Garland’s Future
The Clippers side of this story saw them giving up on Harden and moving to a younger timeline. Both Garland and Bennedict Mathurin added more youth than previous mainstays Harden and Ivica Zubac as the team’s top players.
Garland is expected to be the point guard of the future, especially with rumors of Leonard potentially being on the trade block. An offseason trade sending Kawhi away will likely only help Garland by getting other players closer to his age for their new timeline.
The Clippers also have one of the richest owners in a major market to make their path to relevance faster. Another free agent acquisition or the right trade could see the roster good enough to make noise in the playoffs with Garland as the starting point guard.
Darius Garland Made Extremely Blunt Comments On Cavs Losing