DNHQ Rooting Guide: (4) Cleveland vs. (5) Orlando; plus open thread

May 03, 2024

Damian Jones. Played for GSW as a diet JaVale McGee in 2018-19 but never could put it together.
Ty Jerome. Skilled overachieving two-way contract for GSW who filled in important minutes during the stressed-out 2021-22 season. But CLE offered him slightly more than GSW could match and that was that.
Coach Luke Walton, past head assistant coach at GSW, is an assistant coach for CLE after head coaching gigs with LAL and SAC.

Tristan Thompson was a core member of the LeBron CLE teams. Hard-working, initially known as The Guy Who Stopped Steph in 2016, until Steph returned in the following Finals with functioning knee ligaments and roasted him in isolation henceforth. He also threw hands in the memorable 2018 Finals Game 1 kerfuffle. I don’t think he ever rose to the level of a villain as his light buffoonery was overshadowed by his becoming part of the Kardashian soap opera.

CLE was the great rival in the Dynasty years, but everyone left and they had a rebuild, trying to build back after Hurricane LeBron passed through. Now I doubt Dub Nation has any thoughts at all about CLE. Their owner is still horrible and annoying, does that count?

Franz Wagner was a fan favorite in our 2021 DNHQ Draft Tournament, but had the misfortune of running into eventual winner Moses Moody in Round 2.
Wendall Carter Jr is the kind of sturdy big man that Dub Nation is always pining for.
Parts of Dub Nation have pined for Joe Ingles and Goga Bitadze.

Mo Wagner is one of the biggest floppers in the league, and also spends a lot of time baiting Draymond.

ORL is perpetually rumored to be wanting to make Klay Thompson a free agency offer he can’t refuse (as in lucrative, not severed horse head). This could be viewed as irksome if you want Klay to remain at GSW.
ORL is young and good, thanks to being awful for many years. Hard to work up feelings around that.