What did Cleveland Cavaliers exec Koby Altman say during season wrap-up press conference?

Story by

Story by
What did Cleveland Cavaliers exec Koby Altman say during season wrap-up press conference?

Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Mon, May 19, 2025 ·

13 min read

About Our Ads

INDEPENDENCE — With the 2024-25 Cavaliers season ending earlier than the franchise and its fan base expected, the spotlight has shifted to Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman .

Here's a million dollar question: How will Altman approach this offseason after the Cavs went 64-18 in the regular season and earned the Eastern Conference's No. 1 playoff seed, only to flop with a 4-1 second-round series loss to the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers ?

Altman had a chance to shape the expectations of Cavs fans when he conducted his end-of-season media availability. Altman addressed reporters on the morning of Monday, May 19.

Cavs news: Cleveland Cavaliers exec Koby Altman's stated desire to keep Cavs' core four is believable

Here are some highlights from the news conference through our updates :

Koby Altman on disappointment of Cavs' season ending earlier than expected

Altman said he believes the way the season ended will fuel the Cavs moving forward.

"But I also know I don't have a timeline on when I'm not going to be depressed," Altman said. "But I'll get over it.

"Part of it is we have a great attitudes in this building. We have a great culture. ... We have the belief from top down. We have a incredible culture. This is genuine."

Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman addresses the media at a season wrap-up news conference May 19, 2025.

'We've got to give Donovan [Mitchell] so much praise for his leadership'

Altman said a big reason six-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a contract extension with the Cavs last summer is the presence of the other members of the core four — All-Star point guard Darius Garland , All-Star forward Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen .

"Let's give Donovan an incredible amount of accolades and praise for what he did this year," Altman said. "... He said, 'I'm willing to take a step back because I want to get [Garland] back to an All-Star level, which is going to help our confidence and help our runway, and Evan [Mobley] has to take a leap. I want to play with Evan in that second unit, so I can force feed him ... to make sure he's going to be ready for the playoffs. And that's not going to step. I think we've got to give Donovan so much praise for his leadership. ... He's one of the best players in the NBA. We're fortunate to have this kind of leader that's really selfless."

Are the Cavs concerned about starting a small backcourt?

Altman said "we can dispel that" Mitchell and Garland can't play together.

"We supplement what you would call the small backcourt with tremendous size and length. Adding De'Andre Hunter was a huge piece to that," Altman said.

Koby Altman on Darius Garland's durability

Garland missed four playoff games with a sprained left big toe before playing hurt in the final three games of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

"He played a career high this year in games at 71 games," Altman said. "But I do think there's a level that he can get to that he hasn't tapped into yet, and it's a conversation that we've had with Darius.

"He needs to get stronger, so he can compete at the highest level. It's the same thing with Stephen Curry when we picked on Steph. ... Steph got so strong over his maturation of his years. He's a different physical specimen, Stephen Curry, than he was when we first started playing him. It's the same thing that has to happen with Darius."

What is Cavs' interest level in re-signing Ty Jerome ?

Altman said the Cavs would love to have guard Ty Jerome back. Jerome is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

"Yes, we'd love to keep Ty, but we'll see what the marketplace holds," Altman said.

How does Koby Altman assess Jarrett Allen's fit with core four?

Altman defended center Jarrett Allen and compared him to Pacers center Myles Turner , adding Turner is an example of an organization being rewarded for sticking with a player whose future has been doubted by outsiders.

"They're not who they are without Myles Turner," Altman said. "And so, again, we gotta take caution before we say, 'Well, we're better without Jarrett.'

"You're not going to get much better if you're talking about moving away from Jarrett. Jarrett's an important part of this core."

Cavs still must figure out how to win in the NBA playoffs

Altman said the team needs to figure out how to win at the highest level. "This is where we want to live — with the expectation of championship," he said.

Altman lamented the Cavs blowing a 20-point lead in Game 2 against the Pacers.

"You can't give away playoff games," he said. "You can't give away Game 2 [to the Pacers]. That's going to haunt us forever."

Koby Altman's belief in the Cavaliers ' core four

Altman repeatedly expressed faith in the core four.

"This is year three for the core four, and they've had incredible success, right?" Altman said. "Playoffs success needs to come next, but I think there's an internal belief because of what we proved this year during the regular season and what we're capable of to run it back and see what we can do. But it's not just running it back. It's another year of Kenny [Atkinson as head coach].

"We had the second best offensive rating in the history of the NBA this year as an offensive group. That's a new identity for us, and we kept and maintained our defensive identity at the same time. And so there was a newness, a freshness this year. I know this is year three, but there's a newness, a freshness that we're going to take into next year having failed again in the playoffs and knowing how much that's going to hurt. And we're going to get over the hump. This group's going to get over the hump."

Koby Altman's thoughts on continuity for the Cavs

Here's another example of Altman expressing his desire for continuity on the roster.

"If we were going to be reactionary, it'd been last year after everything that was written about that group, and all the rumors and all this and that," Altman said. "And we stood pat and look what happened, right? I think the same thing now as you lean in even more to what we're building, the culture that we have here, the internal growth, the youth, the sustainability of that. I think there's a championship window that we have here that's wide open, and that's one that we're going to try to pursue next year and the year after and the year after and so forth.

"So we're not done by any stretch. But I would say if there was a time that we were going to crumble, potentially would've been last year. Certainly not after what we've seen from this group this year is something where we're going to break up a group that's been together for three years and has accomplished what they've accomplished and is ready to take that next step — as disappointing as this ending was."

Koby Altman said NBA championship expectations are new for this group of Cavaliers

Altman made it clear he expects the Cavs to contend.

"We're not going to go anywhere," he said. "This team is not getting any worse. I don't know if we have 64 wins left in us, but we certainly are going to compete for the best record again."

The impact of Darius Garland's absence early in the series vs. the Pacers

Altman said Garland's injury had a major impact on the Cavs in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

"I do think not having Darius in the first two games rattled us just from — you want your point guard to be able to handle some of that pressure," Altman said. "Give [the Pacers] credit, though."

Do the Cavs need another ballhandling guard?

Related to the point about Garland's toe injury, do the Cavs need another ballhandling guard?

"To ask Ty to become a starting point guard in the conference semifinals, that's hard. That's a big ask to ask Donovan to bring the ball up 94 feet and then create offense. That's a big ask. Not having your All-Star point guard healthy was a big part of that," Altman said.

Koby Altman talks about Cavs forward Evan Mobley's development

One of the main arguments Altman presented for continuity centered on Mobley improving.

"Evan Mobley's 23 years old," Altman said. "If we don't think he's going to break through, we're nuts. He's going to break through at some point. He's 23 years old. This is his third playoffs. He's still figuring out this new high-usage part of his game that came with Kenny this year, and so he's going to break through that.

"Internal growth is something that we've always banked on and we're going to continue to bank on. If we are a second apron team, we still know we have internal growth to get better. If we land there, we know we have the sustainability to retain our top talent. "

More on Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley

Continuing the theme, the internal expectations for Mobley are sky high.

"We're going to go as a franchise as Evan is going to go," Altman said. "And we've had that conversation with Evan.

"Evan, can he play three? Can he play four? Can he play five? And in the playoffs, we need more. We need more than 13 field-goal attempts a game — that's new. That's new for Evan. There's another jump. And so to that point, Kenny's going to be able to implement his offseason program, which we're very excited about. And we're going to see some internal growth there, and we think we have one of the best big men in the game in Evan Mobley."

Are the Cavs tough enough?

Altman pointed out the Cavs outrebounded the Pacers, but noted toughness is about more than the boards.

"There's going to be a mental toughness hurdle that we have to get over," he said. "And the Pacers did a remarkable job.

"There's a mental toughness that we're going to have to get to that a lot of the Pacers had. A lot of the Pacers had that experience of conference finals [last year]."

Why Cavaliers executive Koby Altman is still optimistic about the Cavs as presently constructed?

Altman expressed belief in the Cavs having the pieces to contend for a title.

"I love our foundation," Altman said. "I love our core. Our starting lineup, the average age is 26.8. We have two All-Stars that are 25 and 23, respectively, and they're going through it, they're going through these experiences, they're going through these battles and we're sustainable in a lot of ways, not just because guys are under contract, but our youth.

"Our belief in this group in a lot of ways, there's a newness to this group as well in terms of our new head coach that's been with us for one year. Us figuring out our offensive identity happened this year, and so I'm really high on and optimistic about our future. That being said, it can't just be 82 games. We have to figure out this next 16, we have to figure out how to get over the hump, but this group has shown they can play some of the best basketball in the world. It's how do we do it on the highest stage and continue to keep pushing to get over that hump?"

What has Cavs owner Dan Gilbert told Koby Altman about restrictions with luxury tax? Are the Cavaliers willing to be a second apron team?

Altman said Cavs ownership has not presented him with luxury tax restrictions.

"No restrictions in terms of going into the tax," Altman said. "We haven't been a tax team in a long time. I think with Dan and Grant and the Gilbert family, I think we take for granted how much they bring to the table and not just the financial resources that they give us. I think what's been incredible in terms of this process from a rebuild to perennial playoffs to trying to get to that next level is their patience, but their positivity and player engagement."

Altman said the Cavs are willing to be a second apron team in terms of being over the salary cap.

"Yes, if we need to go there," he said.

Koby Altman's opening remarks at Cavs season-ending press conference

Altman began by talking about the disappointment of the season ending in the second round for the second consecutive year.

"We feel it. It's raw for us," he said. "We're disappointed how it ended. But it was a remarkable year on so many fronts. ... We're not going to go anywhere. We're going to keep fighting for that championship, and this window is wide open, we believe."

How did the 2024-25 Cavs end their season in the NBA playoffs?

The top-seeded Cavs defeated the No. 8 Miami Heat in a 4-0 first-round playoff sweep.

Then the Cavs stumbled in the Eastern Conference semifinals and lost the Round 2 series against the No. 4 Pacers in five games.

Here is a review of the series:

Game 1: Pacers 121, Cavs 112 | Recap | Column | Story
Game 2: Pacers 120, Cavs 119 | Recap | Column | Story
Game 3: Cavs 126, Pacers 104 | Recap | Column | Story
Game 4: Pacers 129, Cavs 109 | Recap | Column | Story
Game 5: Pacers 114, Cavs 105 | Recap | Column | Story

Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman talks during media day, Oct. 2, 2023, in Cleveland.

What is the playoff history between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers ?

In the playoffs, the Cavs are now 10-10 against the Pacers. The record includes the results from this year's Eastern Conference semifinals.

Here is a breakdown of the previous three series the two teams have shared:

2018: LeBron James and the Cavs got past the Pacers in the first round, but it took seven games. The Cavs ultimately were swept 4-0 by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
2017: Coming off Cleveland's 2016 NBA title and led by James, the Cavs swept the Pacers 4-0 in the first round. The Cavs eventually lost 4-1 to the Warriors in the NBA Finals.
1998: The Cavs fell 3-1 to the Pacers in Round 1. The Pacers were eventually eliminated by the Chicago Bulls in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Michael Jordan and the Bulls then beat the Utah Jazz 4-2 in the NBA Finals.

Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com . On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs executive Koby Altman's season-ending press conference highlights

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: