Cavs Notes: Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, championship odds

Evan Mobley isn’t easing into the season — he’s attacking it.

Coming off a breakout year that included his first Defensive Player of the Year award and first All-Star selection, Mobley has shown up to camp with noticeable swagger. Even his teammates have picked up on it.

“In one of our open gyms, a ref made a call and he yelled at him,” guard Sam Merrill told reporters. “That’s not something he would’ve ever done before. You can just tell his confidence is through the roof.”

Merrill said the Cavs are expanding Mobley’s offensive freedom, too.

“He’s bringing the ball up more, getting to his spots, hitting midrange shots, passing — that’s what they want from him,” he added.

Mobley said the leap comes from the very basics. Namely, hard work and support.

“Reps, just a lot of reps and the coaches believing in me,” he said. “That lets me experiment, get better, and keep unlocking new things.”

He’s fresh off averaging 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.6 blocks while anchoring one of the league’s best defenses.

Now, he enters the year mentioned in MVP conversations — a notion echoed recently by Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady during preseason analysis.

The Cavs open against the Knicks on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, live on ESPN.

Garland’s Title Talk

Darius Garland hasn’t forgotten how last season ended or what might’ve been.

Speaking with SiriusXM NBA Radio (via Jackson Flickinger of SB Nation), Garland said he’s confident the Cavs “would’ve won the championship” had they been healthy.

“I say that pretty confidently,” he said. “The talent on this team is off the charts. We had the Defensive Player of the Year in Evan, Jarrett [Allen] right behind him, and guys like Donovan [Mitchell], Max [Strus], Dre [Hunter] — everyone was coming along.”

Injuries told a different story. Garland played hurt, Mobley battled an ankle sprain, Hunter dislocated a thumb, and Mitchell tried to push through a calf strain.

The Cavs fell to Indiana in the second round after a 64-win season that had them looking like the East’s best team.

Garland’s belief, though, speaks to the mindset in Cleveland. It says that last year wasn’t an anomaly, but the start of something bigger.

Expectations and Odds

Under Kenny Atkinson, the Cavaliers became a true title contender. They won 64 games last year, finishing atop the East, and enter this season as one of the league’s betting favorites.

At FanDuel, Cleveland trails only Oklahoma City in championship odds. Caesars lists them just behind at +230 to win the East (via Cleveland.com).

With Boston and Indiana losing stars Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton to long-term injuries, the Cavs are viewed as the clear frontrunners.

They’re also heavily favored to win the Central Division (ranging from -370 to -475 across sportsbooks), and their win total is set at 56.5, suggesting another dominant regular season.

Individually, Donovan Mitchell sits at 100-to-1 for MVP, while Mobley holds the fourth-best odds to repeat as Defensive Player of the Year (+1400).