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Cavaliers president Koby Altman signs contract extension
Shams Charania: Cleveland Cavaliers president Koby Altman – the architect of the burgeoning title contender – has signed a contract extension through 2029-30, sources tell ESPN. Cavs' front office, including Mike Gansey and Brandon Weems, received extensions amid rise to No. 1 seed in East.
Cavs make Lonzo Ball addition official: We are very excited about this opportunity
The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired guard Lonzo Ball in a trade with the Chicago Bulls, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts. As part of the trade, the Cavaliers sent forward Isaac Okoro to Chicago. “We are very excited about this opportunity to acquire someone with the skillset and versatility that Lonzo Ball brings to this team,” said Altman. “We have built a team for sustainable success and finding a way to improve around the edges has been our focus this offseason, and the addition of Lonzo represents part of that process. I would also like to thank Isaac Okoro for his professionalism, hard work, and the true grit he brought to the court during his five seasons in Cleveland. We wish Isaac and his family nothing but the best in the future.”
Koby Altman on making drastic changes to roster: 'If we were going to be reactionary, it would have been last year'
“If we were going to be reactionary, it would have been last year after everything that was written about that group, and all the rumors and all this and that. We stood pat and look what happened,” Altman said. “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.
“We’ve become very, very good at the regular season,” Altman said. “I think for us, I’d rather be where we are now. This is where we want to live, with the expectation of championship and when we fall short of that, everyone’s upset. I want to live in that space. I don’t want to live in this space where we were three, four years ago when we’re worried about ping pong balls and when it was 19 wins, 19 wins, 22 wins. I love the trajectory that we’re on.”
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"I think we can all agree that coming into the season no one predicted us to be (the) No. 1 seed. I don't think anyone had 64 wins. Because we were so good we recreated the expectation of Finals. I think everyone in here saw potential champions, which is a new space for us," Altman said. "We recreated the expectation and now we have to live with that. I think it's a space we want to live in and take that into the playoffs next year, knowing we're going to have to change that narrative, knowing that we have get over the hump."
Koby Altman: We'd love to keep Ty Jerome
Michael Scotto: Cleveland Cavaliers President Koby Altman on free agent guard Ty Jerome: “Love to keep him. We’re hopeful.” “When guys find that confidence in (Kenny Atkinson’s) system, their value gets driven up. Same thing with Sam Merrill. You want to call these guys end of bench players before that became real rotational players and valuable within the ecosystem, not just us. The good news is those guys are going to do really well for themselves.”
Michael Scotto: Cleveland Cavaliers President Koby Altman on Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley: “We’re going to go as a franchise as Evan is going to go. We’ve had that conversation with Evan… We think we have one of the best big men in the game in Evan Mobley.”
As for the excursion as a whole, at some point during the season, team president Koby Altman decided the Cavs would travel early to Nashville for some fun and some practice. They attended Vanderbilt’s SEC tournament game Wednesday, held a team dinner and some players and coaches enjoyed Nashville’s famous Broadway district. “Koby’s a great driver of these things,” Atkinson said. “And man, that was one thing we talked about in the beginning of the season, when the season (gets) so long, it’s, how do we keep our guys fresh? How do we keep them engaged? … I do feel a little bit right now with our guys like there’s a little bit of a monotony setting in. And so it was perfect timing for the trip.”
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"He wanted to get back to an All-Star level and that was our job to help him get back there," Altman told ESPN. "It was our job to help him with the staff that was going to empower him again. But never once did Darius ever ask out, never once did Darius have an issue with Donovan, and never once did he have an issue with the organization. "His issue was, like, how do I get back? I know I'm one of the best players in the league, one of the best guards in the league. How do I get back?"
Spencer Davies: #Cavs president Koby Altman: “We’re thinking past April.”
Spencer Davies: “First class, super professional.” Koby Altman speaks to Caris LeVert and Georges Niang’s time with the #Cavs and how they took the news. Wishes them the best going forward.
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