Jim Ingraham: Hey, NBA, networks, the Cavs are really good, or haven't you noticed?

A little bit of this, mixed with a little bit of that, as I ponder who is the Cavs' second-best player? But before we get to that, let's get to this: Memo to ESPN, TNT, NBA TV and anyone else broadcasting NBA games: Are you guys even paying attention? Yo, Adam Silver: Does anyone in your office even know where Cleveland is? To all the above: This just in (to you, not to us): The Cleveland Cavaliers are pretty good. No, they're better than pretty good. They're really good. No, they're better than really good. The Cavs are the best story in the NBA right now. America might like to know. You're welcome. While the networks are trying to figure out where Cleveland is and whether the hottest team in the NBA deserves an occasional appearance on national TV so the rest of the country can see for themselves, some numbers: Since Dec. 16 the Cavs are 21-4 (.840). Since Jan. 3 the Cavs are 16-1 (.941). Since Jan. 26 the Cavs are 8-0 (1.000). Overall, the Cavs are 34-16 (.680). On the road? No problem, they're 16-8 (.667). Wherever they are, whoever they play, whenever they play, they're really good. I mean, come on! They're even undefeated in Paris (1-0). All of the above numbers are when-LeBron-was-here-caliber numbers. Except LeBron isn't here, although he probably wishes he was. He'd be a good bench guy for the Cavs. Just kidding! We can kid again because these Cavs kids are very good. They are hard-nosed, competitive, highly skilled, unselfish and they've got a killer bench. All that will get you not just into the playoffs, but deep into them. Only one team in the Eastern Conference has a better record than the Cavs. That team is Boston. Over the last two years the Cavs are 3-3 vs. Boston. Not that America would know, of course, because the TV networks apparently think that the Cavs are the Washington Generals. One of the reasons the Cavs are so good is that the Cavs have so many players who are so good. Think about it. After Donovan Mitchell, who is the second-best Cavs player? You could legitimately nominate like half the roster for that title. Is Jarrett Allen the Cavs' second-best player? Yeah, maybe. How about Darius Garland? He's for sure in the discussion. So is Evan Mobley. On certain nights, it could be Max Strus. On others, Caris LeVert. Georges Niang has his moments. So does sharp-shooting Sam Merrill or professional blunt instrument Isaac Okoro. On any given night the Cavs have potentially any one of eight second-best players to Donovan Mitchell. That's called depth, and depth is what the Cavs didn't have last year, which is why they were bounced from the playoffs faster than a flagrant foul by Draymond Green. Depth is why the Cavs could potentially go deep into the playoffs. That may be the only way they get on national TV. The networks would have no choice. Meanwhile ... Corey Kluber quietly (i.e. Kluberly) announced his retirement Friday. A two-time Cy Young Award winner for Cleveland (he finished third in the Cy Young voting in two other years), Kluber will go into the books as one of the five or six greatest pitchers in Guardians history. He holds the franchise career record of 9.80 strikeouts per nine innings. In 2017, his second Cy Young season, he averaged 11.71 strikeouts per nine innings. Only Cliff Lee (.634) has a higher winning percentage for Cleveland than Kluber's .628. Only Bob Feller and Sam McDowell collected more strikeouts in a single season than Kluber's 269 in 2014, his first Cy Young season. Kluber's legacy in Cleveland also underscores the astuteness of the team's front office in judging careers. Cleveland acquired Kluber at exactly the right moment in his career, and traded him at exactly the right moment. Cleveland acquired him in 2011, as part of a three-team trade involving the Cardinals and Padres. Kluber was just starting to emerge as a potential star. He blossomed in a five-year period in Cleveland. From 2014-18, Kluber had a record of 85-48 (.639), with a 2.94 ERA, and three all-star appearances, Over that same period he finished, in order, first, ninth, third, first and third in the Cy Young voting, and 11th, 19th and seventh in the Most Valuable Player voting. Then he was done. Following the 2019 season Cleveland traded Kluber and his escalating salary to Texas for Emmanuel Clase. In the following four years Kluber pitched for Texas, the Yankees, Tampa Bay and finally Boston. He was never as great anywhere else as he was in Cleveland. His uniform number should probably be retired by the ballclub. On Thursday, two months shy of his 38th birthday, Corey Kluber, who came to Cleveland as an unknown and left as a star, walked away from the game that made him one. Contact Jim Ingraham at jingraham4@gmail.com and follow him @Jim_Ingraham on X.