Ahead of a season where the Cleveland Cavs are projected to reach the NBA Finals, All-Star Donovan Mitchell, looked back on his collegiate career at Louisville, playing for head coach Rick Pitino. The six-time All-Star who was selected 13th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2017 NBA Draft, recalled a bittersweet experience with the NCAA men’s basketball head coach.
Mitchell revealed what it was like playing for Pitino at Louisville, per Broadroom.
“I tell people all the time, I have to be careful when I say this. They were the worst two years, but the best two years of my life. I think I was always a dog,” Mitchell said. “I was always hungry, but there’s like another level, like another button to be pushed, and that man is the master of finding whatever that is and pushing it, and pushing it. And before I got in there, he had a lot of guys transfer because some guys just weren’t. I wasn’t going to stop. He was crazy, I tell everybody.”
Rick Pitino left Louisville after a scandal involving a bribery, and went to Iona and now St. Johns where he’s completely turned their program around.
Cavs predicted to win the Eastern Conference
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After injuries derailed a talented Cavs team that dominated the regular season from reaching it full potential in the postseason, 2025-26 is viewed by many to be their year to push through back-to-back second-round exits. Heading into the upcoming season, the Cavs are predicted to win the Eastern Conference.
Led by three All-Stars in Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Defensive Player of the Year, Evan Mobley, the Cavs, with the Knicks as a close second-favorite, are expected to make an NBA Finals appearance in 2026, as noted from ESPN’s Tim Bontemps in a recent survey.
“While no one was picked to win the title out of the East, virtually everyone struggled to come up with a team they felt good enough about to come out of the conference,” Bontemps wrote. “For some, it was because they felt the Knicks and Cavs were evenly matched. Some went with New York because of its toughness and depth, while others went with Cleveland because of its perceived higher top-end talent and better defensive versatility, led by reigning DPOY Evan Mobley.”
The Cavs will face the Bulls in a preseason matchup on Thursday.
