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Last Season’s Rank
25
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Projected 2013/2014
Finish
15
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Last
season’s Team Statistics and League Rank
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Returning
Individual Statistical Leaders
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Projected
Starters Based on Talent, Tenure, Paycheck and Potential Impact:
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Second Unit Roster Order Ranked on Talent, Tenure, Paycheck and Potential Impact:
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Analysis:
After three years of struggling in the post +LeBron James era, it looks as if the Cleveland Cavaliers will finally climb out of the chasm of bottom feeders and finally rejoin the NBA's elite as they return to the playoffs. Out of all the teams in the league, Cleveland has been both one of the most active and most certainly the most fortunate team as their off season started of with a bang winning the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft. Considering that the Cavs had won the number one overall pick two years prior and the player they selected has so far won Rookie of the Year and his first All Star nomination in his first two years in the league, many believe that this current selection will being the same success and good fortune as his predecessor has had. This upcoming season, Anthony Bennett, who the Cavs tabbed as their "chosen one," will be joining an already talented core of young players who have all been selected in the first round in the last two years which include Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson, and Tyler Zeller. Along with this stable of raw, fresh yet undeveloped thoroughbreds, the Cavs also added an infusion of young veteran players who have plenty of playoff experience to give the team not only one of the deepest and most talented team, but also its best chance to return to the playoffs since both the team, its fans and the city had their heart ripped out of them two years prior. To back up their All Star and face of the franchise in Irving, the Cavs signed veteran Jarrett Jack who had just come off a phenomenal season with the +Golden State Warriors as he helped the team with a history of failure have one of its best seasons in franchise history. With him, not only did the Warriors finish with its first winning season in six years and its first playoff appearance in seven, but also reach as close as two games within the Western Conference Finals. Coming off the bench, Jarrett had a season that was worthy enough of being a starter on any team in the league averaging 12.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game during the regular season while shooting an impressive .404 from beyond the arc; however that solid performance would be eclipsed in the post season as Jack simply caught on fire. During the playoffs, Jack went from being average to astounding bumping his scoring from 12.9 to 17.2 points per game while shooting a blistering .506 from their field and it is the Cavs' hope that he will bring the same fire from the bench that he brought to Golden State. However, Jack would not be the only prize that Cleveland would acquire in free agency as the Cavs would roll the dice on another players who has the potential to be one of the best big men in the league, but has plenty of red flags to go with. Before being diagnosed with a degenerative arthritic knees, Andrew Bynum has possibly one of the brightest futures of any player in the league after not only winning two championship titles with the +Los Angeles Lakers, but also earned his first All Star selection after posting a career season where he averaged 19 points, 12 boards, 2 blocks per game. When he was traded to Philly in that massive trade that sent +Dwight Howard to LA, the Sixers saw him as a future cornerstone of the franchise who looked to be the best big man to ever play in the City of Brotherly Love since 12 time All Star Moses Malone did in the 1980s. Unfortunately all those hopes and dreams went down in flame as Bynum would spend the entire season on crutches as his rehabilitation from a knee injury did not seem to progress and the prognosis for his future in the NBA certainly did not look good. So Philly chose to not take the risk of keeping a potential bomb to blow up in its face and allowed the talented yet tainted big man go as an unrestricted free agent which led to the Cleveland Cavaliers lurking in the shadows to swipe him up before anyone else had a chance to. Although it looks like a major risk signing a big man with a history of injuries, the Cavs got him to sign a shorter deal that was only half guaranteed allowing them an easy out if things ever go south and incentive for a talented center who is only 25 years old, to go out on the court and silence all his skeptics and doubters that expect him to fail. Last but certainly not the least, to ensure that they achieve their post season aspirations for not only this up coming season but for years to come, the Cavs added a familiar face who had previously coached Cleveland to some of the teams best seasons. In his five years of coaching in Cleveland, Mike Brown coached the Cavs to possibly its greatest period in franchise history leading them to five straight winning seasons which included reaching the 2007 NBA Finals and a franchise record 66 win regular season record in 2009 which earned him Coach of the Year honors. Unfortunately, Brown, despite his successes, achievements and accolades, would end up to become the scapegoat for all the Cavs' playoff failures and would eventually be sacrificed in order to appease Lebron James enough to have him resign with the team; however, that all backfired as Lebron would snub the Cavs and head to South Florida where he would win two NBA championships while leaving his former team in the lurch. So one can see this as not only as a homecoming for one of the Cavs' most successfull and respected coaches, but also a sort of reconciliation as the team righted a past wrong of unjustly firing Brown in the first place. Now armed with a team with two All Stars and a treasure trove of young talent blended with veteran experience, Mike Brown will look to not only redeem himself in the eyes of those who has discounted his coaching prowess and bring a team that had suffered so much back to its rightful place as a playoff contender. With all the pieces in place, it looks to be a magical season for folks in Cleveland, but there is still call for cautious optimism as they are some mitigating factors that can turn the Cavs from a team heading for a major turnaround to a team in turmoil. If completely healthy, the Cavs can certainly be good enough to take on any team in the league and potentially even challenge for the Central Division crown; however, that all depends on whether the team can stay healthy or not for the duration of the season. Both the team's big men in Bynum and incumbent Anderson Varejao have not really had the best history of staying on the floor in the last couple of years with Bynum missing all of last season, while Varejao, since the departure of Lebron James, has just played a grand total of 81 games over the last three seasons. Add the fact that the team number one overall pick may or may not be ready for opening day gives Cavalier fans more anxiety than anticipation for the upcoming NBA regular season in one month's time. So for all those involved, lets hope the powers that be will bestow their blessing on a team, a city and fan base that have suffered so much and finally give them something to smile for and look forward to as fall draws to a close and they a hit with a cruel and merciless winter for the next four months. |
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Monday, September 30, 2013
SDH's 2013/2014 NBA Worst to First Previews and Predictions: 15. Cleveland Cavaliers
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