The Cleveland Cavaliers missed the playoffs last season and had very little to look forward to as a franchise, despite getting the number one pick in the draft yet again. Then came LeBron.
What Went Wrong Last Season?
Plenty went wrong for the Cavaliers, who were so optimistic about their franchise when they got the number one pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and used it on Anthony Bennett, the forward out of UNLV. Bennett turned into a bust, playing only 52 games, starting none of them, and averaging a meager 4.2 points per game. It became clear that the Cavaliers’ other investments, especially big man Andrew Bynum, were not working out. Bynum’s persistent knee problems led to him playing only 24 games for the Cavs before he moved along to the Indiana Pacers and sabotaged that team’s locker room before and during the playoffs. The Cavaliers rolled through players as though a merry-go-round was spinning right in front of their home arena. Cleveland would pick a player, bring him aboard, and then let him go.
The Cavaliers, at one point or another during the past season, had the following players on their roster and then let them go: Luol Deng, Spencer Hawes, Bynum, Earl Clark, and Seth Curry. This doesn’t count players the team let go of after the regular season had ended. This team was constantly searching for low-post defense when Anderson Vajejao was injured. Bennett’s inability to be a better player really compromised this team at the forward spot. Head coach Mike Brown was put in a bad position upon his return to Cleveland, but he was not the man to rebuild this franchise.
Cleveland ended up 22nd in the league in offense despite having Kyrie Irving at the point. The Cavaliers averaged just over 98 points per game in a bad Eastern Conference. This team was 27th in overall field goal percentage because it was 29th in two-point percentage. There was no one to get easy baskets at the rim, no one to dunk the ball or be the receiver of an Irving assist pass. Irving had to create his shots from the perimeter and hit a lot of six-foot floaters. With this team finishing 24th in assists and 29th in blocked shots, Cleveland was not able to start a lot of fast breaks and get points in the open court. Cleveland’s perimeter defense was also horrible. Opponents averaged just over nine made three-point attempts per game – that was the worst mark in the league for any three-point defense.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0xwCtGtU_s
Offseason Changes
This is an almost completely different roster compared to last season. Jarrett Jack, Anthony Bennett, Alonzo Gee, C.J. Miles, Carrick Felix, Scotty Hopson, and Arinze Onuaku are gone. LeBron James ushered in the arrival of several other name players: Kevin Love, Shawn Marion, Mike Miller, Brendan Haywood, and James Jones, with Ray Allen not yet on the roster but likely to decide the join the team soon. The Cavs also picked up a new coach, hiring David Blatt from Israel and thereby marking themselves as a team willing to take a chance on an overseas coach. Brown is out after one season and a lot of money.
Projected Finish
The Cavs have LeBron, Love and Irving in their starting five. They’re going to score tons and tons of points. The playoffs will be a challenge if Chicago enters with a healthy Derrick Rose. The regular season should be one in which the Cavs will get a bucket in almost every big Eastern Conference game. They should finish first.
Pick: First In Eastern Conference
