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SP_Fever
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Joined: 15 Sep 2006
Posts: 3519
Location: Toronto, Canada
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 Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 5:17 am Post subject: how good can next season's Cavs team be? |
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current roster taken from NBA.com, obviously the roster will be different if they make further signings/trades
Kyrie Irving PG/22
John Lucas 3rd PG/32
Dion Waiters SG/22
Matthew Dellavedova SG/23
Carrick Felix SG/23
Joe Harris SG/22
Scotty Hopson SG/24
LeBron James SF/29
James Jones SF/34
Mike Miller SF/34
Tristan Thompson SF/23
Kevin Love PF/25
Erik Murphy PF24
Dwight Powell PF/23
Anderson Varejao C/31
Brandon Haywood C/35
Alex Kirk C/23
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Phil Jackson (June 17th, 2009):"What was our model of this team? The Ring, the ring, that was the model. Its not just this band of gold, its the circle that's made a bond between all of these players, a great love for one another, its a great feeling."
Last edited by SP_Fever on Tue Aug 26, 2014 7:51 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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chrisca91
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Joined: 06 Jan 2013
Posts: 3446
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 5:19 am Post subject: |
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| Probably ECF.. I think they will lose to indiana. I don't count on Chicago because D-rose is made of glass. |
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postandpivot
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Joined: 16 Sep 2003
Posts: 36822
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 5:23 am Post subject: |
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| chrisca91 wrote: | | Probably ECF.. I think they will lose to indiana. I don't count on Chicago because D-rose is made of glass. |
as usual shows you how weak the east is. any team with a great player and one other star is an auto ECF darn near auto finals team from the east. which is why these guys are trying to jump on the east coast teams or stay their. they have seen how easy it is for the heat to get thru the playoffs every year and end up in the finals.
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drzucchini
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Joined: 28 Sep 2002
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 6:10 am Post subject: |
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| Well, they're still in the East, right? |
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numero-ocho
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Joined: 27 Jul 2004
Posts: 18203
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 6:46 am Post subject: |
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No rim protection and very little rebounding other than Varejao in that current lineup and Varejao has had problems staying healthy for the last 3-4 years. Cavs were second to last in blocks last season.
Lack of perimeter shooting. Their best shooters (Spencer Hawes and CJ Miles) left in free agency. Lebron needs shooters to space the floor to give him room to operate.
We've often commented on how Kobe would have difficulty playing with a ball dominant PG, but Lebron has never played with one either. Maybe Kyrie can make the adjustment like Wade did. We'll see.
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Luke
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Joined: 07 Oct 2003
Posts: 5004
Location: Deep Europe
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 7:22 am Post subject: |
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They are going to have the shooters.
Mike Miller is close and Ray Allen is now Lebron's best friend. They'll go to Cleveland.
Also, they have the possibility to sign other free agents and/ or trade for what they need. |
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lakersken80
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Joined: 12 Aug 2009
Posts: 38780
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 7:54 am Post subject: |
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| Most likely #2 in the eastern conference. I still think Indy might have the top spot since they were tested against Miami, I don't think this team is as good as Miami in its current form because of its youth. They are playing in the eastern conference though, so it won't be hard for them to a top eastern conference team. |
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yinoma2001
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Joined: 19 Jun 2010
Posts: 119487
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 8:45 am Post subject: |
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Lebron will miss Bosh's ability to defend at the perimeter.
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From 2-10 to the Western Conference Finals |
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lakers0505
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Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Posts: 10701
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 9:01 am Post subject: |
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ECF/Finals but lose?
That Irving/Lebron duo will be interesting to see how it develops.
J/K! We know, Lebron takes ball, Irving has leftovers. |
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dfchang813
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Joined: 19 Jun 2010
Posts: 1508
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 9:19 am Post subject: |
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Cavs aren't done though.
They have A LOT of flexibility right now and a lot depends on whether they are able to get Kevin Love and what they have to give up to get him.
Getting Lebron in free agency versus a sign and trade is HUGE because they have essentially all their best assets and can pick and choose what to do.
Isn't the biggest joke that Cleveland still has a first round pick from Miami coming to them next year from the original sign and trade that sent Lebron to Miami in 2010? Jesus . . .
A core of Kevin Love, Lebron, and Kyrie will be a nightmare for the league. This is basically like Lebron, Wade, and Bosh on steroids. People for some reason vastly underrate K-love but this guy is a beast, one of the top 5 players in the NBA. Remember this guy had a THIRTY THIRTY game and is a double double machine.
Kyrie isn't D-Wade but his game complements Lebron's a lot better than Flash and meshes better.
You add outside shooters like Miller and Ray Allen and how in the world are you going to defend this team? I think Kevin Love, Miller, and Allen are all 40% plus 3 point shooters right? Come to think of it, didni't Kyrie win the 3 point contest at the All-Star game last year? Seems Lebron has all the outside shooters he needs to space the floor for him.
This is all without the #1 pick of the most loaded draft since Lebron himself came out a decade ago. How quickly Wiggins develops and whether they have to give him up in any trade for Kevin Love also plays huge here. Kid may be raw but he is a terrifying athletic specimen and will be a very good defender day one in the league. He's already turning heads in summer league play and the thought of Lebron mentoring him in Cleveland is pretty scary.
At this point, I'm not quite sure quite what this kid's ceiling is to be honest but there's a fair chance you could be looking at the next iteration of Jordan/Pippen if Wiggins develops as expected.
Remember that Lebron is a defensive player of the year candidate right now and Wiggins has potential to be a very very good defender with his length and athleticism. Those two alone should answer a lot of the perimeter defensive questions.
Lebron, K-Love, and Kyrie are prohibitive favorites to come out of the East in my opinion if they land Miller and Allen and pick up a few vet minimum ring chasers.
Lebron, K-Love, Kyrie, AND Wiggins are threats to win the championship outright. They have to be in the conversation with Spurs and Thunder.
Lebron, Kyrie, and Wiggins should get to the Eastern Conference finals but may not have enough experience and cohesion to get out.
Either way, this Cavs team will be very, very fun to watch and has enough assets to get better in the future actually.
This is what happens when you land the best player in the world on top of getting #1 pick three out of last four years. They will have FOUR #1 draft picks on the same team. Something that is essentially impossible in today's modern NBA game but somehow they pulled it off.
Last team with 4 #1 draft picks on same team? A little known Lakers squad with Kareem, Magic, Worthy, and Mychal Thompson. If I recall they seem to have done all right. |
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kaoss128
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Joined: 09 Apr 2006
Posts: 13058
Location: Morgantown, WV
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 9:30 am Post subject: |
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| They will sleep walk their way to the NBA Finals. |
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USCandLakers
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Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 19955
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 9:50 am Post subject: |
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It depends on how the east shapes up. But with Melo going back to NY instead of Chicago and Lance's future with the Pacers still up in the air, it doesn't look like the East will be all that much better.
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dfchang813
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Joined: 19 Jun 2010
Posts: 1508
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 10:04 am Post subject: |
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| USCandLakers wrote: | | It depends on how the east shapes up. But with Melo going back to NY instead of Chicago and Lance's future with the Pacers still up in the air, it doesn't look like the East will be all that much better. |
Exactly. New York next year is the same as this past year with Carmelo and they missed the playoffs.
Brooklyn is in chaos and getting older by the minute.
Miami is in a shambles, overpaid Bosh and with a crippled D-Wade.
Indiana may lose Stephenson, their number one player took a step back this year and their center turned into a corpse for some reason.
Chicago has to bank on D-Rose's health.
Rosters are still in flux but right now, it's hard to see ANY of those teams beating Cavs in a 7 game series when they have the best player in the game.
We've always known that whatever team in the East gets Lebron should be prohibitive favorites to come out of the East. The fact that Cleveland was pretty stacked before he got there just makes the prediction easier . . . |
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unleasHell
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Joined: 16 Apr 2001
Posts: 11591
Location: Stay Thirsty my Friends
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 10:29 am Post subject: |
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The Cav's should offer Wiggens for Love right now..
Otherwise, the Cav's are right there even with the Pacers, Bulls and Heat, they could beat any of those teams or they could lose to them in the playoffs...
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audioaxes
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Joined: 26 Apr 2004
Posts: 12573
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 12:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Cavs has alot of young talent but they are not optimized for Lebron. They should try to do package of Wiggins and filler for Klay Thompson and pick up Kevin Love next year. |
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dfchang813
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Joined: 19 Jun 2010
Posts: 1508
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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| audioaxes wrote: | | Cavs has alot of young talent but they are not optimized for Lebron. They should try to do package of Wiggins and filler for Klay Thompson and pick up Kevin Love next year. |
Might as well trade Lebron for Klay, no.
You let Wiggins go only for Kevin Love and only if forced.
Cavs are in no hurry. They don't have to have greatest offer, just the best of what's out there. Love is gone after 2015, the longer time passes the weaker the offers get.
K Love has said he will sign long term with Cleveland and Lebron that puts the Cavs at an advantage in any negotiation over any other team.
It's a game of chicken anyway. Is Minnesota willing to let K Love walk for free to any number of teams with cap space that he will be interested in (Los Angeles will be a player again next summer) or trade him now and get Dion Waiters, Anthony Bennet, and some first round draft picks?
Meanwhile, Cavs can let Wiggins develop and see what kind of team they have around Lebron. They can always reapproach Timberwolves at the trade deadline. If KLove let's it be known he will only sign with Cavs, that will stop Golden State and Boston dead in their tracks.
That's how I would play it if I was Cavs' FO. We already have Kyrie, Lebron, and Wiggins with ton of young cheap talent with great upside and picks as well. No need to panic trade Wiggins for Love. There's no competition out there. Just be patient and put together a collection of assets that doesn't include Wiggins but still trumps any other offer Minnesota is likely to receive in the next year. And have Lebron talk to Kevin Love so Cavs are the only team he'll re-sign with to scare off other suitors. And see if Flip blinks. |
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Lakers95
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Joined: 19 Dec 2011
Posts: 20880
Location: Southern California
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 12:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Due to how bad the East is, I could see them making the finals by default, but I think whoever comes out of the West is going to overpower them no matter what. They're probably too young of a team to do any real damage their first year. |
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srm90
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Joined: 29 Dec 2007
Posts: 10662
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 12:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Lakers95 wrote: | | Due to how bad the East is, I could see them making the finals by default, but I think whoever comes out of the West is going to overpower them no matter what. They're probably too young of a team to do any real damage their first year. |
Another Finals loss for LeBron. 
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lakersken80
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Joined: 12 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 6:15 am Post subject: |
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| This team will be dominant a couple of years down the road. Unfortunately, I hate how the NBA basically gave the Cavs all these #1 picks to lure back Lebron, and basically kill parity for the rest of the teams in the East, let alone the rest of the league. No team deserves a core of Wiggins, Lebron, Irving, but I guess the NBA is so desperate to make the Cavs champs in the future and get rid of Cleveland as a loser sports town. |
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Romano338
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Joined: 12 Nov 2013
Posts: 1150
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 6:21 am Post subject: |
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| srm90 wrote: | | Lakers95 wrote: | | Due to how bad the East is, I could see them making the finals by default, but I think whoever comes out of the West is going to overpower them no matter what. They're probably too young of a team to do any real damage their first year. |
Another Finals loss for LeBron. |
I wouldn't laugh considering how many finals the Lakers lost |
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Luke
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Joined: 07 Oct 2003
Posts: 5004
Location: Deep Europe
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 6:31 am Post subject: |
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| Romano338 wrote: | | srm90 wrote: | | Lakers95 wrote: | | Due to how bad the East is, I could see them making the finals by default, but I think whoever comes out of the West is going to overpower them no matter what. They're probably too young of a team to do any real damage their first year. |
Another Finals loss for LeBron. |
I wouldn't laugh considering how many finals the Lakers lost |
What's your point ?
What Lebron losses in the Finals have to do with our losses as a team ? |
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srm90
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Joined: 29 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 7:13 am Post subject: |
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| Romano338 wrote: | | srm90 wrote: | | Lakers95 wrote: | | Due to how bad the East is, I could see them making the finals by default, but I think whoever comes out of the West is going to overpower them no matter what. They're probably too young of a team to do any real damage their first year. |
Another Finals loss for LeBron. |
I wouldn't laugh considering how many finals the Lakers lost |
If you want to go there, we're still a net positive.
LeBron should be thanking Ray Allen he is not 1-4 right now.
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improper
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Joined: 07 Jan 2014
Posts: 146
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| Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 6:07 am Post subject: |
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| Lakers95 wrote: | | Due to how bad the East is, I could see them making the finals by default, but I think whoever comes out of the West is going to overpower them no matter what. They're probably too young of a team to do any real damage their first year. |
I feel like just making the Finals would be a huge success for such a young roster. The average age of the core guys who are on the roster right now (LeBron, Kyrie, Wiggins, Waiters, Thompson, Varejao, Bennett, and Dellevadova) is only 23.75. I used those guys because they're the ones you can be pretty sure will get minutes this year, barring a trade.
If you make the Finals with a roster that young, you're in a good place going forward, especially since two of the guys (Wiggins and Kyrie) are locked up long-term, with another (LeBron) pretty much committed for the long haul. |
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Murdock
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| Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 7:32 am Post subject: |
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| Lakers95 wrote: | | Due to how bad the East is, I could see them making the finals by default, but I think whoever comes out of the West is going to overpower them no matter what. They're probably too young of a team to do any real damage their first year. |
I really wouldn't even count them out as potential champions either.. Next season is as wide open a playoff field as I have seen in an incredibly long time.
I don't view the Western champion as a "lock" to win against the Cavs at all.. |
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SGV-Laker fan
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Joined: 23 May 2013
Posts: 8860
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| Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 7:43 am Post subject: |
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| maybe ECF, but definitely not title worthy. don't confuse young all stars with HOFers. Irving, Wiggins or even Love may be good, but they're not at the same level as D Wade of 4 years ago. say what you want about Wade, but the guy is a future HOFer. case in point, Wade was able to adjust his game seamlessly to fit James', can Irving do that? i don't know. |
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