 |
| Tell us how you really feel. |
2009-10 Record: 61-21
Additions: Byron Scott (Coach), Chris Grant (GM), Ramon Sessions (Trade), Ryan Hollins (Trade), Christian Eyenga (Draft from last year), Joey Graham (FA)
Subtractions: Danny Ferry (GM), Mike Brown (Coach), LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Delonte West, Sebastian Telfair, Danny Green
"I'm taking my talents to South Beach". Those devastating words ripped the heart out of most Cleveland fans, who now have to watch as the best thing that ever happened to them, walks away without winning a title. So its back to square one for Cleveland, and no matter what Dan Gilbert says, there is a lot of work to do and probably many painful years ahead for Cavs fans.
As of now the Cavs aren't really in rebuilding mode. They have a mediocre team, and what needs to happen is it needs to be blown up. All the big contracts and players that aren't considered part of the future should be moved for draft picks, young players, or expiring contracts. Take a big hit for a couple seasons and hope you get lucky in the lottery again. But since I think Gilbert and co. are going to be stubborn, lets study the team as currently constructed.
This team isn't as bad as people let on, but neither is it any good. It's full of players that have a lot of regular and postseason experience, and they're not just going to give up now that LeBron is gone. Byron Scott is a better coach than Mike Brown was, and the new Princeton offense he's installed should actually be fun to watch if it works out. Not having LeBron means Cleveland lacks a focus to their offense, but they do have a few offensive weapons of some reliability: Mo Williams and J.J. Hickson. Newcomer Ramon Sessions also looks to benefit from playing up-tempo ball and not Rambis' triangle. Daniel Gibson had a fantastic preseason as well, mostly due to the revamped offense and the need for a scorer.
Where the Cavaliers are sorely lacking is in the size department. Anderson Varejao is the best big man on the team, and while he's an excellent defender and a decent rebounder, he's not exactly a scoring threat. Newcomer Ryan Hollins is athletic, but he's not a very good defender other than shotblocking, and his defensive rebounding is atrocious (career 12.3% Defensive Rebound Rate, good for bigs is around 20%). Antawn Jamison and JJ Hickson give the Cavaliers two above average offensive power forwards at least. Hickson has had fans clamoring for him to receive a bigger role in the offense for a year now, and it looks like he'll finally get his chance. He's athletic and quick, and also efficient on offense. His defense is suspect however, but pairing him up with Varejao could make up for that if the opposing team only has one true offensive frontcourt threat.
Ramon Sessions looks to be the only newcomer of any value. After a disappointing season in Minnesota in an offense that didn't cater to his skills, Sessions is looking to break out now as he's granted more freedom. He's a terrific slashing point guard, and he showed in preseason and in his last year in Milwaukee that he can fill it up. His biggest weakness is a lack of range on his shot, but Cleveland doesn't lack three point threats with Williams, Gibson and Parker still on the roster.
These Cavaliers aren't bad. They could probably even fight for one of those last couple playoff spots in the East. How crazy would a Miami-Cleveland first round matchup be? This team's defense won't be that great, but they could end up being one of the more efficient and exciting (yes, even with LeBron) offenses in the game. And delaying the rebuilding effort for a year might not be a bad idea, with a probable lockout and possible bad draft upcoming (players might feel the need to stay in school for a year with a lockout). Its not all doom and gloom with LeBron gone, but this team's chance for a title anytime soon vanished when he did. Hopefully this time, the climb back up won't be as painful.
Projected Win Range: 30-40
No comments:
Post a Comment