2014-2015 Preview

Last season was a complete mess for Cleveland. After being predicted by many to make the playoffs, the Cavaliers struggled with injuries, bad signings and poor team chemistry, finishing ninth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 33-49. Last year, however, is in the rearview mirror, as the Cavs had one of the greatest offseasons in NBA history when they signed perennial all-stars LeBron James and Kevin Love. Just when it looked like Cleveland was doing all the wrong things, they made all the right moves this summer, and look to bring a championship to Cleveland for the first time in 40 years.

Cavs acquired the final piece to their new "Big 3" when they
traded for all-star Kevin Love on Aug. 23rd.

Offseason moves
Signings

- Kyrie Irving to five-year contract extension

Free agency

- LeBron James (two-year $42.1 million)

- Mike Miller and James Jones

- Shawn Marion (one-year contract)

Trades

- Traded point guard Jarrett Jack and guard/forward Sergey Karasev to Brooklyn Nets for draft rights to forward Ilkan Karaman and forward Edin Bavcic.

- Traded center Tyler Zeller and a first-round draft pick to Boston Celtics in exchange for a future conditional second-round pick.

- Traded small forward Alonzo Gee and guard Scotty Hopson to Charlotte Hornets in exchange for center Brendan Haywood and rookie Dwight Powell.

- Kevin Love (Timberwolves receive Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, and Miami’s 2015 1st round pick which belonged to Cleveland)

- Acquired guard Keith Bogans and the rights to Sacramento King's 2015 and 2017 second-round picks from the Boston Celtics for guard John Lucas III, forward Erik Murphy, forward Dwight Powell, forward Malcolm Thomas and Cleveland's 2016 and 2017 second-round picks.
- Traded guard Keith Bogans and a first-round pick to 76ers in return for a conditional second-round pick and a trade exception equaling $5.3 million.

Other

- Promoted interim general manager David Griffin to general manager

- Fired Mike Brown as head coach

- Hired David Blatt as head coach for three years.

- Hired Tyronn Lue as associate head coach

- Hired Larry Drew as assistant coach

Projected Lineup

Starting Lineup (2013-2014 stats)

PG Kyrie Irving: 20.8 PPG, 6.1 APG, 1.52 SPG

SG Dion Waiters: 15.9 PPG, 3.0 APG, 2.8 RPG

SF LeBron James: 27.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 4.8 APG

PF Kevin Love: 26.1 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 4.4 APG

C Anderson Varejao: 8.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 1.06 SPG

Bench

F Tristan Thompson: 11.7 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 47.7% FG

F Shawn Marion: 8.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.9 APG

G Matthew Dellavadova: 4.7 PPG, 2.6 APG, 36.8% 3PT

G Mike Miller: 7.3 PPG, 45.9% 3PT

Best Offseason Move That Did Not Involve LeBron James or Kevin Love

• Jack: Mike Miller. He may not be what he used to be, but there is still one thing he will always have: his jumper. His 45.9% from three-point range was second best in the NBA last year, and has a career 40.9% from deep. He also brings in plenty of experience, as he has been to the playoffs nine times with three different teams, including two rings with Miami in 2012 and 2013. Don’t expect him to carry any sort of offense load or have any type of presence on the defensive end, but when the Cavs need a big shot, he will be the guy you want to “let it fly.”

• Ian: Signing Kyrie to a five-year deal. Before LeBron made his decision to return to Cleveland, before Kevin Love was acquired in any trades, the Cavaliers took care of business at home by signing their rising superstar point guard for another five years. One of the NBA’s brightest up and coming stars, Kyrie Irving completely wiped out all other rumblings of his wanting out of Cleveland by signing a midnight agreement over the summer. Irving became the first domino to fall in what has been a tremendous offseason for the Cavaliers. Securing their star player for the next five years ensures that the Cavs will continue to be relevant beyond LeBron James’ second stint in Cleveland.

Biggest Strength

• Jack: Rebounding. Not only did the Cavs acquire the third leading rebounder in the NBA this offseason in Kevin Love, they also signed the best rebounding small forward in LeBron James. Combine them with Anderson Varejao (13th in RPG in the NBA) and Tristan Thompson (t-19th in RPG), it is going to be hard to get second chances on this team. Kyrie has also shown ability to grab rebounds, who has averaged just over three rebounds for his career. Most people will agree that the offense will be one of, if not the best in the league, which is true, but their ability to rebound will help them get second and third opportunities to score, and will also help them on the defensive end, as will limit the opposition to one shot every time they have the ball.

• Ian: Spacing. Since Kyrie Irving has had to shoulder the scoring load (fairly successfully, I might add) for the Cavaliers the past three seasons, it has been extremely easy for defenses to key in on Irving and stack the paint to make it incredibly difficult for Kyrie to get to the rim. Despite being an excellent shooter, it’s hard to create space for yourself when the opposing team knows the entire offensive gameplan is going to be you alone, for the most part. With LeBron James and Kevin Love joining the team, the spacing for this team will be out of this world, creating a bevy of one-on-one matchups as defenses have to figure out who they need to double team out of Kyrie, Dion Waiters, LeBron, or Kevin Love. Regardless of who it is, it’s going to give a lot of space to work with for the ball handler once they get the pass, making it an imposing task for any defense to figure out.

Biggest Weakness

• Jack: Interior Defense. With everything that has happened in the offseason, one might ask how there could be any weaknesses on this team? Well, that’s because every team has weaknesses, including the great ones. Last year, the Cavs ranked 23rd in the NBA in opponent field goal percentage within three feet of the basket (basically, interior scoring). Adding Kevin Love definitely will not help in that aspect (but that’s not why he was brought in), and depending on how much Brendan Haywood plays, he will not be much better. Luckily, the defensive rebounding will help solve some of this issue, as they limit the opportunities for put second chances and easy put-backs. I think a lot of how well they defend on the inside is the health of Anderson Varejao. He has the nickname “Wild Thing” for a reason, and that’s because he is willing to risk his body on both ends of the court, specifically on the defense side. Considering how much firepower there is on offense, it will be important for Andy (and also Tristan Thompson) to devote their energy to protecting the paint. If that can happen, this problem will be smaller than people anticipate.

• Ian: Big man depth. Anderson Varejao has proven he’s a more than capable center. When he’s healthy, Varejao has been a monster on the boards and has given the Cavaliers (both with LeBron the first time around and post-Decision) the energy that is a wonderful luxury to have in the post. But the one knock against Varejao has been his health. With only Brendan Haywood as a true backup center (who isn’t completely healthy himself), the Cavs may have to rely on starting Tristan Thompson some nights. Thompson is very similar to Varejao in the energy and rebounding department, but is a tad undersized for an NBA center at 6’9 (some say he’s a good 6’10 now, though the point remains). If Varejao goes down and Thompson is the only reliable option, where do the Cavs go from there?

Biggest Question Mark

• Jack: Will Dion be able to adjust to his new role? When Kyrie Irving went down in the middle March last year, the team needed a spark on offense. In steps Dion Waiters. In eight games without their leading scorer, Waiters averaged 22.0 PPG, 5.1 APG and 3.0 RPG, and also led the Cavs to a 4-4 record, keeping their (slim) playoff chances alive. This year, Dion will expected to take a step back in the offense, becoming the fourth option behind LeBron, Irving and Love. Dion was aware that the ball was not gonna be in his hands as much as last year, and noted that he was going to try to be more impactful in other aspects of the game. If Waiters is able to adopt a similar style to Jamal Crawford, with more efficiency, he will be a very effective player.

• Ian: How will David Blatt handle the transition to the NBA? While new Cleveland head coach David Blatt has over 20 years of experience as a head coach overseas and coaching the Russian national team, his latest test will be in uncharted waters for Blatt. Those waters being the NBA. As a head coach, Blatt has been known to use the Princeton offense with his teams, and while Blatt has said himself that that sort of offense might not be the best fit with the players on the roster, there will still be some principles of the offensive system, especially when it comes to motion and passing the ball. Another key aspect of the transition will be whether or not Blatt can handle the egos of superstars on a team. Erik Spoelstra did it for Miami after some time, but Blatt hasn't had to deal with stars as large as LeBron James, Kevin Love, or Kyrie Irving. It will be up to not only Blatt, but the players as well, to make sure this transition goes over smoothly.

Predictions

• Jack: 61-21. LeBron stressed patience, and talked about how it will be a process to winning a title. I think they make the finals, but lose once they get there.

• Ian: 57-25, with a trip to the NBA Finals. For now, I’ll say the Cavaliers fall just short of their first championship, but it really depends on who they play.