With the regular season set to begin on Wednesday for the Cleveland Cavaliers, many predictions are being made with regards to how the upcoming season will be play out for the Wine & Gold both on and off the court. Will they be among the worst teams in the league again? How will the three new rookies develop? How will John Beilein adjust to both coaching in the NBA, as well as coaching a team in the midst of a rebuild? What does the future hold for Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, and so many other veterans? Here are some predictions into the Cavaliers’ future.
1. Kevin Love won’t be traded.
This is pretty simple. There have been reports that teams are understandably hesitant to give up any real assets for a 31 year old power forward with an extensive injury history who is making roughly $30 million a year for the next four seasons. Cap relief is all most seem to want to offer right now, and some reports have speculated that the Cavs might need to include an asset to unload Love. Bradley Beal‘s extension with the Wizards might change Love’s market a bit, but considering their differences in age and positions, a significant jump in Love’s value to other teams seems unlikely. Meanwhile, the Cavs are floating that they will only trade Love if they are blown away by an offer. This makes sense in that having Love as a veteran leader and offensive focal point helps younger players such as Darius Garland and Collin Sexton develop in a more appropriate setting compared to one in which they have the weight of the franchise on their shoulders immediately. Both sides are valid, and likely why Love will be staying with the Cavaliers. Speaking of those two…
2. Darius Garland and Collin Sexton will be the Cavaliers’ best back court tandem.
This is just as much about the other options as it is the pair of recent lottery picks. Matthew Dellavedova is an incredibly smart player, but his athletic limitations and injury history are extremely limiting. Brandon Knight is finally healthy, and could provide decent backup minutes, but he’s always been a relatively inefficient one-way player, and it’s hard to see him staying healthy and effective over the course of a full season. Jordan Clarkson has been playing a lot of his minutes as the backup small forward, and even if he does spend more time at shooting guard, John Beilein seems to recognize that he is best as a microwave scorer off the bench.
Meanwhile, albeit in very limited time, Garland has showing the shooting prowess that made him a top five pick in June, along with a surprising amount of game management skills for a rookie point guard not known for his passing. Sexton continues to struggle with passing and defense, but his shooting from the second half of last season has carried over to the preseason, and he remains a blur in transition. They simply have more offensive upside than any of the other guards on the team. The other end of the court is a different matter…
3. The defense will be even worse this season.
How is it possible to take a step down from the worst defense in NBA history? Simple, add three rookies to the rotation, and let the only above average perimeter defender on the team (David Nwaba) walk away. Letting Jaron Blossomgame (a decent defender in his own right) walk as well didn’t help matters. The Cavaliers lack physical defenders on the perimeter, and have arguably the least rim protection in the league. Their only defensive strength is on the boards, and that’s only true if Love, Thompson, and Larry Nance Jr. are healthy.This defense could be old school video game bad. One defense wing with size would go a long way…
4. Cedi Osman will not finish the year as the starting small forward.
We all love Cedi. He’s a high I.Q. player who always seems to make the right choices on offense. He rarely takes the kinds of dumb shots that make fans smack their heads in exasperation. Unfortunately, he doesn’t consistently make the smart shots that he takes. He’s also a minus defender despite typically giving good effort on that end. None of this is to say that Osman isn’t useful, just that he may be best suited as a bench player. His physical abilities just don’t seem to match his mind for the game. It’s getting harder and harder to see him as the long-term option at small forward, which is why…
5. The Cavs will only move one of their expiring deals, and it won’t be for a first-round pick.
It’s foolish to think that the Cavaliers will move all of their expiring deals, but moving just one? This is relatively simple. There aren’t that many bad deals that extend past this season, and the several of the players the Cavaliers have available have little on-court value. Dellavedova and Knight are probably best suited as third string point guards, and Henson can’t stay healthy enough to show he has any value. That leaves Thompson and Clarkson. Given the injuries to the Cavaliers’ big men, moving Thompson any time soon seems unlikely. Beilein likes Clarkson’s scoring, but they could give his minutes to Kevin Porter Jr. if they feel he’s close to ready. Either way…
6. The Cavs will make a trade sooner than later.
This prediction feels less likely with each passing hour. Sooner meant by mid-December at latest, but even that is starting to feel like a stretch. The Cavaliers seemed to have a surplus of big men coming into the season, and it seemed that moving one of them (possibly Zizic due to his low salary) to a team that is both in need of a big man and looking to move a wing that was no longer in their plans would make some sense. Despite John Henson and Ante Zizic being hurt, the Cavaliers are keeping Tyler Cook on a two-way deal, and have waived big men Jarell Martin and Marquis Bolden. Now, as teams make their final cuts, a few intriguing small forward options have become available, most notably former Warrior Alfonzo McKinnie. Considering the Cavaliers’ need for size on the wing, McKinnie would seem to be the type of player they should bring in. Justin Anderson and and former Cavalier Jaron Blossomgame are other possible small forward options. Still, we’ll (gulp) stick to our prediction that general manager Koby Altman will make move a big man for a wing as soon as everyone is healthy (if that day ever comes) to balance out the roster a bit. Let’s just hope it’s not this guy…
