2014 - 2015 Eastern Conference

[morgwon]

LeBron/Kyrie/Love > Rose/Gasol/Noah

At the end of the day, your big time players win you playoff and big games... And if our big time players our better than theirs, I will take us all day. Don't forget Dion, the young stud off the bench for us. We are the clear favorites in the East, any time you have LeBron/Love/Kyrie on the same team in the weak East, you should be the favorites.

I am sure people thought

Lebron/Wade/Bosh > anything

But the Spurs should have beat them twice. The Cavs team looks better on paper at the top but I think the Bulls got the depth. The Spurs showed that you can beat a top heavy team with depth. I am not forgetting about Dion but I will take McDermott, Taj, Mirotic, Hinrich, Snell, and Brooks over the Cavs bench. And more than likely if you guys do trade Wiggins for Love Dion goes into the starting lineup. You guys may be the favorites but that was also the case in 2009 and 2010 and what did that get you?

 

[Pioneer10]

The nice thing is we're not Miami and we will not only have Waiters but also Delly, Anderson, Thompson, and Miller. We have a bunch of guys who I wouldn't depend on to carry our team but are perfectly good being second banana types or role players

 

[morgwon]

The nice thing is we're not Miami and we will not only have Waiters but also Delly, Anderson, Thompson, and Miller. We have a bunch of guys who I wouldn't depend on to carry our team but are perfectly good being second banana types or role players

I do like Miller for the Cavs. But isn't Anderson slated as the starting center?

 

[ajz20]

LeBron/Kyrie/Love > Rose/Gasol/Noah

At the end of the day, your big time players win you playoff and big games... And if our big time players our better than theirs, I will take us all day. Don't forget Dion, the young stud off the bench for us. We are the clear favorites in the East, any time you have LeBron/Love/Kyrie on the same team in the weak East, you should be the favorites.

I agree, but I think a few people glossed over the point I was making. With Love, I do think we are better. Without Love, and if (it is a big if, but he looks healthy) Rose plays at a high level I think we would be in trouble. A Bennett Andy froncourt vs. Noah and Gasol would be troublesome in a 7 game series. Bottom line is I feel very fortunate (knock on wood that we are getting Love, have vets like Mike Miller and hopefully Allen) instead of relying on Wiggins an Bennett for major production. If Lebron was 25, i would be fine with waiting on the youngsters, but given the roster of teams like the Bulls and Wizzards in the East, Love is the piece that seems to out us over the top in the next 2 years. I maintain we need to win a title in the next 3 years. Once Lebron turns 32 going on 33 all best are off in terms of him being dominant.He may still be great (and I hate to keep using this term over and over) but father time is going to start knocking on the door, and you can only keep him outside the front door for so long.

 

[AZCavs]

I am sure people thought

Lebron/Wade/Bosh > anything

But the Spurs should have beat them twice. The Cavs team looks better on paper at the top but I think the Bulls got the depth. The Spurs showed that you can beat a top heavy team with depth. I am not forgetting about Dion but I will take McDermott, Taj, Mirotic, Hinrich, Snell, and Brooks over the Cavs bench. And more than likely if you guys do trade Wiggins for Love Dion goes into the starting lineup. You guys may be the favorites but that was also the case in 2009 and 2010 and what did that get you?

Assuming the Love trade goes through, the Cavs starting 5 will be Irving, Waiters, LeBron, Love, Thompson / Varejao. The bench will consist of Varejao / Thompson, Dellavedova, Miller and probably Ray Allen. I don't see James Jones being a factor, but I can see Joe Harris earning some playing time and making an impact. The Cavs also have movable contracts in Murphy, Lucas, Thomas and, if necessary, Brendan Haywood.

Right now, the Bulls roster is about complete whereas the Cavs, even after the Love / Wiggins / Bennett deal is official, still have some moves to make (i.e., signing Allen, acquiring another rotational big man.) And even as everything projects, the Cavs do not have a bad bench. Dellavedova should have garnered more of Jack's minutes a season ago and vets like Varejao (if he comes off the bench), Miller and Allen round out the second unit. It's not a deficient group by any means.

Also, I don't think you should look at the Bulls and immediately think they can lock in to the Spurs model. The Spurs have a decade and a half of success built up and their roster is one of the most perfectly constructed units you can find in sports. The Bulls play good team defense, but their offense is nowhere near as efficient nor as finely tuned as the Spurs.

 

[TBomber_26]

How are we losing depth? We would be trading a guy who has played zero games for us and a widely considered bust for an All-NBA PF.

Right now, if that trade is made, we are looking at a bench of Delly, Miller, Thompson and garbage. That won't cut it if we're serious about winning a championship.

Bennett already looks like a different player this season. I doubt he has a repeat of last season's performance. And to totally disregard the value of the lockdown defense that Wiggins immediately brings us out of the gate at the 2 and 3 spot is to be equally as shortsighted. You cannot sit there and discount the contributions these two guys can make for us. There is a reason Flip is fighting hard to get this deal done with Wiggins included in the package.

Again, if the KLove trade is made, Griffin is creating some work for himself if he plans on putting a roster of players out there capable of competing for a championship this year.

 

[AZCavs]

Right now, if that trade is made, we are looking at a bench of Delly, Miller, Thompson and garbage. That won't cut it if we're serious about winning a championship.

Bennett already looks like a different player this season. I doubt he has a repeat of last season's performance. And to totally disregard the value of the lockdown defense that Wiggins immediately brings us out of the gate at the 2 and 3 spot is to be equally as shortsighted. You cannot sit there and discount the contributions these two guys can make for us. There is a reason Flip is fighting hard to get this deal done with Wiggins included in the package.

Again, if the KLove trade is made, Griffin is creating some work for himself if he plans on putting a roster of players out there capable of competing for a championship this year.

Assuming Wiggins is immediately a lockdown defender is a pipe dream at best. I believe he will eventually be an elite defender, but the NBA is a huge jump and there will be a learning curve for him. You gave three players off the bench, one of which may actually start with Andy coming off the bench. There is also what seems to be the inevitable signing of Allen and the trio of contracts they acquired from utah. The Cavs aren't done making moves.

 

[Pioneer10]

I do like Miller for the Cavs. But isn't Anderson slated as the starting center?

Depends. I have a feeling we'll add a roleplayer like JO to eat minutes and we may even prefer him starting to reduce wear on Anderson.
Regardless I believe my point stands as our bench doesn't have to be better just adequate and Thompson who I hate as a starter should be a great 3rd big and Delly is another guy who has a chance to be a great roleplayer. He actually is very comparable to Heinrich in what he brings to the table. Miller should be able to provide 10-20 minutes a game as well.

Put in other words the problem with Miami has been that after the Haslem, Battier, Allen declined they were left with Anderson as the only player on that team that seemed like a decent player. They were the big 3 plus 1. We really won't have that problem, even losing Wiggins and Bennett, we'll be able to go 8 deep with good health. Plus unlike, the Heat we'll have a guy outside the big 3 in Waiters who'll actually be able to carry the team in some games. What the Cavs need is just another big to protect against injury

 

[TBomber_26]

Assuming Wiggins is immediately a lockdown defender is a pipe dream at best. I believe he will eventually be an elite defender, but the NBA is a huge jump and there will be a learning curve for him. You gave three players off the bench, one of which may actually start with Andy coming off the bench. There is also what seems to be the inevitable signing of Allen and the trio of contracts they acquired from utah. The Cavs aren't done making moves.

I never said they were. (read my original post a page back) What I HAVE said is that I believe our #1 need right now is a rim protecting big. Even over KLove. And a legitimate one at that, not some Henry Sims type who's just lucky to be collecting an NBA paycheck. And what I said is that, if Griffin can't find that guy, we have very little chance of matching up with the Bulls in a seven game series.

Other than that, I think we are basically on the same page as far as what condition our bench is going to be in following a KLove trade and Griffin having to make that his priority immediately following said trade.

That will be of utmost importance if we want to compete for a championship this year. (which is the only reason you make the KLove trade prior to the start of camp)

 

[Tripi]

I don't agree with the popular opinion of the Spurs. They're not an unstoppable force. They've had some terrible playoff losses ever since their title in 07. They blew a 3-2 lead, they blew a 2-0 lead, they lost to an 8th seed as a 1st seed, they got swept by the Suns. The Spurs rely on star power as much as anyone so I don't think it's a coincidence that when Kawhi started emerging as a star player, they got closer and closer to winning a title (not because of depth). I doubt having Matt Bonner and Marco Belinelli made the difference between losing 4-3 one year and winning 4-1 the next year. It had more to do with the Spurs' stars outplaying the Heat superstars and Kawhi being a big part of that

 

[hoops23]

People need to stop talking about the Spurs model. There is a reason only one NBA team has been able to sustain the success that they have over the last ~15 years.

It's an extremely rare model and it's the perfect storm. They nailed a majority of their draft picks, they made under the radar, yet key FA signings to maintain key depth over the years, and they've achieved the ultimate commitment from their star players in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobil. Let's not get it twisted, they haven't won titles because they have amazing depth, they won titles because they have great players and they are headed by an all time great HC. They are fluid offensively and buy into team defense.

As I said, the Spurs are the perfect storm. If you try to emulate that model, you could very well fail and fail hard. LeBron is 29, going to be 30.

They destroyed Miami in the Finals thanks to amazingly efficient offense. Offense so efficient that it likely made it's way into Finals history... (not 100% sure, but if not, I'd guess it's close)... Their offense was their defense. Their offense kept Miami at bay and put a ton of pressure on Miami to perfectly execute their offense, which they couldn't do for obvious reasons.

 

[hoops23]

With that said, the East, IMO, would be a battle between Chicago and Cleveland.

I think Miami, Washington, and possibly Toronto could all fight for spots 3-5. With the unfortunate PG news, I'd assume Indy battles for the 7 or 8th seed...

 

[Rager]

With that said, the East, IMO, would be a battle between Chicago and Cleveland.

I think Miami, Washington, and possibly Toronto could all fight for spots 3-5. With the unfortunate PG news, I'd assume Indy battles for the 7 or 8th seed...

I think that's going to be really hard. They will win many games relying on defense but where's the offense coming from? In one off-season they lost their two best scorers (35 ppg). They'll have a hard time reaching 80 points most nights I'd think.

In my opinion the Cavs, Bulls, Wizards, Raptors, Heat and Hornets are basically locks. Then for the last two spots it'll be a battle between the Hawks (who I think will make the cut - getting back Al Horford is huge) and the Nets/Knicks (with a slim outside chance for the Pistons). But you never know...

 

[hoops23]

I think that's going to be really hard. They will win many games relying on defense but where's the offense coming from? In one off-season they lost their two best scorers (35 ppg). They'll have a hard time reaching 80 points most nights I'd think.

In my opinion the Cavs, Bulls, Wizards, Raptors, Heat and Hornets are basically locks. Then for the last two spots it'll be a battle between the Hawks (who I think will make the cut - getting back Al Horford is huge) and the Nets/Knicks (with a slim outside chance for the Pistons). But you never know...

Let's be honest, whoever seeds 6-8 are, it's not going to matter much. haha

 

[Rager]

Let's be honest, whoever seeds 6-8 are, it's not going to matter much. haha

Yeah true! The Hawks, Hornets, Knicks and Nets (if those are the teams that'll go on those slots) can pose a problem here and there but nothing that scary. Don't see them beating us four times on a seven game series.