Projecting the Cavs in 2014-15

[Pioneer10]

A while ago, Bucher was on the "Short Corner" podcast. He spent about 20-30 minutes ranting against the current state of NBA reporting. His main objections were along "get it first vs get it right" debate that seems to make reporters rush to report a story before verifying its accuracy. He said would subtly hint that he has a higher threshold of accuracy than most reporters.

Not even ONCE did he bring up the Lowry/Bosh/Raptors story that he completely bungled. He railed against reporters and never acknowledged the glaring time he did what he railed against.

I have no respect for him as a reporter.

Sounds like he's just jealous of Woj: don't know how that guy does it - he's first out of the gate and he reporting tends to very accurate as well.

 

[col63onel]

Division winners are not guaranteed 1-3 seeds. They changed that the year that Denver won their division with the 6th best record in the West. Division Champs are guaranteed a top 4 seed, but if the Cavs and Bulls have the 2 best records in the East, they are the top 2 seeds.

 

[Simmy]

Did this get posted? Couldn't find it anywhere:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...an-learn-from-franchises-only-other-big-three

 

[iamacavalier]

Division winners are not guaranteed 1-3 seeds. They changed that the year that Denver won their division with the 6th best record in the West. Division Champs are guaranteed a top 4 seed, but if the Cavs and Bulls have the 2 best records in the East, they are the top 2 seeds.

Yep, Changed it in '07 because of the spurs mavs series here is a link with information. He is either stupid and tried to cover it up. Because I just think he is ragging on the Cavs.

http://www.nba.com/features/seedingprimer07.html

 

[AuxiliaryPie]

Did this get posted? Couldn't find it anywhere:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...an-learn-from-franchises-only-other-big-three

i'm a youngin, but i had no idea Nance was that dominant. that video clip in there, damn

 

[AZCavs]

Anyone who has us fourth in the East is clearly high. The only way we finish below second is due to major injuries. This team will cruise to fifty wins and may top sixty.

Ric Bucher isn't high, he's just a fucking idiot.

 

[Jack Brickman]

Sounds like he's just jealous of Woj: don't know how that guy does it - he's first out of the gate and he reporting tends to very accurate as well.

It's easy to figure out how Woj does it. You know those hit pieces he's famous for writing? Like the one he just wrote about Coach K and removing stars from Team USA? Who do you think benefits from that article? Teams and agents, obviously. In exchange for the best insider access in the business, Woj occasionally writes a fiery hit piece condemning whoever agents/teams want him to tear down at that particular moment. He did the same thing to Chris Grant shortly after he was fired, probably at the urging of Griffin or someone else in the front office. They were the only ones who benefited from that piece.

 

[Marcus]

What an idiot. They changed that rule years ago. Just continuing to prove how clueless he really is.

 

[VAIN1]

Bold Predictions for the Cavs Team/Players Heading into the 2014-2015 Season
By JSmooth11 @SmoothSniper11 on Sep 18 2014, 1:39p 4

http://www.fearthesword.com/2014/9/...-cavs-team-players-heading-into-the-2014-2015


Heading into this season, the Cavs have some big expectations because you could say that this team is the most talented team in the NBA. Since you know that already, though, let's talk about something else. Predictions about how the Cavs will perform have been going out left and right ever since LeBron returned. Some have been bold, some have been stupid, and some have been Skip Bayless like. (AKA Ric Bucher)



Anyway, you came here to know what are my predictions on how the Cavs team and players will perform this season. Without further ado, let's get started.



1: LeBron James will have a 60/40/80 season.



My original prediction on LeBron's efficiency numbers were posted on an official FTS article, and I originally said 57/40/78. While that may have been more realistic, I thought about the players that surrounded LeBron. I look at the old Miami big 3 and compare them to the current Cleveland big 3 we have now. I see more shooting on the Cleveland big 3 than what the Miami big 3 had. As you know, LeBron really, really thrives on offense when he has spacing. Offensively, I say that this Cavs big 3 is better than Miami's big 3. That's no disrespect to Bosh and Wade, but they aren't the shooters that Kyrie and Love are. Love can do everything Bosh can do offensively, but better.



However, Kyrie and Wade was a much tougher choice. In his prime, Wade was a force offensively and defensively. You could even make the argument (a strong argument, actually) that he was better than Kobe a few years ago. In his best season, Wade averaged 30.2 points, 7.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks. He did all of this while shooting almost 50% from the field, but only .317% from three. Wade has always been known as more of a mid-range shooter than a 3PT shooter, but that was fine since he's an excellent slasher and a very athletic player.



But times have changed.



Cranky knees have kept Wade from playing a full, healthy season. And slowly but surely, he's been declining. In my opinion, I would choose Kyrie now and even when Wade was in his prime. Do you know why I say that? Well, Kyrie just seems like the better "fit" with his shooting ability. Not to mention he's a great slasher to the basket himself. Even though Wade is the better overall player, Kyrie just seems like a better fit next to LeBron.



Not to mention if you bring in the other offensive options like Dion, Miller, Andy, etc, a season where he averages 60% from the field and 40% from three seems very realistic.



Oh, and the reason why I say he'll shoot 80% from the FT line is out of hope. Moving on!



2: The Cavs will go 68-14, breaking their best team record from the 2008-2009 season.



Do any of you remember how fun the 2008-2009 season was? I do. It was glorious. That Cavs team was on a roll, knocking out opponents left and right.



Now, it seems like even more fun times are ahead of us.



This Cavs roster is THE most talented Cavs roster...like...ever. Once the players learn Coach Blatt's system and get their chemistry together, I see no reason why they can't break their old team record. Maybe even down the road they'll challenge the 95-96 Bulls' record.



3: Kyrie Irving will become the best Point Guard in the NBA this season.



*GASP* WHASHFJHDAJKHAHJKFHAHGJKAHFJHAKHFKHDGAAHHAHAIUWH!!!!! BUT DEFENSE!!! BUT BALLHOG!!!! OVERRATED!!!! CAN'T LEAD HIS TEAM TO THE PLAYOFFS!!!! WALL IS BETTER!!! LILLARD IS BETTER!!! ROSE IS BETTER!!!! AJFODAHSGJLFAOHFGIAHFHAHFHAJGHAHFHDAFHHADJKHGJKHAGHAAFAH



Alright, enough of the caps rage. When I say I think Kyrie could become the best point guard in the NBA this season, I really mean it. When I talk to people about this and they say "No, he'll never be the best point guard." I respond, "Why not? He has all of the tools and potential to one day be the best point guard." Then the all of the common criticism Kyrie gets comes into play, and really, can people find anything else to say about him other than "OVERRATED!" or "NO DEFENSE!"? This season, we will see Kyrie grow as a player and even as a person with LeBron mentoring him every step of the way. I see no reason why Kyrie shouldn't beat Chris Paul for that top spot.



4: The Cavs will have the best offense in the NBA.



Well, when you have LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Dion Waiters, a bunch of shooters, and an offensive mastermind in Blatt coaching the team, this is very, very, very, very, very, possible.



5: The Cavs will have a top 10 defense.



The defensive issues for the Cavs are really being overblown. I explained all of this in my last fanpost, but since we're talking about it again, I might as well explain why we'll have a top 10 defense.



As a matter of fact, I'll just take the quotes and put them here.



People say that the Cavs' shortcoming will be on the defensive end, but I don't necessarily believe that. IF everything goes as planned, we could be a top 10 defensive team. During the FIBA tournament, Kyrie showed good effort on defense that we've never seen before from him. He still has much to learn on that end, but giving effort is the first step to becoming a good defensive player.



LeBron James, while locked in, is the best perimeter defender in the NBA. If you compare his defensive stats from last season to previous years, though, he had a down year defensively. The difference here is that he had a down year defensively by HIS standards. Instead of being elite/otherworldly, he was good. LeBron not performing up to his defensive standards is most likely because he had to carry much of the offensive load as Dwyane Wade would rest his knees and sit out for a lot of games. Now, with Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving being the second and third offensive options, LeBron shouldn't have to worry about wasting his energy on offense as much and focus on the defensive side of the ball. In fact, the same thing goes for the whole Cavs squad. Everybody should have enough energy for the defensive side because they won't have to worry about scoring on offense as much.



When healthy, Andy is a quality defensive center. He does everything well on that end except for protecting the rim. Kevin Love could never be an elite defensive player, but he can be above average. TT also has some nice defensive potential, due to him being mobile, athletic, and having a nice wingspan. Shawn Marion is still a very good defender, as he's still able to defend 3's and 4's. Dion could also become a good defensive player, because he has the athletic ability to become one. Delly, as we all know, is a bulldog on defense and always gives maximum effort when he's on the court.



6: LeBron James will win the Defensive Player of the Year Award



LeBron has pretty much won everything in his career, but there's one thing he hasn't gotten yet.



And it's pretty safe to say he thinks he deserves it.

"To be honest, I feel I’ve been snubbed two years in a row, and I’m serious. And that’s one selfish thing about me...I feel like I should have won it."





LeBron, if you really want, then play defense like you've never played it before.



8: The Cavs will be the best rebounding team in the NBA.



Three words. All da boards.



But since I know that won't be enough information for some of you, let me get into detail.



This team has a very good shot at becoming the best rebounding team. We were in the top 10 last season, and I see us making a nice jump.



Kevin Love is arguably the best rebounder in the league, Andy is an elite rebounder when healthy, Shawn Marion, even at age 36, is still a good rebounder. LeBron is a good rebounder, TT is a very good rebounder...



You know what I'm trying to say.



All da boards.



9: Dion Waiters will shoot 40% from three this season.



Dion showed a lot of improvement in his 3PT shooting last year, and hopefully he keeps on working at it. Now with LeBron, Kyrie, and Love, Dion will have open looks he never thought he could get. He was a good spot-up shooter last season, so the drive and kick should work wonders for him.



10: LeBron will win MVP.



That would be five MVP awards for LeBron if he gets another one this season. Even when he has Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love on his team, getting MVP is still very possible (because, you know, he's LeBron).



11: The Cavs will go undefeated in the playoffs.



Don't question me on this. My 2K14 game is a reliable source.



12: The Cavs will win the NBA Finals.



I don't know who the Cavs will be facing, but I predict they will win the Finals this season and Cleveland will go absolutely insane. People are saying the Cavs won't win in year 1. Well, why not? The Celtics did it, so why not the Cavs?​

 

[VAIN1]

Emerged as NBA's Deadliest Scorers?
By Adam Fromal , National NBA Featured Columnist Sep 17, 2014
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...have-emerged-as-nbas-deadliest-scorers/page/9

16. Kevin Love: 7.31

Jordan Johnson/Getty Images
Unassisted Points per Game: 6.16

Assisted Points per Game: 6.59

Kevin Love's knack for getting to the charity stripe certainly helps him out. The former Minnesota Timberwolf and current Cleveland Cavalier made 8.2 trips to the free-throw line during the average game and connected on those looks 82.1 percent of the time.

The three-point prowess helps as well, though requiring assists on 85.8 percent of his triples puts a damper on the statistical benefit.

In fact, Love's overall dependence on set-up passes and his relative inefficiency both hinder the stretch 4 rather significantly. Love shot only 45.7 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc this past season. While his 59.1 true shooting percentage is a solid figure, it's less impressive when the amount of shots he created (or lack thereof) is factored into the equation.

If we accept points per game as the standard by which scorers are rated by the general public (and we should, as it's the most common number, due both to its ease of calculation and prominence in the media), then we can compare a player's rank in Scorer Rating to his rank in points per game. The bigger the difference, the more "overrated" the player's scoring game is.


8. Kyrie Irving: 8.5

USA TODAY Sports
Unassisted Points per Game: 11.28

Assisted Points per Game: 2.72

Kyrie Irving is an interesting case.

In many ways, the hype has outpaced the production, as he's played for losing teams, been quite inefficient and had inordinate amounts of trouble both staying in front of his man and tracking his assignment off the ball. But if anything, his scoring ability might be a little bit underrated, and the rest of his game should look significantly better now that he's set to be surrounded by more talented teammates.

Irving scored 20.8 points per game this past season, placing him at No. 15 on the points-per-game leaderboard (tied with Anthony Davis). However, he ranks all the way up at No. 8 according to Scorer Rating, leaving him as the ninth-most underrated scorer among the 30 players featured in this article.

Why? Because he's so good with the ball in his hands.

Irving's handles are nearly unmatched throughout the entire NBA. Jamal Crawford might have some arguments if I called them the very best, but if they aren't there, they're pretty darn close. And Irving uses them quite well, as he's able to turn around defenders, create space and elevate for an easy look whenever he so chooses.

The former No. 1 pick actually scored 11.28 unassisted points per game in 2013-14, which was more than any player outside the top quartet of scoring machines.

2. LeBron James: 12.55

Issac Baldizon/Getty Images
Unassisted Points per Game: 12.34

Assisted Points per Game: 4.55

LeBron James' Scorer Rating is 15.24 percent better than Stephen Curry's even though they're separated by only a single place in the countdown toward No. 1.

Meanwhile, Curry's Scorer Rating was 15.24 percent better than a 9.45 Scorer Rating, which would come closer to Goran Dragic (No. 6 at 9.29) than James Harden (No. 5 at 10.12). That, in a nutshell, shows how James starts a tier occupied only by himself and the top finisher, even if Curry and the rest of the elite scorers are quite impressive.

He doesn't do so by relying on offensive rebounds to cancel out the negative value of his missed shots. The Miami Heat were better than only the Los Angeles Lakers on the offensive glass, after all. He also has to overcome the Heat scoring at such a high rate, which makes his misses even more impactful.

It's just all about picking the right shots.

James has an improved jumper, a deadly set of post skills and an incredible brain that can process when, where and how to make the proper play at all times. It's one of the ways he managed to shoot a career-best 56.7 percent from the field, making it just the latest time he'd upped his percentage. James has actually done that every season since shooting 47.6 percent in 2006-07.

Is 60 percent coming soon?

Now just imagine if this four-time MVP could connect on his shots from the charity stripe at a higher rate. If his 75 percent shooting at the line had risen to even 85 percent, his Scorer Rating would've jumped to a league-best 13.3.

In fact, 82 percent from the stripe—a reasonable improvement if that's been an offseason focus—would've put him in the No. 1 spot.

 

[Tornicade]

dependency on being setup? both nowitski and Love score out of the offense and set themselves up at a high rate. i understand they want to prop their "scorer" rating but i dont think they understand the role of a scoring power forward.

 

[pl4tinum]

Could anyone with Insider access at ESPN post Kevin Pelton's SCHOENE projections for the entire league and not just the Cavs? That'd be amazing... mad props and rep to anyone who can...

 

[Kbiz]

Does anyone know when this hits newsstands?

 

[Boom Outta Here]

This week's cover of Cleveland Scene:

Wasn't sure what thread to put this, but I love it!

 

[lukesicari]

Does anyone know when this hits newsstands?

You can read the All The King's Men article here:

http://www.si.com/nba/2014/10/22/le...rs-sports-illustrated-kevin-love-kyrie-irving