2013-2014 Bold Predictions Thread

[tristan+kyrie=$]

1. Kyrie Irving will win MVP just like Derrick Rose did in his third NBA season.
2. Tristan Thompson will officially eliminate any thoughts of the Cavs trading him due to him developing a somewhat consistent jump shot and becoming more lethal around the rim.
3. We will 45 games this year and just get the 6th seed and will face the Brooklyn Nets in the first round.
4. Bennett will struggle to start the year but officially become our x-factor as we make huge strides in the second half of the season.
5. We will actually win a playoff series this year as Bynum actually is healthy when the playoffs occur

 

[BKnight's Ankle]

1. Kyrie Irving will win MVP just like Derrick Rose did in his third NBA season.
2. Tristan Thompson will officially eliminate any thoughts of the Cavs trading him due to him developing a somewhat consistent jump shot and becoming more lethal around the rim.
3. We will 45 games this year and just get the 6th seed and will face the Brooklyn Nets in the first round.
4. Bennett will struggle to start the year but officially become our x-factor as we make huge strides in the second half of the season.
5. We will actually win a playoff series this year as Bynum actually is healthy when the playoffs occur

I think we had this thread already, but we can start it again.

Bynum plays 60 games, Jack becomes the leader of the team, and Thompson plays at an allstar level.

 

[GQinCtown]

D. Rose and Kyrie will finally match-up against each other in a game. Rose has been ducking him for far too long.

Many people will continue to spell Tristan, Tristian.

Andrew Bynum will make a three this season.

 

[Frank Reynolds]

D. Rose and Kyrie will finally match-up against each other in a game. Rose has been ducking him for far too long.

Many people will continue to spell Tristan, Tristian.

Andrew Bynum will make a three this season.

Thank you. I've been waiting for that matchup for years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

 

[CommD]

Varejao, Waiters, and Gee (if he makes the team) will be traded at the deadline to Boston for Jeff Green, Sullinger, and Bradley.

 

[getBUCKED]

Varejao, Waiters, and Gee (if he makes the team) will be traded at the deadline to Boston for Jeff Green, Sullinger, and Bradley.

How does this trade make us better?

1. Dion will earn his respect by averaging 20 ppg on 44% shooting.
2. Our bench will lead the league in scoring off the pine.
2. Cavs will win a playoff series.

 

[mAo_mAo]

The only player I would trade Waiters for realistically is Batum.

 

[shoes22]

My fearless prediction: Someone on our bench will win 6th man of the year award this year. Varejao, Bennett, Jack and Karasev are all candidates.

 

[3 Ball...GOT IT]

Oh, one of these... where people make non-bold predictions, and get called out by other people that make more non-bold predictions :chuckles:

 

[3 Da Hard Way]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Many responses about Cavs being the most exciting young team but still seems like they are a superstar away from being a real threat to me.</p>&mdash; Probasketballdraft (@Probballdraft) <a href="https://twitter.com/Probballdraft/statuses/392370938601156608">October 21, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Only a superstar away :chuckles:

 

[Nathan S]

Bold prediction: Kyrie sets a new career high in points some time in the first 5 games.

 

[kidduck]

Each of you will decide how much of this is 'bold', but I thought this was the best folder to insert the following:

[h=1]2013 Cavs preview: What we know and what we don’t know; Jason Lloyd analysis[/h]
By Jason Lloyd
Beacon Journal sports writer

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Published: October 26, 2013 - 09:25 AM

Cleveland Cavaliers' Anthony Bennett (right) makes a move to the basket around Orlando Magic's Andrew Nicholson during the second half of a preseason game in Orlando, Oct. 11. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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Kyrie Irving is already an All-Star and could soon be a superstar, Tristan Thompson has the potential to average a double-double and Andrew Bynum remains the great unknown.


As the Cavaliers emerge from a three-year rebuild, here is the rest of what we know and don’t know about a team that is again eyeing the playoffs.


Point guard


What we know: Kyrie Irving is a star. By the end of the season, he could be a superstar. He finished third in a recent poll by NBA general managers as the best player around which to build a franchise. He is perhaps the best ball handler in the league, and if the preseason is any indication, his defense is rapidly improving. That needs to continue if he is to crack the Holy Trinity of NBA point guards. As for his backup, Jarrett Jack is arguably the best reserve point guard in the NBA and no worse than top three. Biggest signing of the summer.


What we don’t know: If Irving can stay healthy. For the Cavs to fulfill expectations, he probably needs to play close to 70 games (minimum) and closer to 75 would be nice. Dating to his one season at Duke, however, Irving has played in 65 percent of his team’s games. He is sensitive about his injury history and can turn prickly whenever it’s referenced, but until he manages to play a full season, questions about his durability will linger.


Shooting guard


What we know: Dion Waiters’ role this season has been simplified and clearly defined by coach Mike Brown. He is the shooting guard, period. He isn’t a combo guard and he isn’t a backup point guard. He is the 2 and expected to get out and run in transition. We also know Waiters is at his best when he’s attacking the basket. He shot 49.5 percent within 8 feet of the basket and 35 percent everywhere else.


What we don’t know: Whether he can flourish playing alongside Irving. Waiters has played with the ball in his hands most of his life, and it’s a major transition learning to succeed without it. If he makes the transition this season, the backcourt will be devastating. If he doesn’t, the Cavs could have a problem.


Small forward


What we know: This is the one position the Cavs have failed to address through the draft during the past three years. They passed on Harrison Barnes and Otto Porter for other draft options, the Omri Casspi trade didn’t work and Alonzo Gee has likely reached his ceiling — which on a championship team is a reserve. Earl Clark hasn’t been too impressive this preseason, but he has good length (6-foot-10) on the perimeter and Brown knows him from their brief time together last season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Without question, this is the biggest hole in the starting lineup.


What we don’t know: If the Cavs will get enough defensively out of this position to offset the lack of offensive production. Six of the eight playoff teams from the Eastern Conference last season were led in scoring by a small forward. Brown wants his 3s to defend well enough to avoid needing a double team and wants them to knock down open corner shots when the ball swings to them. But Gee only shot 33 percent from the corners last season and Clark shot 32 percent.


Power forward


What we know: If you count Anderson Varejao here (when Andrew Bynum is playing), this is the deepest position on the roster. Tristan Thompson, Varejao and top overall pick Anthony Bennett give the Cavs ridiculous depth. Of course, that’s assuming everyone can stay healthy, and that’s a huge assumption. Thompson is poised to break out. He flourished during the second half of last season and could be one of those rare players to average a double-double. Only eight players accomplished it last season.


What we don’t know: What the Cavs really have in Bennett, and we might not know it for a while. Bennett has never really been coached properly, from his days in Canada to his year at UNLV. He has never been coached the way some other kids at Duke or Indiana or other big schools have been. He’s incredibly raw, and Brown is still teaching him the game. But his tools are evident: He’s thick, long and incredibly athletic with great explosiveness and 3-point range.


Center


What we know: Not long ago, Andrew Bynum was a top three center in the game, and NBA analysts were declaring him the best center ahead of Dwight Howard. That seems so long ago now after his year away from the game. But Bynum is a massive man with tremendous strength and a nice touch around the basket. He can have a big impact on the game whenever he’s on the floor. Now the Cavs just need to get him on the floor.


What we don’t know: Can Bynum come close to the level he once was? And for how long? There are no guarantees that once he gets on the court he can last a whole season. That’s why the Cavs structured his contract this way. He could play well for two weeks, then his knees could give out without warning. But there’s no denying a healthy Bynum, Thompson, Bennett and Varejao could give the Cavs as good of a frontcourt as any in the NBA.


Intangibles


What we know: With Brown back in charge, the defense will be dramatically improved. We’ve already seen proof of that in the preseason. And as owner Dan Gilbert pointed out when he reintroduced him, Brown’s teams have never missed the playoffs and have always advanced beyond the first round.


What we don’t know: Whether that streak will continue. At least two and probably three playoff spots are wide open in the East. The Cavs, Detroit Pistons and perhaps Washington Wizards have positioned themselves to return to the postseason. In 2007-08, a young Oklahoma City Thunder team built around high draft picks (the blueprint for this Cavs rebuild) won just 23 games. The following season, the Thunder won 50 for one of the most dramatic single-season turnarounds in the league in the past 20 years. Last season, a young Cavs team built around high draft picks won 24 games. This season? We’ll soon find out.

 

[davedugan43]

Cavs make the playoffs as the 5 seed, over the Knicks. Miami, Indiana, Brooklyn, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Detroit, Washington.
Clippers win the number 1 seed out West. Los Angeles, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Memphis, Houston, Golden State, Dallas, Denver.
OKC drops off a little bit. Dwight gets hurt within the first twenty games and that drops Houston a few spots. Curry doesn't make much more of a jump. Dirk has a huge comeback year.
Victor Oladipo wins Rookie of the Year.
Pacers trade Granger to Celtics along with first rounder pick in 2014 for Rajon Rondo.
Biggest jump of the year is the Cavs: going to 46 wins this season.
San Antonio wins the West one last time.
Indiana upsets Miami in the East and wins the East.
The Indiana Pacers win the NBA title behind a much-improved bench.

 

[Rich]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Many responses about Cavs being the most exciting young team but still seems like they are a superstar away from being a real threat to me.</p>— Probasketballdraft (@Probballdraft) <a href="https://twitter.com/Probballdraft/statuses/392370938601156608">October 21, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Only a superstar away :chuckles:

How many teams in the East have more than one? Miami and maybe Brooklyn, if you feel like calling any combination of those guys superstars (they are all debatable).

 

[Pioneer10]

We're winning it all. You have to be delusional at some level to be a fan of a Clevelands sports team so might as well go big
-Bynum and AV stay healthy - providing us All-star level production at the C
-TT makes the jump borderline All-star player or better
-KI becomes an MVP candidate
-Dion becomes a legit starting calibre SG - putting in a PER of 18 which is pretty darn good for a SG nowadays in the NBA
-Karasev take over the starting SF role by the end of the year because Gee, Clark, and Miles suck
-Bennett can actually finish a game without oxygen which by the end of the season, the Cavs consider it a win