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I think the front office will keep it under 22 wins--
Hollinger’s NBA Division Previews: Central Casting favors the Bucks
The Bucks are the class of the division, if not the East, but the rest of the teams in the division may struggle to reach .500.
theathletic.com
Cleveland Cavaliers
Prediction: The Cavaliers will lead the NBA in offensive rebounds per 100 this year if they don’t trade Kevin Love. For support, I offer two data points: 1) Love is an awesome offensive rebounder who plays with several other very good offensive rebounders like Larry Nance, John Henson, Tristan Thompson and Ante Zizic; and 2) Have you seen these guys shoot?
Retrieving all these bricks may end up the Cavs’ best chance at offense, especially if rookie Darius Garland can’t hit the ground running. The fifth-overall pick missed most of last season, but his brief college tape and previous body of work reveal a money shooter comfortable pulling up from deep. However, he has to show equal talent running an offense and defending to be a long-term solution as part of a diminutive backcourt with Collin Sexton.
As for Sexton, he’s the guy you can’t stop watching, whether he’s raining buckets or going off the rails. As a 20-year-old rookie last year, he showcased a toolset reminiscent at times of Gilbert Arenas … and at other times of Jordan Crawford. Sexton has a competitive nature combined with blast-off quickness, deep shooting range, zero conscience and little idea of how to play at either end. Fortunately, he started to correct his worst impulses over the second half of the season, and his raw shot-creation talent is undeniable.
He’ll have to be the creative focal point on the perimeter because nobody else is capable. Three leftovers from previous trades – Matthew Dellavedova, Brandon Knight and Jordan Clarkson – fill out the backcourt while everyone waits nine months for their contracts to expire. At the 3, Cedi Osman garnered lots of minutes and touches last season but is overmatched as a starter.
With only 13 guaranteed players and dead-money contracts outnumbering the living, rookie forward Dylan Windler will likely get plenty of run. It’s possible he’s between positions, lacking the handle of a 3 or the size of a 4, but the lefty can shoot from deep and has a real knack for cutting off the ball and crashing the boards. Another late first-rounder, Kevin Porter, is cut more from Sexton’s cloth as a high-wire athlete who struggles to read the game. One difference is that teams harbored major concerns about Porter’s background entering the draft.
As rough as the rest of the roster looks, it’s easy to lose sight of Love’s elite capability at the 4. If healthy, he can keep the win-loss record here quasi-respectable, but if Cleveland trades him, prepare for tank-tacular awfulness.
Prediction: 26-56, 5th in Central Division, 14th in Eastern Conference