We're just over a month away from the start of the new NBA season, and if you count preseason games (which I don't) then you're only 15 days away! So in celebration and anticipation of the new season I'm launching a project of looking at all 30 NBA teams and trying to figure out where they'll go this season. Yes, I'm joining the bandwagoning group of NBA fanatics who are predicting everything. The plan is to cover 30 teams in 30 days, while also finding time to write about what goes on during the preseason. So we'll se how this goes! I've always found predictions to be a sketchy thing, especially with teams that acquired lots of new players or lottery picks. You don't know how the chemistry will work and you don't know if that lottery pick could turn out as a bust or not. Nevertheless, I'm doing it anyway! We're starting off in the East and working our way from cellar-dweller to Conference champion and then repeating the process in the West. Most of this probably won't be a surprise, so don't be disappointed if you aren't shocked too often. So here we go...
Point Guard: Kyrie Irving, Jeremy Pargo, Donald Sloan.
Shooting Guard: Dion Waiters, CJ Miles, Daniel Gibson.
Small Forward: Alonzo Gee, Omri Casspi, Luke Walton.
Power Forward: Tristan Thompson, Jon Leuer, Sarmando Samuels, Luke Harangody.
Center: Anderson Varejao, Tyler Zeller, Michael Eric.
Dion Waiters' answer to why he was drafted so ridiculously early
There really isn't any reason to think that this team will achieve anything significant this year. Their star player, Kyrie Irving, is coming into his second year in the league and looks very promising (18.9 points, 5.4 assists his rookie year). Unfortunately, he's the only thing the Cavs have done right lately. Last season they looked like they had a semblance of something to build on, but then Varejao got hurt and everything fell apart. Tristan Thompson could be promising too is he can play well next to Varejao. Cavs fans had high hopes for the draft, but were disappointed when they drafted Dion Waiter with the fourth pick over a number of significantly better players. They took Tyler Zeller with the 17th pick, which they got in a trade with Dallas. Zeller seems more promising than Waiters, and his college stats seem more reliable and impressive (16.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 55% shooting in 28.2 minutes). As for Waiters, do stats of 12.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 47% shooting sound like #4 pick material to you?
The Cavs seem set at Point Guard and Center assuming that Varejao returns healthy after breaking his wrist in February. Varejao was a bright spot on this team, averaging 10.8 points and 11.5 rebounds before he was injured. Him and Irving should be a good foundation for this team as it continues to rebuild in their Post-James state. Tristan Thompson's stats his rookie season seem promising for the future (8.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 44% shooting in 23.7 minutes). If he continues to improve along with Irving, he could be a solid forward for them in the future.
Irving's highlight mix on the left is impressive and hopefully signs of a future superstar. The fact that these plays come from a rookie is pretty amazing, and he looks like he could develop into a Derrick Rose type player in regards to his ridiculous plays at the rim, while potentially shooting and passing better than Rose. Cleveland fans can only hope that Irving doesn't follow in Lebron's footsteps when the time comes for him to sign a new contract (Note: Both Irving and Thompson have contracts with two years guaranteed and years three and four as team options, which will undoubtedly be picked up at least for Irving). In a year or two, barring a step-back in production that always has a chance of striking someone (See: Tyreke Evans), Irving should be among the elite at the point guard position and making All-Star games along with Rondo, Williams, and (maybe) Rose in the East. He's already considered among most fans and experts as a top-10 point guard which, at any position, is a great achievement for a rookie. If he continues to develop, we could see stats somewhere in the area of 20-5-7 with close to 50% shooting and 40% from three. That seems like an All-Star to me, and it is very plausible for Irving.
Outside of Irving and the starting lineup, there's little for Cavs fans to be excited for. Their top bench players include Omri Casspi, Tyler Zeller, Jeremy Pargo, CJ Miles, and Sarmando Samuels. How's that for a second-string team? Any injuries to their starting five will devastate this Cavs team and they're treading on thin ice asking for a total of four young players (Irving, Waiters, Zeller, and Thompson) to be the biggest producers on this team. While rebuilding using lottery picks and young guys is great, they need a certain amount of experienced/productive players as well. They have around $15 million on cap space and it seems like we could expect the Cavs to make a push to trade for or sign a big-name player sometime during the next year. If they manage to get another quality player during the season, then I will immediately rescind my prediction of them finishing last in the East. Even in the team highlights, it's really just Irving with a sprinkling of other guys thrown in for good measure. I'm curious to see how the minutes at Center are split between Varejao and Zeller. Verejao is proven to be a great player and a top 5-10 rebounder when healthy. However, Zeller seems to be a better scorer and a good rebounder as well. It seems a shame to take Zeller and then bury him behind Varejao throughout the season so perhaps they'll both play 20-25 minutes a night, which seems like the most likely scenario. If the Cavs really want to improve, they need to get some more experienced guys. Preferably cheap experienced guys who can provide a spark off the talentless bench. With the roster they have now, I don't expect to see any real improvement to their record from last season.
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