Well, this sucks. The best player in the league kicked us in our collective nuts in a poorly conceived and even worse executed national television spectacle. He has gone on to be roundly criticized, but there is now beginning to be a backlash against the backlash and I sense that public sentiment might be swinging back in his favor, and when he gets on the floor and starts playing well it won’t take long until that Q rating bounces back everywhere but Cleveland.
But all is not lost, Cavs fans. Despite what you might have heard on ESPN, they are going to go ahead and keep playing games at the Q this year, and Commissioner Stern is graciously going to let us even field a team that could possibly win a game or two. (They have uniforms and everything, it’s really great!) So here is what to expect this season, from the Cavs, Lebron, and the NBA in general.
CAVS
The Cavaliers are not going to be a good team this season. they have a few quality young pieces and some vets who know what is going on, but you can’t lose an All-Time All-World talent and expect things to be alright. There are really only 2 ways the Cavs can go this year, they can be decent, which is bad, or they can be bad, which is good.
It would be a lot of fun if the Cavs could somehow sneak into the 8th seed in the playoffs and matchup with the Heat first round. And if they were to win it would be as big of a celebration as winning a championship would have been. However, we would likely lose that series in (I’m being generous here) 5 games. And you know what we wouldn’t get if we make that 8 seed, a lottery pick. That is something we need.
In the NBA, you can’t win without a superstar, unless you have a perfect storm like the 2004 Pistons. And there are really only 3 ways to get a superstar; draft one, typically in the top 5, sign a max free agent away from their current team, or convince one of your players to form a super secret alliance with his buddies years ahead of their free agency and form a super team (we’ll ignore this one for the sake of space).
Let’s be clear. The Cavs are NOT going to sign a max free agent in the foreseeable future. There is no way in hell that somebody like Carmelo, Brandon Roy, Dwight Howard, or any of those players come here unless the CBA is dramatically restructured and the rules fundamentally change. The only way that the Cavs are going to be a quality team is by drafting well, and in the NBA you need one of those top 5 or 10 picks to get good, impact players, there just aren’t the undrafted or late round sleepers you see in the NFL.
So here is my vision of the best way way for the Cavs to improve. First off, liquidate our assets. Jamison, peace. Mo and Andy, I love you guys, but I’m not sure it is in the best interest of the franchise to keep you both. This is not fun. Rebuilding sucks, but it’s rebuild or 5 years of mediocrity. After we trade our assets to clear cap space, hopefully get some young talent and a few picks back, we will suck. Now, this is important, we have to draft well. Not necesarily a homerun with every pick, but we need a triple and a double at least. Then, you take your young players and overpay a free agent. Someone like Rudy Gay, Kevin Martin, someone like that. It sucks to overpay but if you pair with a young guy on his rookie contract it could work. I know Rudy Gay just signed a deal, I am using him as an example as the type of player, I don’t feel like looking up contracts right now.
The Cavs should be fun to watch this year. Byron Scott actually has an offensive plan, which will be a welcome change from the past few years. JJ Hickson should come into his own this season, if he can get everything together between the ears. I really want to see what Christian Eyenga has to offer. It will be fun, but it won’t always be pretty. Here’s to a productive, if not successful, year for the Cavaliers.
LEBRON
I think Lebron was misguided more than malicious. I am afraid this is going to come off as defending him and sympathetic to him. I hope it does not, because that is not my intention. Here is a kid, a KID, who has had everyone around him telling him how great he is since he was about 13. When do you think the last time someone sat Lebron down and told him, “No, don’t do that. That is a bad idea.” I don’t think it’s ever happened.
That’s why I can’t absolutely kill him for all this. He shit on our city, no doubt. But at the same time in my heart I don’t think he is a bad person. I really feel like he didn’t realize what he was doing. Lebron has never had a true attachment to a team like many of us have, since he is a bit of a frontrunner with the Cowboys, Yankees, etc. I think this is a product of his upbringing, since I know most of my sports passion was inherited from my dad/uncles/friend’s dads. Lebron seems to have not had that base. Although, he did quit in the playoffs, which is absolutely inexcusable when you claim to be one of the greatest of all time.
But I can’t sit here and say I want him to Shaun Livingston his knee, or anything like that. I would pull Lebron out of a burning building. Besides, it would be a million more times satisfying for me to watch the Heat fail at full strength than see any of these guys get hurt. Make no mistake, this is going to be an unbelievable team. They will probably win 70 games.
NBA
This is our chance Cavs fans. We have spent the last 7 seasons with LeBlinders on. I’m sure we have all had several conversations over the years where we argued with somebody about whether Kobe or Lebron is better. I still believe Lebron is better, but that is no reason to besmirch Kobe. He is one of the best 5 ever, we should be appreciating watching him not trying to bring him down. Same thing with Kevin Durant, great player, we shouldn’t tear him down to build Lebron up.
This is one of the best times in the NBA. The Lakers are great, the Celtics have a team that would have won 82 games and slept the playoffs in 2004, the Heat will be great, the Thunder and Magic are right there. It is going to be a wild season. Don’t let your dislike for Lebron keep you from enjoying the great basketball we will see this year.
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