The classic argument of most teams coming off of several winnings headed back to the lottery, for whatever reason, is: should we tank or should we go for it? With Le___ gone, the Cavs are faced with that very question. The Cavs might have enough talent to squeeze into a 7th or 8th playoff spot but they also might secure a top talent by having one of the worsts records in the league. So what should the fans root for?
Yes, yet another edition of the latest Cavs news in what is now the NBA’s dead period. The Cavs news within the past week hasn’t been too exciting but with former players like Shaquille O’Neal, Delonte West and Le___ still in the league and fresh off their departures, there is for sure some news to be made. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this past week’s Cavs news.
Remember when I said this is a dead time in the NBA, especially in regards to the Cavs? Well it looks like I was wrong. While there certainly hasn’t been any big news within the past couple of days involving the Cavs, there has been plenty of newsworthy things involving them. So much so that Cavs Notes had to make another appearance after just a couple of days. More after the jump.
With the end of the Vegas Summer League, the end of Free Agency and the end of any kind of date to look forward to in the NBA, the dead time in the NBA now begins. Until the Cavs start training camp, which won’t be for another month or so, there won’t be much going on in the NBA, particularly in relation to the Cavs. So to help speed up the dead time in the NBA, here’s some stories from the past few weeks to provide for some good reading material.
The Cavs are a team in transition with the departure of Le___. There are questions flying around, theories being thrown out and ideas being put out there. One of the biggest debates that I’ve seen/heard has been what type of team the Cavs will be without Le___. Some say they’ll be a bottom 5 team. Some say they’ll be a 7th/8th playoff seed. Whatever the case may be, the reason this debate is so important is because it potentially could decide which direction the Cavs will move in. Based on the off-season movement, Cavs management seems to think that this will be a rebuilding season.
Being the curious person that I am and recently discovering a database of nice stats, I’ve decided to make a projection on the Cavs win total based on the off-season movement.
ESPN recently came out with an article ranking each NBA team according to their expected future success over the next three years. ESPN took into account things like players, management, money, market and drafts. In the last update for ESPN’s NBA Future Power Rankings, which was this March, the Cavs ranked 8th overall. Of course that was before “The Decision” and with Le___ on the roster. After Le___’s departure, the Cavs ranked 29th in players, 26th in management, 7th in money, 27th in market and 2nd in drafts. With all those factors and rankings in mind, ESPN ranked the Cavs future success over the next three years as 28th overall. That’s 3rd worst in the NBA, right ahead of the Timberwolves and Bobcats.
So with that ranking in hand, it begs the question: is the Cavs future really that dim?
Whether Le___ realizes it or not, he has set a ripple effect into action within the Cavs organization. There’s never been a domino as big as Le___ to fall like it did and because of that, the Cavs organization has been reshuffled the past few weeks from the roster, to the coaching staff, to the front office. Multiple people have jumped to other organizations for better jobs, multiple people have been brought in to replace them and multiple people have been promoted within the organization. Here’s a look at what things look like after the dust has settled.
The countdown to the first Cavs game after Le___ can officially start. By my count, it’ll be another 59 days until the Cavs begin a new era which starts October 5th at The Q versus the Charlotte Bobcats. The Cavs will play a total of 8 pre-season games that will span most of October and will feature a variety of intriguing opponents.
In the Cavs quest to sign as many former Raptors swingmen as they can, the Cavs have landed #3 in Joey Graham. According to Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer, the Cavs and free agent swingman Joey Graham agreed to a 2-year, $2.1 million deal. He will make $992,680 this year and have a team option next year worth $1,107,320 million. Graham, who played in Denver last year, is signed to the minimum contract which means the Cavs still have their full MLE to use.
With the flurry of activity surrounding the Cavs, some details may have been left out and some still may be unclear. This post is basically an update on where the Cavs stand in terms of assets, salary and draft picks.
