NBA Preview: The Cleveland Cavaliers
This is the preview that Wizards' fans have been looking forward to all summer. Let's get to it...
Fondest Cavalier Memory: Don't laugh... I was actually a big Mark Price fan . I think he was Steve Nash before Steve Nash knew he was Steve Nash. Way before EA Sports' Live series came out, I used to play Tecmo Basketball on Nintendo as a kid. I used to give anyone I would play fits. "The white boy doesn't miss," they would say. It's too bad the Cavs could never get over the hump in real life (some guy named Jordan was always in the way), but I always thought that Price was one of those unsung guys who probably should be in the Hall of Fame. Debate.
Last Year: After consecutive seasons of second half collapses, the Cavaliers and more importantly (at least in the media's eyes) LeBron James broke through and made the playoffs, earning the fourth seed and pushing the defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons to the brink in an improbable seven game series. James had an MVP-caliber year, and if it weren't for some weird voting, he probably would have won it. And while James gets all the credit for the Cavs' success, he wasn't alone. Zydrunas Ilgauskas played solid in the pivot for them. Sure, you'd like a seven footer to be a better rebounder, but it's okay because Ilgauskas had Drew Gooden emerge as a true dirty work kind of player. I never saw him as that type of player at Kansas University, but he seems to excel at that role in the NBA. Ronald "Flip" Murray, who joined the Pistons in the off-season, was an absolute steal for them at the trade deadline, and he emerged as the team's best guard at playoff time. If you think about it, the Cavs played extremely well last year considering that they got almost nothing out of off-season acquisition Larry Hughes (who was hurt most of the year) and very little out of Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall (who couldn't hit any jumpers).
This Year: You know that James is going to put up video game type numbers, and you figure that Ilgauskas is going to be one of the best centers in the league (almost by default). Past that, there's a lot up in the air. Hughes is starting to--scratch that--has developed a reputation as an injury prone player, and I predict that he'll miss some time again this year. When he is out on the court, however, I think he'll bounce back from a subpar year. Either free-agent pick-up David Wesley or first round draft pick Shannon Brown will step in for much maligned point guard Eric Snow, and either one figures to be an improvement. I also think that Marshall will play much better than he did last season. There seems to be a ton of upside for the Cavs.
Player on the Rise: Apparently Brown looked good in summer league action for the Cavs, showing the versatility to play both guard positions. He was more of a wing player at Michigan State University, but his athleticism is off the charts, and if he can co-exist with Hughes and James, Brown can be the biggest steal of the draft.
Player on the Decline: Man... I loved Luke Jackson's game in college, but the success just hasn't transferred over to the pros. Injuries have had a great deal to do with it, but now he's in a situation where he'll be hard-pressed to find time. Put him at swingman, he's behind James and Marshall. Put him at the two, he's behind Hughes, Brown, and possibly even Jones. It is encouraging to see that he hasn't given up, but I think at this point in his career a change of scenary would be good for him.
Justin's Take: I think the Cavs and the Bulls are fighting for three and four in the conference this year. James has tasted the playoffs, and even though there weren't any huge additions to the team in the off-season (too early to tell with Brown), I think the Cavs will be a little better than they were this season. That still won't mean a trip to the finals, but the conference finals aren't out of the question. Detroit and Miami may have something to say about that, but I think they'll be in the mix. Second round knockout, however, seems more likely.
Projected Record: 51-31
Fondest Cavalier Memory: Don't laugh... I was actually a big Mark Price fan . I think he was Steve Nash before Steve Nash knew he was Steve Nash. Way before EA Sports' Live series came out, I used to play Tecmo Basketball on Nintendo as a kid. I used to give anyone I would play fits. "The white boy doesn't miss," they would say. It's too bad the Cavs could never get over the hump in real life (some guy named Jordan was always in the way), but I always thought that Price was one of those unsung guys who probably should be in the Hall of Fame. Debate.
Last Year: After consecutive seasons of second half collapses, the Cavaliers and more importantly (at least in the media's eyes) LeBron James broke through and made the playoffs, earning the fourth seed and pushing the defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons to the brink in an improbable seven game series. James had an MVP-caliber year, and if it weren't for some weird voting, he probably would have won it. And while James gets all the credit for the Cavs' success, he wasn't alone. Zydrunas Ilgauskas played solid in the pivot for them. Sure, you'd like a seven footer to be a better rebounder, but it's okay because Ilgauskas had Drew Gooden emerge as a true dirty work kind of player. I never saw him as that type of player at Kansas University, but he seems to excel at that role in the NBA. Ronald "Flip" Murray, who joined the Pistons in the off-season, was an absolute steal for them at the trade deadline, and he emerged as the team's best guard at playoff time. If you think about it, the Cavs played extremely well last year considering that they got almost nothing out of off-season acquisition Larry Hughes (who was hurt most of the year) and very little out of Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall (who couldn't hit any jumpers).
This Year: You know that James is going to put up video game type numbers, and you figure that Ilgauskas is going to be one of the best centers in the league (almost by default). Past that, there's a lot up in the air. Hughes is starting to--scratch that--has developed a reputation as an injury prone player, and I predict that he'll miss some time again this year. When he is out on the court, however, I think he'll bounce back from a subpar year. Either free-agent pick-up David Wesley or first round draft pick Shannon Brown will step in for much maligned point guard Eric Snow, and either one figures to be an improvement. I also think that Marshall will play much better than he did last season. There seems to be a ton of upside for the Cavs.
Player on the Rise: Apparently Brown looked good in summer league action for the Cavs, showing the versatility to play both guard positions. He was more of a wing player at Michigan State University, but his athleticism is off the charts, and if he can co-exist with Hughes and James, Brown can be the biggest steal of the draft.
Player on the Decline: Man... I loved Luke Jackson's game in college, but the success just hasn't transferred over to the pros. Injuries have had a great deal to do with it, but now he's in a situation where he'll be hard-pressed to find time. Put him at swingman, he's behind James and Marshall. Put him at the two, he's behind Hughes, Brown, and possibly even Jones. It is encouraging to see that he hasn't given up, but I think at this point in his career a change of scenary would be good for him.
Justin's Take: I think the Cavs and the Bulls are fighting for three and four in the conference this year. James has tasted the playoffs, and even though there weren't any huge additions to the team in the off-season (too early to tell with Brown), I think the Cavs will be a little better than they were this season. That still won't mean a trip to the finals, but the conference finals aren't out of the question. Detroit and Miami may have something to say about that, but I think they'll be in the mix. Second round knockout, however, seems more likely.
Projected Record: 51-31
posted by Justin Cherot @ 1:11 PM
1 Comments:
At 11:21 PM ,
Colin Donohue said...
Again, if the Cavs are a 51-win team, so are the Wizards. Keep in mind that Washington and Cleveland were evenly matched last year. The Wizards are only getting better. In fact, in the first two preseason games, the Wizards first unit has absolutely handled the Raptors (whatever) and the Bulls (your 53-win squad) first teams.
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