Cleveland Cavaliers: Grading The Offseason

Oct 30, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) talks with forward Kevin Love (0) and forward Tristan Thompson (13) against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. New York won 95-90. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

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With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love both injured, the Cleveland Cavaliers were two wins away from bringing their city its first ever NBA title — against a historically great Golden State Warriors team, no less.

Personally, I don’t think Love and Irving’s presence would have mattered, since the offensive gains would’ve been negated by the stark decline on the defensive end. Cleveland’s approach of giving the ball to LeBron James and clearing out was the only way Cleveland was able to slow the Dubs down and get them in a half-court, grind-it-out series.

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Still, there’s no question that the Cavaliers are at their best with two of their Big Three NOT sitting on the bench. Heading into the offseason, there was also no question that keeping a championship contender intact was the team’s only option with King James now 30 years old and still in pursuit of Cleveland’s first NBA title.

After a busy summer, the Cavs managed to keep the roster intact and make a few nuanced moves to not only strengthen the team, but help soften the blow of an imminent luxury tax shellacking. That massive bill is coming for owner Dan Gilbert, but Cleveland took care of its business all summer long. Here’s a look at how it all went down with comprehensive offseason grades.

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