Cleveland Cavaliers: Playoff Chances Are Realistic

Ten years ago the Cleveland Cavaliers took LeBron James with the first pick in the NBA draft with the hopes that he could bring a winning attitude to a city that has not seen a championship in a major sport since the 1948 Cleveland Indians. For seven seasons, LeBron dazzled fans, critics and basketball enthusiasts around the world with his spectacular play while bringing hope to all of Cleveland that, one day, the team would hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy with pride, ushering in a new era of Cleveland Cavaliers basketball. While the Cavs were very close to reaching this goal on more than one occasion, they remained championship-less, disappointed and in danger of losing their hometown hero. LeBron, as well all know, was unhappy with the situation in Cleveland, “took his talents to South Beach” and joined the Miami Heat. This left the fans of Cleveland disappointed, confused, angry, worried and most of all, upset …

Even team owner Dan Gilbert, infuriated by LeBron’s departure, had some strong words, calling James’ decision a “cowardly betrayal” and he will “personally guarantee that the Cleveland Cavaliers will win an NBA Championship before the self-titled former ‘king’ wins one.” Well, we all know how that turned out. LeBron 2, Gilbert 0. Nevertheless, LeBron left Cleveland in shambles and very little room to rebuild.

Things looked up quickly, however. Cleveland secured the first and fourth picks in the 2011 draft and selected Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson, respectively. Irving quickly showed that he belonged with the best in the league and has developed quite nicely into a very effective scoring guard. That year, however, the team posted a 19-63 record, second-worst in the league. The next year was not much better, as they only won two more games and posted a 21-45 record during the shortened season. This season was more of the same; the Cavs won 24 games and lost 58, making it three straight seasons with less than 30 wins and very far from playoff contention. It was starting to look like Cleveland would never recover from losing LeBron. Then, just like that, things started to look up.

Kyrie Irving is ready to lead the Cavaliers to the playoffs.

(Photo by slimm978/Flickr.com)

This season has the potential to be a comeback year for the Cavs, who have made some acquisitions that put them in the position to make a run for the Eastern Conference playoffs. The team’s superstar, Kyrie Irving, is coming into his own and is considered to be one of the elite point guards in the league. This past season, Irving averaged 22.5 points and dished out almost six assists per game. Had he not missed 22 games due to a sprained shoulder, last season could have been even better for him. Kyrie is primed to have the best year of his young career and lead the Cavs to the playoffs. Another asset to this team that will help in their playoff run is power forward Anderson Varejao. Varejao, who played in just 25 games before developing a blood clot, was nothing short of a beast. He averaged 14.1 points and 14.4 rebounds per game and had numerous 20 point-20 rebound games before his injury. With him healthy for the upcoming season, the Cavaliers will be menacing down low. Joining Varejao in the frontcourt will be newly acquired Andrew Bynum. Although many question marks surround Bynum (rightfully so), he is still a 7-footer who has skills in the post that will allow him to be a scoring threat and will also be an efficient rebounder and solid defender. If (and that is a very big if) Bynum can stay healthy for a majority of the season, the combination of him and Varejao will definitely pose a threat.

Not only will the Cavaliers have a strong starting lineup that includes Irving, Varejao, Bynum, guard Dion Waiters and forward Tristan Thompson, but they also have a solid bench that will provide consistent production. One of the most important roles on this bench comes from the backup point guard/shooting guard in Jarrett Jack. Jack, coming off an extremely strong season with the Golden State Warriors where he averaged 13 points and 5.6 assists, will be an excellent backup at the guard position as he can knock down perimeter jump shots with consistency, find the open man and take care of the basketball. Coming off a strong season and being a seasoned veteran going into his 10th season, Jack should not be surprised to see substantial minutes. Another addition to the bench squad that will prove to be effective is Earl Clark. With the Lakers last season, Clark was given an opportunity for more playing time when Pau Gasol went down with a knee injury. He made the most of this opportunity and averaged 11.3 points and 8.6 rebounds a game and provided a spark for the Lakers at times when one was desperately lacking. He will be a solid backup at the small forward and, at times, the power forward positions.

There is one other very important reason as to why the Cavaliers have a good chance to make the playoffs this coming season: The Eastern Conference is much weaker than last season. Although many perceived the East to be weak last year, it will be even worse this year. The rosters of the sixth, seventh and eighth seeds in this conference last year, the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, took severe shots and these teams will have a very difficult time making the playoffs this year. The Hawks lost Josh Smith in free agency to the Detroit Pistons. With Smith gone and no one adequate to replace him, the Hawks will suffer offensively and well as defensively. They posted an 44-38 record last year and with Smith gone, they will likely fall below the .500 mark. The Boston Celtics simply cleaned house and are entering a long rebuilding period. They traded away both of their superstars, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, along with Jason Terry, not to mention they also lost their coach, Doc Rivers, to the Los Angeles Clippers. The 41-40 record they posted last season is looking mighty appealing right now as they will likely finish far below .500 and miss the playoffs. The Milwaukee Bucks slid into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth; they were the only team in the league to post a sub-.500 record and make the playoffs. With Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis gone to the Pistons and Mavericks, respectively, they will surely miss the playoffs. With these three teams unlikely to make a playoff run, three spots open up in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, which the Cavaliers will take advantage of.

Now is the perfect time for Cleveland to leave behind the days of sub-.500 records and bad basketball. It is time to forget to glory days of LeBron James because those days are never coming back. What the team can focus on is the incredible opportunity they have to make a playoff run and introduce a new era of Cavalier basketball. Kyrie Irving is the new face of the franchise. Along with Anderson Varejao, Andrew Bynum and the solid bench that complements the starters and the depleted consistency of the Eastern Conference, there are no excuses for the Cavs not making this playoffs this year.