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Cleveland Cavaliers: 2016-17 Season Outlook

By Gerald Bourguet

Oct 18, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after being fouled in the first half at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after being fouled in the first half at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cleveland Cavaliers
Oct 10, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) looks on from the sidelines against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Three Key Storylines: 1. Resting The Big Three

On Media Day, head coach Tyronn Lue made his plans to rest LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love more this season a point of emphasis. After what we saw from the Cavs during last year’s playoff run, that really shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Just take a look at how the starters’ minutes increased from the regular season to the playoffs to the NBA Finals:

  • LeBron James:  35.6 MPG —> 39.1 MPG —> 42.0 MPG
  • Kevin Love:  31.5 MPG —> 30.7 MPG —> 22.6 MPG
  • Kyrie Irving:  31.5 MPG —> 36.9 MPG —> 39.0 MPG
  • J.R. Smith:  30.7 MPG —> 34.8 MPG —> 37.1 MPG
  • Tristan Thompson:  27.7 MPG —> 29.6 MPG —> 32.4 MPG

Love’s numbers decreased by the round, but that was based on matchups and his concussion during the Finals more than anything else. The point is, the Cavaliers are heavily dependent on their starting five — especially LeBron James — logging unsustainable minutes when the going gets tough.

For a guy like LeBron, who already has 46,861 minutes on his NBA odometer between the regular season and playoffs, saving his energy for another postseason run is paramount. There’s a reason he was able to close out the last three games of the Finals with a 41-16-7-3-3 performance, a 41-11-8-4-3 masterpiece and a triple-double clincher.

Now that the Warriors have added Kevin Durant, the Cavs are going to need even more magic out of their franchise player, which, even with his penchant for being a cyborg who never gets hurt, is a lot to ask of the soon-to-be 32-year-old.

The Boston Celtics added Al Horford this summer and the Toronto Raptors aren’t going anywhere, but as long as everyone is healthy at there right time of year (or even if it’s just LeBron), the Cavaliers are still the heavy favorites to represent the East in the Finals.

All Cleveland really needs to do is breeze through the regular season like they did last year, secure the No. 1 seed (or even the No. 2 seed) and save their full might for another heavyweight bout in June.

It may cost him a shot at his sixth MVP Award, but resting LeBron as often as they can afford should be a top priority for the Cavs.

Next: Storyline 2: Backup Guards

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