Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 NBA season

1. The supporting cast was never good enough for LeBron

In Game 1, all the Cavs had to do was make two free throws and they would win the game. George Hill made one and then missed the second one. J.R. Smith got the rebound and then dribbled away from the basket trying to run the clock out.

All of these things do not include LeBron, but rather, key contributors on the Cavaliers who let him down.

In order for the Cavaliers to keep LeBron James, they will have to get more help by trading away bad contracts and luring talent in free agency. They have a lottery pick at No. 8, but with LeBron James on the team, their only hope of re-signing him are staying in win-now mode.

With the team they originally had with Isaiah Thomas playing point guard, they were not able to win games. Thomas was sidelined in the beginning of the season with a hip injury and the Cavs were looking at that as when they would start to right the ship.

When that did not happen, they decided to go young because the defensive effort was not there with the players that they had. The problem with that was there was no supporting cast for LeBron and it proved that Kyrie Irving leaving was their downfall.

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If the Cavs are not able to do anything this summer, LeBron could be moving on for the second time.