Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 bold predictions for 2019-20 NBA season
By Ryan Piers
1. The Cavaliers will makes the playoffs
A 19-win team a year ago, the Cavaliers must make up miles of ground to earn a trip to the postseason. But the team returns a healthy Love, welcomes in a hungry coach along with a seemingly NBA-ready fifth overall pick.
Plus, there’s the hardly hyped Osman who appears groomed to play the role of a solid fourth option on a good team. This prediction, however, is grounded in what’s in the rest of the Eastern Conference than what is on the Cavs roster.
The case that the Cavs will leapfrog six teams that finished ahead of them last season and make the playoffs isn’t farfetched. The eighth-seeded Detroit Pistons are loaded with players with injury histories. The Charlotte Hornets seem primed for a step back with the departure of Walker.
Despite adding Jimmy Butler, the Miami Heat’s roster doesn’t look loads better than last season’s. The Washington Wizards entire franchise is in disarray. The Atlanta Hawks look improved but are without a recent All-Star like Love. Same with the Chicago Bulls.
Question marks riddle even a few playoff teams. The Orlando Magic are erratic. The aging Toronto Raptors play without an elite wing for the first time since the 2013-14 season. And Kevin Durant isn’t expected to play this season for the Brooklyn Nets.
Next. Predicting the record for each NBA team in 2019-20. dark
It seems like the Eastern Conference if full of ships with leaks. If the Cavs can patch their holes, they’ll make the playoffs.