While millions of casual fans have already crowned the Cleveland Cavaliers the 2015 NBA Champions, the truth is, there are some very real issues with the construction, and rumored final look of this squad.
Adding the best player in the game is obviously a huge accomplishment, but can LeBron James alone make up the difference for a team that was terrible defensively at all five positions last season?
Media personalities wondered if James would lure talent to Cleveland - something he failed horribly to do in his first run as a Cav.
The signings of Marion, Miller, Hayood and others would suggest that LeBron has more drawing potential amongst his peers than he has had in the past. Everyone wants to play with the king.
The signings of Marion, Miller, Hayood and others would suggest that LeBron has more drawing potential amongst his peers than he has had in the past. Everyone wants to play with the king.
The rumored (perceived to be completed) trade with the Timberwolves will bring in a prolific scorer who has never shown any interest in defending or helping his teammates on the back end.
Love will certainly not help the defensive woes of the Cavs. While a healthy Anderson Varejao is a good thing, he isn't the huge shot blocker a team should try to pair with a player like Love. Not to mention, Varejao is on the downside of his career, and has earned the title of being "injury-prone".
Tristan Thompson was far and away the best defensive forward for the Cavs last season, and was developing a rep around the league as one of the better defensive 4s. That grit and talent won't mean much if Kevin Love stays anywhere near the 36+ minutes per game he has become accustomed to.
Tristan Thompson was far and away the best defensive forward for the Cavs last season, and was developing a rep around the league as one of the better defensive 4s. That grit and talent won't mean much if Kevin Love stays anywhere near the 36+ minutes per game he has become accustomed to.
The signing of "The Matrix" Shawn Marion, appears to address some of the defensive concerns, but a quick look at their depth chart leads you to think that he'd be (at best) a third string winger and a possibly over take Thompson as a backup power forward.
The Cavs presumed depth chart for 2014/2015
Kyrie Irving/ Matthew Dellavedova / John Lucas III
Dion Waiters / Ray Allen
LeBron James / Mike Miller / Shawn Marion
Kevin Love / Tristan Thompson/ Shawn Marion / Dwight Powell
Anderson Varejao/ Brendan Haywood / Alex Kirk
No matter how good a defender Marion is, he can't do much with 7-9 minutes per game, not to mention he is playing behind the team's best defender and best outside shooter (in James and Miller). This would appear to be a case of horrible redundancy.
The Cavs also believe they will sign future Hall of Famer, Ray Allen. Allen would undoubtedly back up Dion Waiters, and while he can still stretch the floor, he is not much of a threat to beat anyone off the bounce or in transition like he once was.
Easy, quick lane baskets are crucial in a tight playoff series.
Easy, quick lane baskets are crucial in a tight playoff series.
Behind Kyrie Irving, a volume scoring point guard, are two men who will fight for minutes as the main backup, but since both are best suited as third stringers, they are not likely to provide much support.
John Lucas III is coming off of his worst shooting season as a pro, and undrafted free agent surprise from last season, Matthew Dellavedova is easily the hardest working defender of the group - but unlikely to steal many minutes.
Irving's defence is about as bad as a starting point guard can be. It has been seen time after time in the NBA, that if you cannot contain the point of the attack in this guard centric league, then you're putting your bigs in consistent foul trouble, and constantly playing from behind.
LeBron will be able to rescue some of those lack lustre performances with thrilling buzzer beaters and the "get on my back and watch me go" type of rally we have come to expect... but that isn't sustainable.
John Lucas III is coming off of his worst shooting season as a pro, and undrafted free agent surprise from last season, Matthew Dellavedova is easily the hardest working defender of the group - but unlikely to steal many minutes.
Irving's defence is about as bad as a starting point guard can be. It has been seen time after time in the NBA, that if you cannot contain the point of the attack in this guard centric league, then you're putting your bigs in consistent foul trouble, and constantly playing from behind.
LeBron will be able to rescue some of those lack lustre performances with thrilling buzzer beaters and the "get on my back and watch me go" type of rally we have come to expect... but that isn't sustainable.
As we saw in the finals this past season, a good defensive team will beat out a team of scorers. Hard work doesn't go through cold streaks.
While LeBron chose to go home instead of stick it out with the Heat, Miami was better defensively at every position last season (other than small forward) than the Cavs project to be this season.
Much maligned Mario Chalmers, is a defensive stalwart compared to Irving.
Chris Bosh has been criticized for his defensive intensity since he was playing north of the border, but compared to Kevin Love, he is Taj Gibson in his own end.
The Cavs would have been better served picking up guys like Thabo Sefolosha and a big defensive minded center like Tyson Chandler or the Birdman.
This frankenstein monster may very well make James a 3 time champion, but in my opinion, that's a sucker's bet. All basketball logic points towards a team that struggles to find itself defensively and struggles to get out of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
This team could be the single most disappointing thing to land in Cleveland since Howard The Duck.
