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  • October 15, 2007 05:08 PM ET

The Cleveland Cavaliers Will NOT Win the Eastern Conference This Season

D.J. Dunson (14-4-2) vs Justin Rosenberg (25-12-1)
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For the 3rd consecutive off-season the Cavs came up lame in the off-season bidding. While the rest of the Eastern Conference was getting a major facelift, the Cavs stood pat with their overrachieving roster sans their free agent holdouts Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic.

Even if Varejao and Pavlovic eventually agree to salaries, (which isn't guaranteed given their threats to play in Europe) it's October 15th and their chemistry will inevitably suffer.

Now Damon Jones is unhappy with his role and wants to be traded, not to mention the Cavs did not have a first round pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. There's no guarantee that Daniel Gibson will be able to repeat his Eastern Conference Finals heroics against a much deeper Eastern Conference.


Sure the Cavs made no significant moves to bolster their team for an NBA title run, but the team they had was already good enough to win the East. I would say the lack of moves hurt their chances to win the NBA title- not the Eastern Conference.

The thing about the East is that there aren't that many good teams. The Cavs, the Bulls, the Pistons and the Celtics are the only teams in the conference with a legitimate shot of representing the East in the Finals.

Of those four teams, the best player suits up for the Cavs. And in a 4-team race like that, I'm going with the team that has the guy who will take over the game. LBJ is that guy.


In the NBA, if your team doesn't improve somebody else will surpass them. As LeBron gets better, the team will get worse, until around the time he's got to decide on his future in Cleveland.

their future still doesn't look promising. The Cavs are more or less stuck with the uneven James-Ilguaskas-Hughes nucleus until summer 2010, which also happens to be Judgment Time for LeBron. Hughes has been a major disappointment and Ilgauskas is not the player he was two, three years ago.

Overall, the Cleveland lineup from Eric Snow, Donyell Marshall are aging veterans on the decline as other teams stock up their arsenal. Even the Pistons possess a better young nucleus in Amir Johnson, Rodney Stuckey and Jason Maxiell than the Cavs.


You looked at the Cavs last year and couldn't figure out how they made it to the Finals. They weren't the best team in the conference- the Pistons and Bulls were both more talented teams.

But the Cavs had the best player- and that made the difference in the postseason. This guy can take over a game and will a team to victory- what'd he have in Game 5 against Detroit, the final 30 points for Cleveland?

He is that good and it doesn't matter who they put him around them, any team with LBJ and four NBA calibur players has a chance to win the East. And last I checked- while not all stars- there are 4 other NBA calibur players on that team.


Did you just say they have 4 nba caliber players on their team. I'd hope they had a roster full of them. To say Lebron and just any 4 players is good enough to win the conference is asinine. Make no mistake the team around Lebron has gotten older, slower while the rest of the conference has passed them by. His Game 5 performance was a once in a lifetime achievement and occur once every blue moon.

The Bulls will begin to incorporate Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah into their rotation. The Pistons will begin to appreciate the fruits of their labor in high school phenom Amir Johnson who tore through the NBDL last season as a 19 year old(the last high school player drafted before the age limit took effect) and rookie Rodney Stuckey.

Boston's 3 supernovas are better than Lebron's star any day.


I didn't say they had only 4- I said all they needed was 4, and that they had at least that much.

As for the Bulls- Thomas was in the rotation for pretty much the entire second half of last season- and Joakim Noah is just a rookie, and who knows what impact he'll have.

The Pistons are going to count on rookies and an NBDL player? Hey. If that's how you think its going to play out for them- great. But its rare to see a rookie have a real impact on a playoff team.

And there is no guarantee that the Celtics experiment will work. Ray Allen is an older player who doesn't play any defense- that lack of defense will hurt as Kevin Garnett will pick up unnecessary fouls trying to pick up Allen's match up. And as good as the ball movement may be with KG and Allen, Paul Pierce will prove to be the black hole he's always been. I'll cherish the day the guy doesn't over dribble and chuck up a bad shot to beat the shot clock.

The Cavs have been there and done that- say what you will about their team, but they have the chemistry, the star and the experience of having been there.

Comments (6) Add A Comment

October 15, 2007  07:33 PM ET
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Lebron is money, detroit is right there as well

October 15, 2007  07:47 PM ET
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they wont duhhhhhhhhhhh.
ah they have NO PG..
NO bench Really
Lost 2 key rotational players....
hurt larry hughes...
Lebron is the s hit but win the EAST?!?!?!?
thats pushing......

October 15, 2007  08:51 PM ET
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CELTICS BABY

October 15, 2007  09:41 PM ET
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I personally love how you say so matter of factly that the Cavs will not win it and then instead of picking the team that will make it, you take the field. It's real easy to take the safe bet, isnt it? You have a 15 out of 16 chance of being right.

October 15, 2007  10:01 PM ET
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the cavs are not gonna mae the finals it will be the pistons who have the best chemistry other than the spurs, and the experience of being there before, they have alot more chemistry and experience then the cavs and alot better talent. your **** justin rosenberg

 
October 15, 2007  10:08 PM ET
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Haha. I don't know what you called me- but whatever.

At least you give a team. And a reason for a team. As opposed to taking the field. Anyone can just take the field- that's not difficult at all.

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