Realistic Expectations for Cleveland in 2014-2015

LeBron James

The Decision 2.0 has come and passed and LeBron is heading back home. Four years after he broke acity's heart and won two title while appearing in four NBA Finals in Miami, LeBron decided to return to Cleveland, making the Cavs a heavy favorite for the NBA Finals in 2014-2015. Since LeBron left for the Heat, Cleveland had the lowest winning percentage in the NBA with a brutal .311 mark in that span. But, with LeBron and Andrew Wiggins (assuming the Cavaliers do not deal him to Minnesota in an attempt to land Kevin Love) it definitely appears the Cavaliers have the star power to win an NBA title. Before we get too excited, can the Cavs actually win an NBA title in the first year of LeBron's return? Are they really the best team in the NBA now?

LeBron never did win a title his first seven years with Cleveland, though he did make one lone appearance with them in the 2006-2007 season. That year, Cleveland's starting lineup was this: Larry Hughes, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron, Drew Gooden and Anderson Varejao. Of course, they were absolutely dominated by San Antonio in the Finals, but it proved just how much LeBron matters to a team. Immediately after LeBron's announcement, Las Vegas made him the favorite to win the title this next season. With the star power of LeBron, Kyrie Irving, Wiggins and possibly even Love (?) it certainly makes sense. But, wait just a moment, didn't a LeBron-led Heat team that was just as talented as this Cavs team is now, lose in five games to the Spurs in the Finals? And that Spurs team has everyone back including Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, Tim Duncan and Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard along with important role players like Boris Diaw and Patty Mills. Additionally, the Thunder still have the reigning MVP Kevin Durant, a healthy Russell Westbrook and a quickly improving Serge Ibaka, the Rockets have James Harden, Dwight Howard and are likely to add Chris Bosh. Inside the East, a Bulls team with a healthy Derrick Rose is very dangerous and they could still add their own superstar in Carmelo. So, lets not carried away to quickly just because LeBron heads to Cleveland. Sure, if they add Kevin Love they add yet another superstar and will have all the pieces to win a title. They will have a stretch four that can open lanes for Kyrie's ability to get into the lane, and an impact player down low. But, right now, they are still probably the 2nd or 3rd best team in the NBA (before Carmelo decides) in my opinion.

Oh, and then there is the whole deal with the rookie head coach. Former Euroleague head coach David Blatt was a pretty surprising and unknown hire for the Cavaliers, and now he has to coach the best basketball player in the world and deal with a ton of scrutiny. Imagine the transition, moving from the Euroleague to the NBA with serious expectations for a title. Kyrie and LeBron have never played together and neither have ever played under Blatt so there will time to gel for all three. Early in his time with Miami, the Heat struggled because Bosh, Wade and LeBron all needed the ball. Finding an effective offense that uses Kyrie, LeBron and possibly even Love in the right way is an extremely difficult task. Though, Kyrie has supported Blatt, who is a great offensive mind and the coach appears ready to be up to this challenge.

Who knows, maybe in the next couple hours or days, K-Love could be the next big name Cleveland brings in. If that happens, there is no denying they are the best team in the NBA. But right now, the Spurs, Thunder, Rockets, Bulls are still going to be major threats. LeBron is smartly trying to dampen the expectations, saying he doesn't expect a championship this first year. He will bring one eventually, he is too talented not now to snatch up at least one ring while in Cleveland. But, unless they add K-Love or another major piece I don't think that championship will come right away.

NBA Offseason Predictions

Led by the never-aging Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker, San Antonio got revenge on the Miami Heat, beating them in five games. As Duncan mulls his future in the NBA, there will be a lot of other happenings going on this offseason, an offseason that could be one of the craziest in recent years. The "Big Three" could all leave, including LeBron, Carmelo could go almost anywhere, Kevin Love's future in Minnesota is uncertain and Rajon Rondo may have worn a Celtic uniform for the last time. In preparation for a  summer that will be filled with rumors and interesting moves, I have compiled a list of what I believe will happen to the league's biggest stars.

LeBron and the rest of the Big Three will stay in Miami:
Personally, I would love to LeBron back in a Cleveland jersey playing alongside Kyrie Irving, or Chris Bosh back in Toronto with DeMar DeRozan, but I just don't see it happening. Though, there will be some action in Miami. This team needs a bigger inside presence, especially since Bosh has become more of a shooter than a post playmaker, and Greg Oden is not the answer. Also, Shane Battier has seen his last minutes in the NBA and Ray Allen likely has as well. Plus, point guard has turned into a real issue for the Heat; Mario Chalmers was terrible in the Finals and throughout much of this postseason. Even with those issues, I don't see LeBron or anybody else of the Big Three leaving, at least not so soon.

Carmelo heads to the Windy City:

Carmelo to Chicago?

Carmelo forced his way out of Denver, and it looks like it will be much the same in New York, where his career has been a rollercoaster ride. He could go to Chicago, Houston, maybe even Los Angeles and team up with a healthy Kobe. But, playing in Chicago makes the most sense for Carmelo. Although you wonder how he will fit with this defensively minded roster led by Tom Thibodeau, imagine him with a "Big Three" that includes underrated Joakim Noah and a healthy Derrick Rose, it would be scary. Carmelo's number one priority is to win a title, and he won't be able to do it in New York and he knows it. Staying in the Eastern Conference and playing alongside Noah and Rose gives him the best opportunity to get that elusive ring.

Kevin Love is not traded... Yet:
It is pretty clear that the 2014-2015 season will be Kevin Love's last in Minnesota. The All-Star is drawing a ton of interest, from Chicago, Cleveland, Phoenix, Golden State, Boston and Houston. The situation looks very similar to the Kevin Garnett saga, which ended when he was dealt to Boston for a bunch of players that never ended up doing much with the T-Wolves. Flip Saunders will be asking for a lot, rightfully so, and he will take his time to make a move. He won't rush into a deal and he probably will not make a move this offseason. It could increase the value of K-Love and possibly Flip and fellow star Ricky Rubio will try to convince him to stay. But, he won't that is clear, but don't expect a deal until later down this offseason or into the season.

Bledsoe and Rondo stay put... For now:
Rajon Rondo's future in Boston is extremely uncertain, on one hand it seems sure he will go, but yet there has not been a lot of talk nor rumors about where he may be heading. It seems as though Rondo leaving is inevitable, one way or another, though expect the C's to take their time on this move as well. Eric Bledsoe is a restricted free agent this year for the Suns, he was excellent when he was healthy. If the Suns do land Love, or another top talent, Bledsoe and whoever that is, would form a deadly combination. He is a real talent at just 24, Phoenix cannot allow him to leave just yet.

Other Free Agent Destinations:
Lance Stephenson stays in Indiana
Vince Carter retires (Unrestricted free agent)
Patty Mills goes to New York
Marcin Gortat resigns with Washington
Kyle Lowry leaves Toronto to a team that needs a point guard (Miami?)
Chandler Parsons either stays in Houston or is dealt away in Kevin Love trade
Rudy Gay stays in Sacramento
Duncan, Ginobli and Parker stay put for one more year (None are free agents, Duncan and Ginobli considering retirement)
Mario Chalmers leaves Miami

Who Should the Lakers Hire for Their Head Coaching Vacancy?

UConn coach Kevin Ollie

It hasn't been a very fun time for Lakers' fans these past two seasons. Injuries have wracked franchise stars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. An aging roster struggled to make the playoffs last year even with Dwight Howard on the roster, before they were dominated by San Antonio. A 55 loss campaign this year for the Lakers was enough for LA to say goodbye to Mike D'Antoni after his first full season. Kobe will be back next year but who will and should take over D'Antoni's role in Los Angeles? Since it is the Lakers, plenty of big names are associated with the vacancy, but this hire needs to be smart and one that will pay off in the future.

Last offseason, Boston dipped into the college ranks when the hired former Butler head coach Brad Stevens to lead their team through their new rebuilding stage. Stevens was a pretty surprising signing by the Celtics, considering Butler doesn't churn out big name coaches very often. Los Angeles could follow in a similar way as two big-name college head coaches have been associated with the Lakers' job opening. After winning his first national title in his just his second year on the job with the UConn Huskies, Kevin Ollie has quickly turned into one of the biggest names in the basketball industry. Ollie is just 41 years old at the moment, and his enthusiasm and vast knowledge of the game has helped him do good things with UConn. Throughout his short tenure with UConn, Ollie has incorporated a number of NBA elements into the collegiate game that have worked nicely for the Huskies and he is great at making quick adjustments, something the NBA game requires and something that not a lot of college head coaches have. Along with Ollie, a popular college name thrown around with the Lakers' job recently is Kentucky's John Calipari. After turning around Memphis, Calipari has come to Kentucky and turned a storied program back into a powerhouse, helped by dozens of stud recruits, who could go on to the NBA. Calipari, unlike Ollie, has already seen coaching experience at the NBA level, spending 1996-1998 with the New Jersey Nets. Things weren't a complete disaster; he did win 43 games in the 1997-1998 and made the playoffs before being ousted in the first round. What he has done at Memphis, UMass and Kentucky is extremely impressive, he has taken a team full of 19-year-olds into 3 Final Four appearances in five seasons with the Wildcats. He seems to enjoy the collegiate coaching experience; the recruiting side of things and coaching up young men. He has had a lot of great teams with a very fast-paced offense and his stock is obviously sky-high but the Lakers job might not be a great fit, they didn't respond very well to D'Antoni's fast-paced offense while he was there.

If Los Angeles doesn't want to go the college route, there are still a number of good coaches that they could hire. George Karl is one-year removed from his time with Denver, he managed to do a great job there even in a small market but I don't know how he would fit in LA. Kurt Rambis and Byron Scott have done a great job throughout their coaching careers and Jeff Van Gundy is also going to get his players to work hard. Perhaps the most intriguing name that Los Angeles could look seriously at is former Laker point guard Derek Fisher. Brooklyn made a pretty surprising move last year when they hired Jason Kidd as their head coach, just a short time after his New York Knicks were eliminated from the playoffs. It was very surprising, as the Nets spent a ton of money on vets like Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry and Andrei Kirilenko then hired an inexperienced coach to lead them. Fisher would be very much the same type of hire; it would be his first head coaching gig but he was basically a coach on the court over his time as a player.

Los Angeles Lakers' fans are dreaming of a future that includes names like LeBron, Carmelo, Kevin Love and Kobe all teaming up to form a team that makes the Heat's Big Three look downright average. That might not be very realistic, but it is a given they will make some moves this offseason, any team would after a season full of defensive collapses and injuries. Whoever they hire, it will have to be approved by Kobe, who didn't seem at all happy to be playing under D'Antoni. Although he is aging, the "Black Mamba" is still the face of the franchise and should be looking for one final championship run. Ideally, Los Angeles needs a young coach who can lead them into an uncertain future once Kobe is gone.

We haven't quite seen how the Stevens' hire has worked out for Boston, they haven't had the roster to help him have any success. And, although their season was full of struggles, Kidd has done a pretty solid job with Brooklyn. Ollie would be a much safer pick than Calipari in my mind, because he has played in the NBA and he is a clear players' coach. Fisher might be a little risky of a hire but he is already a fan favorite in LA and management already likes him. I'm a huge George Karl fan, but I just don't see him as a good fit in Los Angeles and I wonder if he even feels like he should come back to coaching. The Lakers will feel pressured to make a huge hire but they need to be smart and take their time with this hire and they shouldn't feel like hiring a less-established name is a bad thing. Ollie would not be a bad hire in my mind, but they can't go very wrong with a veteran coach like Karl, Rambis or Scott (maybe even Bulls' coach Tom Thibodeau, though that seems unlikely) but they need to be patient and help him by building a younger, more capable roster.