Your official BigBasketball 2015/16 NBA season preview - now with 15% more childish humour

[Hipster Doofus]

In.
Will be one hell of a year, is the only team that has nothing interesting about them coming into this season Brooklyn? I mean I like Thaddeus Young but that's about it.

Very keen regardless! Will have my Kings preview up before the working week is out.

 

[Son of Skeletor]

2014/15 Record: 38-44 (3rd in Atlantic, 8th in East), lost 4-2 to Hawks in first round.

2014/15 Stats: Ranked #20 offensively, ranked #23 defensively

2014/15 Leaders: Brook Lopez (17.2 ppg), Brook Lopez (7.4 rpg), Deron Williams (6.6 apg)


Net Income: Thomas Robinson (2 /min), Andrea Bargnani (2 /min), Shane Larkin (2 /min), Wayne Ellington (1 /min) Donald Sloan (1 /min)

Net Expendables: Deron Williams (Mavs), Mason Plumlee (Blazers), Alan Anderson (Wizards), Mirza Teletovic (Suns)

Draft: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (#23), Chris McCullough (#29)

Notable: Extended Brook Lopez (3/60), extended Thad Young (4/50), owe 2016, 2017 & 2018 draft picks to Celtics, didn't fire Billy King

The Lowdown

Well, that didn't work.

One re-location, one re-branding, one Russian oligarch, one rap mogul, a few blockbuster trades, one heavily mortgaged future and roughly US$120 million in luxury tax brought Brooklyn the sum total of one measly playoff series victory over the Raptors in five years. It seems you can take the Nets out of New Jersey, but that New Jersey stench is destined to follow the Nets around for a while yet.

Nobody represented the largesse of the Nu-Brooklyn era more than Deron Williams. Finally the Nets have now bitten the bullet and eaten the remainder of D-Will's fat contract. Even though it had to be done, Net fans know that their erstwhile saviour will be chewing up a precious portion of their salary cap for years to come, and that's gotta be tough to swallow...

A cursory glance at the Net additions for the upcoming season confirms that a new era of comparative frugality has dawned in Brooklyn. Sure they've kept a part of the core around, and they may as well - when you don't own any draft picks, then tanking becomes a pretty pointless exercise. The Nets will try to win because they have no choice.

It's going to take some patience and savvy maneuvering to salvage anything from this high-priced shipwreck though. Over to you, Billy King...


The Roster

GUARD: He fought his team-mates. He fought his coach. He even fought gravity...

and thus it's fair to say that the Deron Williams era fell a little short of expectations in Brooklyn. While he remained a decent outside shooter and capable passer, D-Will's penetration abilities have diminished beyond recognition (sub 40% shooting inside the arc) and his defense remained sub-standard. More than anything is was his maddening inconsistency, never better demonstrated than in the playoff series with Atlanta, that drove the Nets crazy.

So the Nets move on with a backcourt featuring JJ & JJ.

While Joe Johnson remains hideously overpaid, he's still a solid shooting guard who contributes in most facets of the game. And while the Nets will be hoping his three point shooting takes a bump this season, he remains an assassin at the death.

The Nets really had little option but to divorce themselves from Williams, but it does leave them in a pickle at the point. Jarrett Jack has his uses as a source of offence off the bench, but a top-flight point guard he is not. Jack struggles with his court vision and turnovers, is inconsistent at best with his outside shot and has never been a strong defender. On the plus side he can be relied upon to try his best every night, which is more than could be said for D-Will.

Depth is an issue here - among the newcomers Larkin has youthful quickness, but Donald Sloan has the more productive game at present. The Nets will miss Alan Anderson's defense and ability to hit the big shot more than you'd think.

FORWARD: While the Nets remain old in the backcourt, there are more signs of youthful regeneration up front.

Thad Young remains a solid citizen, albeit one who needs to prove that he can handle the 'stretch four' role on a full-time basis. His outside shot remains iffy even after eight years in the league and he's not a great rebounder - however he brings great (and badly needed) defensive instincts and a welcome low-key demeanour to the table. He's also (amazingly) still just 27. At the other forward position the Nets are reportedly pretty high on Bojan Bogdanovic's development. If he's to become a designated shooter the Croat will have to lift his three-point percentage above last season's 35% clip.

Knowing that it might be their last chance for a while, the Nets also double-dipped in the 2015 Draft to add frontcourt depth in the form of Hollis-Jefferson and McCullough. The latter has genuine size at power forward, but will remain a project given his injuries. Hollis-Jefferson on the other hand will be relied upon from day one to add badly needed athleticism and defence to Brooklyn's team. Yet more youthful exuberance was added to the roster in the person of Thomas Robinson, who excels in collecting boards. Unfortunately he's almost as good at racking up fouls, turnovers and bricked shots.

CENTRE: It's hard not to like Brook Lopez, a seemingly decent guy who has dealt with almost every distraction under the sun as a Net. His team won a paltry 12 games in his first year on the job, then left the swamp in New Jersey for the circus in Brooklyn. Along the way he's dealt with injuries, a litany of dubious teammates and a veritable cast of coaches.

Even 2014/15, a year in which Lopez probably put together his best season as a pro, was not without its ups and downs as Lionel Hollins demoted him from the starting line-up for a stretch in favour of the now-departed Mason Plumlee. That Lopez responded like a pro and was unquestionably Brooklyn best player for the remainder of the season (including the playoffs) is a credit to him.

The Nets will want to hope that Lopez remains healthy in 2016, because their grand plan at reserve appears to consist of the one and only Andrea Bargnani - yikes.


Pick & Pop - where we get picky

In the Gun: Billy King

OK, to be fair it's not his fault that Deron is a repeat offender as a franchise killer, or that Lopez has had a cursed run with injury at times. But God damn this man can make some silly trades. After repeatedly doubling-down on bad decisions, he's left himself one hell of a roster mess to clean up. He should consider himself lucky that he even has the chance to redeem himself.

Is a Gun: Brook Lopez

Yes he still under-performs on the defensive boards, and seems to be held together with sticky-tape at times. He remains though one of the few legitimate low post artisans of the NBA, and one who has expanded his offensive repertoire over the years...

Needs Improvement: How long have you got?

They were poor distance shooters, out-matched on the boards and allowed nearly 50% shooting inside the arc. How the hell does a team which ranked 20th offensively and 23rd defensively even qualify for the playoffs anyway?

Big Question: Is Lionel Hollins the right fit for this non-contending yet not-quite-rebuilding team?

He gets a lot of credit (and rightly so) for molding a talented young Memphis team with no history of success into the tough, disciplined playoff ever-present that the Grizzlies are today. The Nets however are neither young nor particularly talented. What they need now is some fun basketball to keep bums on Barclays Centre seats during this transition period - despite lowered expectations in Brooklyn, Hollins will have his hands full.


And now a word from our sponsors:

BigBasketball's resident gurus cast their hoodoo...

The Brooklyn Nets. Have traded more future draft picks than Shane Mead has provided socially aware tweets.

Their roster individually doesn't look too bad but collectively it's a mess. Will miss the spacing of Mirza Teletovic and I shudder to think how Brook Lopez and Air Bargnani will co-exist. Would not at all surprise me to see Paul Westphal taking the reins of this team before the halfway mark.

Oh well at least they're Young and can Boatright.

How stuffed are Brooklyn?

The Crystal Magic Eight Ball:

Look, the Nets might actually getting a kick out of not having Deron and his $100 million attitude around. Lopez and Thad are solid citizens, and at least Joe Johnson seems to care even if he's not the player he once was. This team might actually have fun.

On the other hand Jarrett Jack is not a playoff-level point guard, and Brooklyn's post-season cost-cutting has yielded a pretty depressing bench. Frugality has its downsides. A 32 win season wouldn't be enough to retain Brooklyn's modest three-year post-season streak, but it probably would be enough to deny the Celtics a coveted high-end draft pick. Everybody loses - that seems a fitting prediction for the NBA's most craptacular division.

 

[Son of Skeletor]

In.
Will be one hell of a year, is the only team that has nothing interesting about them coming into this season Brooklyn? I mean I like Thaddeus Young but that's about it.

You're not looking forward to watching Air Bargs?

Very keen regardless! Will have my Kings preview up before the working week is out.

Save your strength mate, we're kinda doing this division by division to make it look a little less like amateur hour semi-professional.

I'll give you plenty of notice when we're up to the Pacific Div - probably should give Atlanta_Cats , fidstar peternorth and anyone else who's volunteered to preview a team the same heads-up too.

 

[fidstar]

Yeah, I won't be able to do mine until after the AFL season.

 

[Son of Skeletor]

Yeah, I won't be able to do mine until after the AFL season.

It's funny, but I feel able to do them now

 

[stewie griffen]

It's funny, but I feel able to do them now

Me too

Who next?

 

[Atlanta_Cats]

I'm ready to start mine as Geelong are out of the finals and my mind has started to drift to the NBA.
However uni work has gotten in the somewhat recently so it may have to come a little bit later

 

[stewie griffen]

I'm ready to start mine as Geelong are out of the finals and my mind has started to drift to the NBA.
However uni work has gotten in the somewhat recently so it may have to come a little bit later

It's ok, likely we will run late with all of them....

If only i had a related tweet about running late...

 

[J Shuttlesworth]

It's ok, likely we will run late with all of them....

If only i had a related tweet about running late...

He really seems to have a tough time of it all.

I think we might have to consider #StandByMead soon.

 

[Oliver King]

What teams haven't been chosen?

I need something to do besides my work.

 

[stewie griffen]

What teams haven't been chosen?

I need something to do besides my work.

We are working thru the Atlantic, so Philly next cab off the rank.

Or if you prefer you can start with a Central Div team?

 

[Look2Me4Guidance]

He really seems to have a tough time of it all.

I think we might have to consider #StandByMead soon.

Surprised he wasn't interviewed about the train strike to be honest

 

[Atlanta_Cats]

I'm sorry but who is Shane mead, sounds like a ripping bloke

 

[Son of Skeletor]

I'm sorry but who is Shane mead, sounds like a ripping bloke

An island of tranquility amid the maelstrom of these chaotic times.

 

[Look2Me4Guidance]

An island of tranquility amid the maelstrom of these chaotic times.

A socially aware island

 

[stewie griffen]

Do we even need to bother?

Last Years Record - 3rd pick in the draft
2014/15 stats - irrelevant as all have been traded
2014/15 leaders - will all be gone in a year so why bother

Oh wait i'm supposed to be doing this seriously?

Record 18-64
Stats 30th in offensive efficiency, 12th in D
Leaders Wroten (16.9ppg), Nerlens (8.1 rpg, 1.8 spg, 1.9 bpg). Asists.... well its one of Ish Smith/ Wroten or MCW and i cant be bothered applying any criteria

Fun Fact - Shved had the highest PER of any Sixer last season

ADDED: Richaun Holmes (Bowling Green), Pierre Jackson (Free Agent), Carl Landry (Sacramento), Jahlil Okafor (Duke), Nik Stauskas (Sacramento), Gerald Wallace (Boston) and Scottie Wilbekin (Florida).

GONE: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (Free Agent), Glenn Robinson III (Indiana), Jason Richardson (Atlanta), Thomas Robinson (Brooklyn), Henry Sims (Free Agent) and Ishmael Smith (Free Agent).

So.... where do we start. I've long been a Hinkie, well I wouldn't go as far as supporter, but probably more than sympathist... somewhere in the middle really. And i guess the positive is that they weren't last...... hehe #lolknicks

In terms of reviewing last season, i avoided watching Philly as much as possible, unless betting against them, so that ain't happening in any great detail. The big positive is obviously Nerlens, a beast in the paint and devastating on the alley oop.



(get that sugar honey ice tea outta here... lel)

The second positive is trading MCW... possibly a touch harsh, but i really don't rate his game at all, and the Lakers pick is protected for selections 1-5 in 2015, 1-3 in 2016 and 1-3 in 2017 and unprotected in 2018. Given LA's talent level there's a fair chance thats a top 10 pick this season. The level of point guards in the A means that MCW is inherently replaceable in terms of Phillys needs. As to MCW's positives, well we will touch on him further in the Bucks preview.

Whats not so good... They shot an abyssal 40.8 percent from the field last year and led the NBA in turnovers

Philly have brought in Pierre Jackson, who will probably look to take the starting job, altho coming off an Achilles, with Canaan as the backup. Canaan was brought in from Houston shooting 3.4 3PA a game and ended up taking 7.4 at Philly. Altho you have Tony Wroten in there as well, so Brown could go some funky 2 point lineups in patches

Robert Covington was given a green light, putting up the tenth most 3 balls in the league at a respectable 37.4%. Philly were 6.1 points per 100 possessions better off with him on court. You can counter that with the argument that teams might actually start defending him now, so we'll see if Covington can continue to improve.

They've added Kendall Marshall, another solid guy who can pass the rock, and finally a shooter!

STAUSSSSSSSSSKAAAAAAAAAAAAAS



Ah Sacramento....

Jerami Grant got some decent playing time, who was projected to be an even worse shooter coming into the league. He shot 31% on 3, which while not great, isnt deplorable. Unless you look at his shot chart....



Good lord thats red. If he can improve his shooting and work on his defense he'll end up with a solid career, more than likely off the bench eventually, but given Philly's roster he's starting for the foreseeable future.

It looks as if they'll go the twin towers route with Nerlens and Okafor in the paint, which could be interesting. I'm not sure how that works with Nerlens at the 4 tho. He had some 400 attempts at the rim last season and doesnt project as shooter, so teams can look to drag him away from the rim with shooters on the defensive end.

They absolutely had to draft Okafor, as much as they wanted DAR they couldnt leave him on the board, and he showed some nice post skills in Summer League.

That spacing tho..... Reminiscent of Meads Rockets And with Embiid in there, if he ever plays.

Right now its all about next season, but how long does patience with the Cult of Hinkie last? Sure they have Saric to come over with Noel and Okafor, but after all these years of tanking thats all the tangible assets they have right now (i'm ignoring Joel as he has effectively no currency atm)

Experts comments

Warsaw - Finally, a source of actual analysis and not just endless jokes

Kendall Marshall - Nik Stauskas - Robert Covington - Nerlens Noel - Jahlil Okafor.

There's no reason to think that this season of Sixers basketball is anything other than one of those 'development'/'tanking' years that has embodied the franchise for the last two seasons. It really is still very much that, with an eye towards 2016/17 as being 'the year'. But I'm looking at that potential opening night starting 5, and being genuinely excited for what this season will bring.

It starts with Okafor of course. And the front court pairing with Noel that would stand against any in the league. This alone should make the Sixers infinitely more watchable, which is a good thing because the amount of Phila basketball I've watched over the last few years is morally unacceptable.

Then there's Stausaks, and I'm pretty buoyed by his recent performances in the FIBA Americas, and that a season without the rollercoaster that was Sac will be invaluable to his development. The PG situation is dire, Marshall is a stop-gap at best, but will help. RoCo, Grant all have another pre-season under their belt, will continue to improve.

And if there's been at least one quantifiable measure of Hinkie's success is his ability to unearth second-round, undrafted talent. Richaun Holmes looks to be that guy. And Christian Wood, a guy we picked up a couple of days ago, was someone I was really high on pre-draft and could have been a lottery talent if it weren't for his mental inconsistencies. Brett Brown's a teacher and for this absurdly young team that's exactly what you need.

The Sixers are still built for the future - a preview on them will look infinitely more intriguing next season - but the present is definitely still worth watching. The team is better than last year, and I don't think a 25-30 win season is unreasonable.

Beyonce approves. **** Doug Collins.

SoS

It's really tough to write about Philly, because this is a laboratory experiment than has never really been tried before (at least not to this extent) in the league. We're all just guessing really.

On the plus side the Sixers have been openly transparent about their plan with their fans, and under Brett Brown they can never be accused of not playing hard.

On the other side of the coin, they were 30th in shooting, 30th in two point FG%, 29th in 3PtFG%, and dead last in turnovers. Hell, they even finished dead last in free throw shooting! Taken together, the Sixers probably fielded the most inept offensive squad in NBA history last season, which has gotta take its toll on the fanbase eventually.

The good news is that the Sixers were actually a top-half defensive team, so there's something to work with there, not least in the person of Nerlens Noel. Even putting Embiid to one side, the front court is shaping up nicely with Okafor and Noel (even if it remains to be seen if they can play together).

Meanwhile the Sixers may have a keeper in Sir Robert Covington - arguably no Sixer will benefit more from the presence of Okafor than the prolific gunner. Add (eventually) the cerebral talents of Dario Saric and the defensive promise of Jerami Grant, and Philly is putting together a nice blend of talents up front.

That backcourt though... ugh

Crystal Ball

It doesnt take Einstein to figure this out. Another 20 win season and another war chest of possible first rounders... Miamis pick (top 10 protected), Lakers pick (top 3 protected), OKC pick (top 15 protected), pick swap rights with the Kings .

That and trades... many many trades.

 

[stewie griffen]

Added in Warsaws comments.

Nice point you make about the second rounders, its one thing Hinkie has been able to consistently find

 

[mitchzz]

Stauskas!?!?!? Wouldn't surprise me if he had a breakout season this year

 

[Hipster Doofus]

Stauskas!?!?!? Wouldn't surprise me if he had a breakout season this year

He will.
Crafty, self assured when he runs a set play, will have a lot more freedom in Philly other than being dumped the ball with two seconds left to heave up a contested 3. He's going to be a gem for a starting five one day, hope it's in Philly.

 

[stewie griffen]

So i'm know for my unbiased previews right?

Dare i go there?

2014/15 Record: 50-32, 2nd in Central Division, 3rd in Eastern Conference

2014/15 Stats: 100.8 PPG (15th)/97.8 OPPG (9th) 107.5 Offensive Rating (11th)/104.3 Defensive Rating (11th)

2014/15 Leaders:
Team Leaders (minimum 50 games)
Scoring: Jimmy Butler 20.0 PPG
Rebounding: Pau Gasol 11.8 RPG
Assists: Derrick Rose 4.9 APG
Steals: Jimmy Butler 1.8 SPG
Blocks: Pau Gasol 1.9 BPG

In:

Out:

Draft: Bobby Portis

Notable: Vale Thibs

So another season arrives and there are few changes in Chicago, at least roster wise. Thibs grinding game style eventually wore out its welcome with the roster and more particularly, upper management.

Last year was well... um... well.... After clearing cap room by amnestying Boozer we picked up Pau, for some reason we traded up to get McBuckets (ok i promise i'll be positive from now on) and Mirotic finally came stateside. The season can be summarised with one word: Inconsistency.

Moments like this....



Yet moments like this



Chicago took more possessions to the end of the shot clock than almost anyone, and generated few uncontested looks relative to the rest of the league, per SportVU data. Offensively, we could go stretches of sheer putridness, which we used to at least stay competitive with our defense. The defense was down a level last season, which really served to highlight our offensive deficiencies.

Good signs were DRose showing some signs of the MVP

Bad..... DRose looking like a pleb.

Please stop shooting 3's Derrick (wait did i just post a game winning 3 earlier) and get to the rim. Its not quite that simple of course, our outside shooting has long been an issue with Mike D becoming unplayable in certain matchups, and given the inability of the likes of Snell to consistently hit the outside shot our spacing can quickly turn to crud.

We have the games where Rose shows just what he's capable of - 34/8 on 5/9 from 3 in G4 against the Bucks, backed up by G5 and 6, shooting 30%, 2/11 from deep and 14 turnovers. His numbers on the second game of back to backs were awful, which was also true for the Bulls as a team.

The Bulls were outscored by 3.2 points per 100 possessions on back-to-backs, about the same as the Brooklyn Nets' scoring margin last season. One two days of rest, they outscored opponents by 9.7 points per 100 possessions, a margin that would have ranked second in the league behind the Golden State Warriors across the entire season. So at team level, two days of rest was worth about 13 points per 100 possessions in net performance.

http://www.blogabull.com/2015/7/31/9074973/kevin-ferrigans-dre-reveals-how-rest-affects-derrick-rose


By all reports he's training the house down, so fingers crossed.





So much red

The new offense structure should help Rose's cause, being much more up tempo, allowing him to attack the defense before its well set. He's found a nice angled bank shot and developed his floater, and has a much better read of the pick and roll.

Brooks had a muddling year as backup, but thats the type of player he is, when he's rolling its all good, but when its bad..... but as a backup point you cant ask for much more.

Kirk. He's alive.

Jimmy G Buckets had a phenomenal All Star year, and the cherry on top for Bulls fans was locking him in with a new 5 year deal.



He's always been defensively superb but he took his offensive game to another level early in the season. Lets hope for more of the same.

Snells year was... again... inconsistent. Solid in patches, then regressing when you finally felt he had turned the corner. Its something of a make or break year for him imo, he either becomes part of the rotation or its just about curtains for him in Chicago.

Mike D was solid as ever if unplayable in some matchups. A true professional, but we need to become less reliant on him

Niko had a fantastic middle portion of the year before hitting the rookie wall late in the piece. He showed a great ability to get to the line and shot well in patches... .and poorly in others. How well we do this season comes down to Niko's improvement.

Taj, similar again... inconsistent. If he can hit that 15 footer consistently he becomes a weapon, unfortunately its never really happened.



Taj is now 30, so if anything is going to give in that loaded frontcourt, its surely got to be him. As Niko finds his feet, Taj could see his minutes vanish... if he's still in Chitown at all. A trade to Toronto for Ross could be in the future....

Pau suffered with injury early in the season but powered home to win All NBA 3rd team selection. He put up some great numbers, but they tend to mask the fact that his defense was, to put it bluntly, pretty average. He can space the floor to some degree with his 20 footer, but where it becomes an issue is against smaller lineups. His defensive switches are often late as he tends to stay closer to the rim, allowing for the corner 3 far too often. In patches against the Cavs tho, he and Rose put on a pick and roll masterclass, as the Cavs collapsed on Rose, Pau could sit back on the pop and take open jumpers all day long. What is obvious is that Jo and Pau together, whilst fine in some scenarios and limited minutes, just doesn't work as a starting lineup.

Jo was a shell of the player he can be and its obvious that he was far from fit. When fit, he's one of the premier defenders in the league, and whilst thats a great asset to have, his offensive limitations became ever more evident last season as he lost all confidence in his jumper. Back to full fitness we should see a better Noah, although the miles are adding up on the ageing body....

I've ignored McBuckets until now for good reason, after getting injured he never got a look in. Was that Thibs not playing rookies? Yep, thats part of it? Was it his defense, and poor play in general when on the court? Thats the other part. Doug will find a coach far more willing to play him this season, and one who will tolerate his mistakes more without yanking him from the lineup. He showed signs in Summer League, but you expect a first round pick with a year of pro experience to shine there. Now its up to him to prove he belongs.

Expert comments

@Dez.. got anything you want to throw in mate?

Crystal Ball

50 wins, second round seems to be the mark for this squad. How far they go from there depends on health and improvement from Niko and Doug.

Things will take a while to mesh under Fred so expect a slow start, but I'm looking forward to a fun season.

I expect trade buzz around Taj, or perhaps Noah as the deadline gets closer, but whether we pull the triger on a deal remains to be seen

 

[Son of Skeletor]

Great work stewie, I'll tag Dez! for you as I'm sure he's got lots to say on Kirk and absolutely nothing to say on Niko.

Cavs to follow shortly.

 

[stewie griffen]

I tagged didn't? Or wrong dez?

Posted in the bulls thread in case special agent Utah or anyone else wanted to comment

 

[Dez!]

Expert comments

@Dez.. got anything you want to throw in mate?

Yes, lrn2tag.

 

[Son of Skeletor]

2014/15 Record: 53-29 (1st in Central, 2nd in East), lost 4-2 to Warriors in Finals

2014/15 Stats: Ranked #3 offensively, ranked #18 defensively

2014/15 Leaders: LeBron James (25.3 ppg), Kevin Love (9.7 rpg), LeBron James (7.4 apg)


Cav-additions: Mo Williams (2/4.5), Richard Jefferson (1/min), Sasha Kaun (2/min)

Cava-losses: Shawn Marion (retired), Mike Miller (Blazers), Kendrick Perkins (Pelicans), Brandan Haywood (cash)

Draft: G Cedi Osman (#31), F Dom Pointer (#53)

Notable: Re-signed LeBron James (2/47), Kevin Love (5/113), Iman Shumpert (4/40) and JR Smith (2/10), have yet to extend Tristan Thompson

The Lowdown

The Cavs are deep. The Cavs are talented. The Cavs are expensive (they could have SIX players pulling down eight figures soon)... these things we know.

We knew that the new super-triumvirate of LBJ, Love and Kyrie would be a nightmare to defend last season, but we didn't know just how the chemistry would work following Le Return. As it turned out it took the mid-season acquisition of three important role players in Shumpert, Smith and Mozgov for Cleveland to finally get rolling...

But when they eventually did click they were undeniably impressive, winning 48 of their next 60 games en route to dismantling the best that the Eastern Conference had to throw at them. They lost few admirers in the Finals when as an undermanned underdog they pushed the fancied Dubs to six games.

Two things stand out now for these rebooted Cavaliers. The first is that they possess a great degree of versatility on their roster - they can go big or small, they can play to shoot (Kyrie/JR/LBJ/Love) or they can play for stops (Delly/Shump/LBJ/TT/Moz). This was never more evident than in the Finals, when deprived of their firepower Cleveland demonstrated a defensive tenacity seldom seen during the regular season.

The other noteworthy thing we've come to learn about the Cavs is just how much power and influence LeBron wields, not just on the court but behind the scenes. His guys (Miller, Jones, Mo Williams) warm the bench, and his guys have the ability to negotiate contracts from a position of unparalleled power. And when LeBron doesn't agree with the coaches' call, then the coach is just going to have to change said call. And then proceed to be duly, and publicly, chastened...




So yes, it'll be interesting to watch the politics in Cleveland this season. And yes, the Cavs still need to incorporate Love's talents better, still need to find LeBron some more rest, and still need to get Kyrie healthy come May.

But at the end of the day, they're still going to win. A lot.

The Roster

GUARD: Melbourne's own will be back to terrorize the rest of the league with his smooth moves and unflappable demeanour. Kyrie goes alright too.

While Love's integration with the Cavaliers remains a work-in-progress, there's no doubting the comfortable symbiosis that developed between Kyrie and the returning LeBron. LBJ's presence removed some of the play-making burden on Irving and allowed him to pick his spots and focus on what he does best - shooting the cover off the ball. Cleveland re-signed a familiar face in Mo Williams to help reduce Irving's workload - Mo should fit right in as his game is not dissimilar to Kyrie's, albeit not as efficient. And of course on the days when Mo's shot is not falling, the Cavs can always call upon their Aussie assault weapon to crack a few skulls and break a few legs (but never djrossie 's heart).

At the other guard position, perennial bright-spark JR Smith opted out of his $6.5 million salary to re-sign with the Cavs for the princely sum of $10 million. Only problem is that's for two years - JR obviously studied at the George Costanza school of negotiation.

To be fair to JR he did what was required of him in Cleveland for the most part - space the floor, hit the three and guard his position competently. The newly cash flush Iman Shumpert performs much the same service, only with less reliable shooting and more reliable D. Oh, and sweeter hair.

FORWARD: This could end up being the most expensive (if only the second best) frontcourt in history.

Kevin Love eventually calmed a lot of jittery nerves in old Cleveland town and killed off the potential for endless 'LolCavs' mirth by signing a fat new contract. Armed with both the five year deal he felt he deserved and the playoff contender team he desired, it's up to Love to now repay the Cavs' faith by lifting those shooting percentages and finding a way to fit in as the third wheel.

Tristan Thompson undoubtedly earned himself a pay rise with his play in the 2015 playoffs, but whether that rise should reach the stratosphere of a cool $100 million is another matter altogether. Thompson is a beast on the offensive boards and has improved markedly as a positional defender, but his offensive repertoire still doesn't extend beyond dunks and put backs. There's also the question of whether allocating in the vicinity of $200 million to two power forwards is really the wisest use of Cleveland resources, which in turn begets the question of Thompson's positional flexibility (see below). As far as the Cavs are concerned, I guess it's better to have power forwards with fat deals as opposed to merely fat bodies.

Manning the other forward spot is a guy who may not be everyone's cup of tea, but remains the biggest individual force in the league. After a so-so regular season, LeBron reminded everyone of his powers in dragging the Cavs within two games of an improbable title. Cleveland will be aware that they need to manage his minutes, a factor that no doubt was behind the recruitment of Richard Jefferson, who's still serviceable as a spot-up shooter.

CENTRE: In Soviet Russia, Mozgov dunk on you.

And so the Big Blonde Bear did in season 2014/15, serving up a figurative facial to those who questioned whether he could man the middle for a title contender. He proved to a solid (and much needed) defensive deterrent in the paint while he's deceptively fluent at the other end of the court. The Cavs should enjoy him while they can, because he'll be demanding more than the bargain basement $5 million he's due this season come July. While used to living in bleak surroundings, it's likely Mozgov will need a hefty financial incentive to stick around in Lake Erie...




Part of the Tristan Thompson dilemma pertains to the question as to which is his best position. The Cavs worked very well together when they went to their small-ball, uber-defensive line-up by necessity during the playoffs. Of course the Cavs also performed very well when Mozgov and Love shared the court up front too. It's a nice problem to have, but it's doubtful that Cavs will be able to pay - or play - all three long-term.


Pick & Pop - where we stop and pop off a cheap shot or three

In the Gun: David Blatt.

Yes he's a soft target, but it's hard to forget those demeaning playoff moments at the hands of his biggest star. Perhaps he is to LBJ what Byron Scott is to Kobe in LA - an enabler if we're being polite, a puppet if we're not.

Is a Gun: James

... Jones owns a lethal perimeter shot and... yeah, OK it's lame, but I'm not going to write yet another tome to LeBron's greatness. I'll leave that to ESPN, and our very own Primetime Pricey

Needs Improvement: Chemistry.

It could've been team defense, but the Cavs showed us in the playoffs that when they shuffled their line-up they could guard with the best of them. On the other hand there's still a few unresolved issues bubbling beneath beneath the surface - LBJ vs Blatt, Aussie Matt vs Traitor Kyrie, Love vs Thompson, Thompson vs Mozgov, JR vs JR... of course the biggest tension still revolves around Lion-O vs Panthro though.

Big Question: If LeBron wins another title or two, will jod23 fly to Cleveland and do a Moe Szyslak on LBJ's knees?

Also known as: is LeBron's legacy fast closing on that of the all-time greats?


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I'm of the opinion it was a mistake giving Love that massive contract. But it's done so they have to live with it. I felt they could have brought in better pieces but he's a good player so I won't go on too much about it. To be fair before he got injured it felt like things were really starting to gel offensively. Tristan is a playoff beast so gathering together what ever leftovers they have and retaining him for the long term would be wise.

Let's see how long it takes to get Kyrie back. For any other team it would be a blow but you'd expect the Cavs to absorb his absence as well as any team. Only injury to Lebron would stop them getting back to the finals.

In the early part of last season Lebron had a very slow start. If you can recall there were question marks on whether he cbf. Not sure they'll be any real pressure on them to contest the regular season after the mess they made out of Atlanta in the playoffs. I think they'll be content to just hang around the top and peak at the finals.

The Magic Eight Ball:

It's hard to see Cleveland doing anything other than returning to the Finals. Then again, this time last year you'd have been committed to an asylum for suggesting that Tristan Thompson could earn a max contract or that JR Smith could be a useful player, so stranger things have happened.

 

[Look2Me4Guidance]

Disappointed no JR segue mention