The future of the East?

[JonFromVA]

1. Celtics might lose Jaylen Brown, Horford is old.
2. Sixers might lose Harden and it's amazing Embiid has been able to be on the floor as much as he has.
3. Bucks are getting old around Giannis as he's in his prime.
4. Brooklyn blew things up.
5. Heat are already on the downswing short of some Riley magic.
6. Atlanta's bet on Young/Murray has not paid off so far.
7. Toronto needs to figure out what do with OG and Siakim.
8. Chicago hasn't looked the same since losing Lonzo and there's no telling when he might return.
9. etc

Conclusion:

Other teams will make moves, some will rebuild, some will try to remake or shore up their rosters; but if we play our cards right the East is opening up for another era of Cavalier rule and it's basically happening right on our schedule.

[ijspeelman]

Those are all the potential fallers. I'd like to say the potential growers:
1. Pacers have a promising core in Hali and Mathurin with some nice veterans in Hield and Turner. Their question is if their young players continue to grow (Nembhard, Duarte, Jalen Smith, and Isaiah Jackson included) and if they can find ways to keep veterans around during the mix-up period.
2. Knicks seem to be started an actual new era with younger talent (Grimes, Quickley, and Toppin) surrounded by their current all-star-ish vets in Randle and Brunson + some good NBA role players (Hart, Mitch Rob, and Hartenstein). Their question is if they can package the picks to get a top 15ish player without losing out on the development of their young guys.
3. I know you have the Raptors in the potential fallers category, but they have a lot of picks and a lot of talent so they could shift around and find themselves back in the mix in a season or two. Their question is if they can find another player to either pair with OG and Siakam or if they turn those players into a different all-star-ish type player and build around them.
4. Orlando have a really, really young team that has players with pretty high potential. They'll need to find ways to put it together to generate wins and get role players around their potential star(s) in Paulo (and Franz).
5. I have Detroit in a similar boat where they have the potential of rising, but we need to see it.

I would say Orlando and Detroit are where we were two seasons ago. We got lucky with the Allen acquisition, Mobley draft pick, and speedy development of Garland which propelled us forward. I think that's a rare occurrence for these re-builds so I do not see them being serious playoff opponents within the next two years barring a similar trajectory.

I do not currently see Charlotte or Washington as a threat to grow into a serious playoff team in the next few years barring a huge trade.

I think Boston with or without Brown will still around as a top dog in the East and as long as the Bucks have Giannis will remain there as well. Bucks will need to find smart ways to re-tool with different veterans which could be a small transition period, but I expect them to stick around.

I am also surprised by the 6ers prolonged success and if Harden leaves I don't see how they build back up from there without tearing down.

As for the Cavs, we could create some real prolonged success at the top if we can find a way to acquire or develop a serious 3&D threat and fill out our roster with more free agents who have more offensive capabilities without sacrificing too much on the defensive end. Also, a mobile back-up center would be nice (unless Stevens is that guy).

[JonFromVA]

Yep, it's more than fair to point out that we might be caught from behind, but our advantage is the same as the team's currently ahead of us: unless the team's behind us can make a major move, or we make a major blunder, it's going to be hard for them to catch us.

Their best bet to overtake is going to be when we're on the downswing, and that could be a while.

That being said, the top of the East may very well not clear out like I hope. Maybe Brown decides to stay in Boston, and they stop hating on Grant Williams and accept him as their Horford replacement (or find someone else)? Maybe the Bucks are able to acquire or develop players to fill in around Giannis as their core ages? Maybe Harden just wants to make sure he gets another max deal, and Philly pays him? And maybe some of the teams which have slid back this season get their act together?

All possibilities too, but at the moment it seems a window of opportunity is opening up and Koby has us positioned nicely regardless of whether we find that perfect piece at SF.

And speaking of our less than perfect pieces: Caris LeVert may be coming off the bench for us, but he's effectively our 5th starter averaging 30mpg averaging 12/4/4, shooting 37.9% from 3pt and has been on a tear in March.

Looking past each teams top-2 scorers and ignoring spacing for the moment, do we really feel bad with how our #3 through #5 scorers hold up against Brogdon, White, and Smart; Lopez, Middleton, and Portis; Maxey, Harris, and Melton; or Barrett, Quickley, and Hart?

Even when we won the championship, nobody was happy with our starting lineup. Kyrie was Kyrie and often struggled to keep us in games when LeBron sat, people were already hoping Love would get traded, very few people could accept that Tristan Thompson had any value, and JR Smith staying locked in, playing defense, not throwing soup, and hitting big shots in a game 7 was a pipe dream.

So, we don't need a perfect lineup, it just needs to keep getting better through experience, chemistry, player development, trades, whatever.

[toooskies]

I look at us, then look at the 2014 Warriors, and dream... If things go well then we don't have to look in the rearview. We might even be able to take advantage of the cap spiking the way Golden State did with Durant.

[JonFromVA]

I look at us, then look at the 2014 Warriors, and dream... If things go well then we don't have to look in the rearview. We might even be able to take advantage of the cap spiking the way Golden State did with Durant.

It would be amazing if things worked out such that we could sign and add a superstar player in his prime to the squad, but I suspect we will need the cap increases to extend the time we can keep the core team together and have something left to pay the rest of the roster.

[jasonxxx102]

Knicks are a star away from being really really dangerous. I don't really know about Orlando, they're a long way away from being good unless Banchero makes an ungodly leap.

Brooklyn is also a star (or Bridges leap) away from being dangerous. Really like them too.

Bucks have a few years left of Giannis dominance.

I have absolutely no faith in Detroit. They have no plan and very little talent. Even if Cade takes a Tatum type leap they don't have much else.

Raptors are a team with no vision.

Ultimately I see Cavs being one of the best 3 teams in the conference for the next 3-4 years

[jbk1234]

We still need more shooting in the rotation IMO.

[JonFromVA]

We still need more shooting in the rotation IMO.

I'm not suggesting we need to accelerate our timeline, just that the East may be opening up for us as we continue to improve via growth and/or trades.

But who knows, Danny Green didn't cost us anything and might pay off in the short term before we have picks to trade.

[JujitsuFlip]

I think the timeline was accelerated on September 1st, 2022 lol

[JonFromVA]

I think the timeline was accelerated on September 1st, 2022 lol

I think our ceiling was potentially raised, but not our timeline because while Mitchell may be ready to make a finals run it's always been about getting Garland, Allen, and Mobley there and filling out the roster holes which if it doesn't happen through internal development or a lucky trade/signing may have to wait until at least 2024 when we have some assets.

Which is not to say we can't get excited about the playoffs and hope to surpass mere expectations; but even then the injuries to Mitchell and Garland concern me and would seem to limit the chances they both go ballistic enough times to win multiple series.

They will adjust and attack the rim if the 3's aren't falling, but then the games will likely be closer, and experience at playoff defense and closing games becomes more important, etc.

[Jamaaliver]

1. Pacers have a promising core in Hali and Mathurin with some nice veterans in Hield and Turner. Their question is if their young players continue to grow (Nembhard, Duarte, Jalen Smith, and Isaiah Jackson included) and if they can find ways to keep veterans around during the mix-up period.

4. Orlando have a really, really young team that has players with pretty high potential. They'll need to find ways to put it together to generate wins and get role players around their potential star(s) in Paulo (and Franz).

As for the Cavs, we could create some real prolonged success at the top if we can find a way to acquire or develop a serious 3&D threat and fill out our roster with more free agents who have more offensive capabilities without sacrificing too much on the defensive end. Also, a mobile back-up center would be nice (unless Stevens is that guy).

It seems like Cleveland, Pacers and Magic have the best chance to move into the top-3 of the conference moving forward. Especially if Orlando can mange to hit big on this year's draft pick. (Not a foregone conclusion.)

Heat, Hawks and Pacers each have elite coaches, so they should all at least remain competitive.

Boston is likely to remain a powerhouse for the foreseeable future. Amazing that they've been relevant more often than not since the KG/Ray Allen/Paul Pierce trio came together in 2008.

[ijspeelman]

1. Pacers have a promising core in Hali and Mathurin with some nice veterans in Hield and Turner. Their question is if their young players continue to grow (Nembhard, Duarte, Jalen Smith, and Isaiah Jackson included) and if they can find ways to keep veterans around during the mix-up period.

4. Orlando have a really, really young team that has players with pretty high potential. They'll need to find ways to put it together to generate wins and get role players around their potential star(s) in Paulo (and Franz).

As for the Cavs, we could create some real prolonged success at the top if we can find a way to acquire or develop a serious 3&D threat and fill out our roster with more free agents who have more offensive capabilities without sacrificing too much on the defensive end. Also, a mobile back-up center would be nice (unless Stevens is that guy).

It seems like Cleveland, Pacers and Magic have the best chance to move into the top-3 of the conference moving forward. Especially if Orlando can mange to hit big on this year's draft pick. (Not a foregone conclusion.)

Heat, Hawks and Pacers each have elite coaches, so they should all at least remain competitive.

Boston is likely to remain a powerhouse for the foreseeable future. Amazing that they've been relevant more often than not since the KG/Ray Allen/Paul Pierce trio came together in 2008.

I do think we are currently underrating the Hawks after their slow start with their new backcourt. I don't know how much I believe in their potential at the top of the league, but its there, especially with Quin Snyder taking control. With an off-season or two, the Hawks team could look completely different around those guys.

[Jamaaliver]

I do think we are currently underrating the Hawks after their slow start with their new backcourt. I don't know how much I believe in their potential at the top of the league, but its there, especially with Quin Snyder taking control. With an off-season or two, the Hawks team could look completely different around those guys.

There's been a ton of skepticism about Atlanta, and most of it justified.

At this point, I cant even speculate what the roster will look like 1 year from now. I expect some pretty big changes with QS having roster say and our impatient owner demanding a contender sooner than later.

One team I feel extremely confident about, Charlotte. Hornets will remain a hot mess and LaMelo will force his way out sooner than later. It seems inevitable at this point.