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Can Cleveland win it all with Love/James/Irving win the title if they are healthy?

I thought they should have won it last year but Andy,Love, and Irving got injured.

Any posters here are in Ohio?

Ohioan here. And I don't see why not. Nearly won it last year and we were decimated by injuries. We just have to get back to the level we were playing at during the second half of last season. The Warriors are obviously a great team, but they're not unbeatable.

yoyoboy wrote:Ohioan here. And I don't see why not. Nearly won it last year and we were decimated by injuries. We just have to get back to the level we were playing at during the second half of last season. The Warriors are obviously a great team, but they're not unbeatable.

Good time to be a Ohio sports fan.

Buckeyes,Cavs,Bengals.

All great and have a shot at a championship.

Soupman wrote:

yoyoboy wrote:Ohioan here. And I don't see why not. Nearly won it last year and we were decimated by injuries. We just have to get back to the level we were playing at during the second half of last season. The Warriors are obviously a great team, but they're not unbeatable.

Good time to be a Ohio sports fan.

Buckeyes,Cavs,Bengals.

All great and have a shot at a championship.

Unfortunately I'm a Browns fan.

Yes

yoyoboy wrote:Ohioan here. And I don't see why not. Nearly won it last year and we were decimated by injuries. We just have to get back to the level we were playing at during the second half of last season. The Warriors are obviously a great team, but they're not unbeatable.

Agreed
Some people are acting as if GSW repeating is already set in stone.
They had a great start to the year so far but its still November.. the overwhelming portion of the season is still ahead of us.
GSW could lose focus for a week because they feel "bored" and suddenly lose 3/4 and everybody would be soo disapointed they are "just" human after all.
And while i dont wish injuries on everybody lets face it they have some Players with injury history and 2 years in a row without ANY critical injury would be crazy.

Lebron is proving everybody who even thought he was out of his prime dead wrong. He is past is athletic prime but still right in the middle of his overall prime.
RJ,Mo are proving to be MUCH better pieces then Matrix,Miller wich will make our bench really good once Kyrie and Shump are back.
We are both top 10 in Offense and Defense(usually a pretty good sign of a Championchip caliber Team) while our 2nd Best Offensive and one of our best Defenders are still out.

I cant see a Team in the East beating us if we are even remotley healthy.

And GSW still has to make it out of the West.. doesnt matter how many Games they win in the RS or by what margin. Playoffs is a new playing field. A Team like the Spurs who have the experience,The Coaching and the "Will of a Champ" could totally suprise them in a Series. The Clippers almost beat them twice so far.. who knows if they can come up with a way to actually do so come playoff time.

And even if we face GSW. If both Teams are on the same Level health wise i am confident we will win.
Even with Curry playing on Cheatmode right now i still take Lebron over him ANY day of the week,for his Defense,Experience and BBIQ.

The best tactic to beating GSW has to be let Curry try to score 45 while shutting down Klay,Barnes,Green,Iggy. Its basically the "Wilt" Treatment. BTW thats exactly how GSW beat us. They let Lebron get everything while shutting everybody else down.
If we can do this i like our chances. We can focus on shutting down Klay because after him they dont have another reliable 20ppg Scoring option. Curry would be on his own scoring.
We have Kyrie and Love. It is unlikley GSW can shut both down in a Game. We will have Lebron and at least 1 Of Ky and Love scoring.

Maybe. I am still not comfortable with the supporting cast yet. If I was a betting man right now I would say no, but things can change.

I like the design of golden state's team better, they have 5 guys they can put on the floor at the same time that are duel threats. The Cavs are a big 3 (really a big 2 if you think about it) and a bunch of role players that have weaknesses beyond that. Id have to give them the coaching advantage to (ive never been a huge blatt fan). Lebron usually has the individual advantage over anyone but this year curry is putting up historical numbers. They can defiantly still win, but time will tell

I can easily see the Cavs winning it all, if healthy.

I think they are the only team other than san antonio that can realistically beat them in a 7 game series.

You cannot shut down Both,LJ,Love,and Irving at the same time nearly humanly impossible without hand checking.

Soupman wrote:I think they are the only team other than san antonio that can realistically beat them in a 7 game series.

You cannot shut down Both,LJ,Love,and Irving at the same time nearly humanly impossible without hand checking.

If OKC is healthy, I think they have a chance, too. Durant and Westbrook can be unstoppable at times.

yoyoboy wrote:

Soupman wrote:I think they are the only team other than san antonio that can realistically beat them in a 7 game series.

You cannot shut down Both,LJ,Love,and Irving at the same time nearly humanly impossible without hand checking.

If OKC is healthy, I think they have a chance, too. Durant and Westbrook can be unstoppable at times.

True.. i think you cant stop KD+WB. The Question mark i have with OKC is their defense. So far they have been extremly inconsistent on defense. But its still early so maybe they can figure out their defense until the playoffs.

I think their are 4 Teams who can realisticly win it all this Year: Gsw,Cle,Sa,Okc .. everybody else would be a suprise

Westbrook stops himself sometimes. We were the best team in the league after we finished 33-9. I still adamantly believe we would have won healthy last year.

Let's say Cleveland comes up short in the Finals again, is there many options for them beyond re-signing LeBron to his deal and beating the best offer Mozgov gets? I know ownership is handicapped financially a bit due to some of their contracts.

How much of J.R. Smith's 2016-17 salary is guaranteed? If they could waive him outright and stretch Varejao then Cleveland could send Tristan Thompson and a heavily (top 20?) protected first round draft pick to Indy for Monta Ellis, CJ Miles and Lavoy Allen then send two second rounders with the Haywood TPE for Omer Asik and sign a Steve Blake and Chris Kaman type vets. After maxing out LeBron, they would be slightly above this years total team salary.

C-Asik/Kaun/Kaman
PF-Love/Allen
SF-James/Shumpert
SG-Ellis/Miles
PG-Irving/Williams/Blake

Why the hell would we reconstruct the team like that?

1. Ellis in between Kyrie and LeBron? We need a Shumpert or a Smith there, guys who don't need much offensively and can catch and shoot and be great on defense. And trading a 24 year old Tristan Thompson and a 1st rounder for those players is ridiculous.

2. I don't think a cast of unatheltic, non-pick and roll oriented centers would mesh very well with two of the best pick and roll playmakers in the NBA. You'd have slashers and big men who clog the paint outside of Love.

3. I'd rather just use the TPE on a useful reserve that we don't commit much to. Maybe someone who could be a true backup center or small forward to replace RJ and James Jones next year. I'd like us to get our hands on an athletic center with length.

ThirdEyeSharp wrote:Why the hell would we reconstruct the team like that?

1. Ellis in between Kyrie and LeBron? We need a Shumpert or a Smith there, guys who don't need much offensively and can catch and shoot and be great on defense. And trading a 24 year old Tristan Thompson and a 1st rounder for those players is ridiculous.

2. I don't think a cast of unatheltic, non-pick and roll oriented centers would mesh very well with two of the best pick and roll playmakers in the NBA. You'd have slashers and big men who clog the paint outside of Love.

3. I'd rather just use the TPE on a useful reserve that we don't commit much to. Maybe someone who could be a true backup center or small forward to replace RJ and James Jones next year. I'd like us to get our hands on an athletic center with length.

So it's more realistic that they re-sign James and Mozgov then call it a day?

yoyoboy wrote:Ohioan here. And I don't see why not. Nearly won it last year and we were decimated by injuries. We just have to get back to the level we were playing at during the second half of last season. The Warriors are obviously a great team, but they're not unbeatable.

I'm in Ohio.. but was in Nor Cal a long time...so...i got an opinion.

I'd agree... GSW is not unbeatable.. but.. they may be unbeaten till January or so. Can the Cavs stay healthy? Can they do first rate D? I dunno. LeBron TRIES to get everyone do TEAM.. play DEFENSE... but they backslide. That can get you there in the East. It ain't gonna work vs the Warriors. You need TEAM. You need D or you do not win. LeBron will.. at some point... drag the Cavs to a title. He's got the talent,the leadership. They ain't quite ripe now.

sportscrazy wrote:How much of J.R. Smith's 2016-17 salary is guaranteed? If they could waive him outright and stretch Varejao then Cleveland could send Tristan Thompson and a heavily (top 20?) protected first round draft pick to Indy for Monta Ellis, CJ Miles and Lavoy Allen then send two second rounders with the Haywood TPE for Omer Asik and sign a Steve Blake and Chris Kaman type vets. After maxing out LeBron, they would be slightly above this years total team salary.

C-Asik/Kaun/Kaman
PF-Love/Allen
SF-James/Shumpert
SG-Ellis/Miles
PG-Irving/Williams/Blake

Ellis is real good. Miles has had a VERY nice year. The CAVs... would be picking VERY late.. so.. doing a top 20 protect on what may be #27-29 is almost insulting...and cheapens a pick that's inadequate anyhow.

rd 2's from a top team.....are almost nothing. If they want to trade ASIK... who was over-rated.. they might get SOME decent bid.

if you think Asik is your starter...can you buy him for just beer money? Moz or a healthy Varajeo is better anyhow.