Cleveland Cavaliers: How Soon Can They Make It Back to the NBA Playoffs?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off one of the most turbulent seasons in recent memory in the NBA, so them in the playoffs is quite a stretch of the imagination.

They reeled off a stretch of games where they lost 26 in a row and 36 out of 37 overall. I mean that pretty much took them out of the playoffs right there.

It's pretty much out of the question that they would be competitive enough this season (for however many games they actually play this season) to make the playoffs, even in the Eastern Conference, where a few games below .500 would be enough to make the playoffs.

So, without a miracle happening this season, the best they could hope for would be a substantial improvement in 2012-13, where they may be able to snag the eighth or seventh spot, but how is it going to look? 

2011-12 Season

We are headed for missing games this upcoming season; there is no doubt in my mind about that. Some say it could be less than the 1999 lockout, but still others say that the whole season is gone.

If the whole season is gone, then they again have the second best chance at winning the draft lottery in a year that is going to be much deeper than it was a season ago. So Cleveland could easily stumble into another good player, and possibly a franchise changer like Harrison Barnes, Anthony Davis or James McAdoo.

However, if there is a season then they may have to earn that pick.

They will be a young team, and it should take a while for them to get into sync once the season does start, so a shortened season could mean that they end up the wost team in the league.

No matter what happens, it seems that they will have one of the five worst records in the league when the season ends.

2012-13 Season

This is the year that could make or break the future of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Depending on how well Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson have come along, plus the onset of their 2012 draft pick, Cleveland could be on the verge of becoming a good team.

This year the Cavs will be better, but probably not that much better unless they decide to trade for a big name player (or relatively big), which seems to be unlikely to me.

What really matters is what they do after the 2013 season.

Cleveland will have Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Mystery Draftee from 2012 under contract, and presumably not much else in terms of big numbers.

Baron Davis and Antawn Jamison will no longer be on their books. and it seems likely that they will part ways with Anderson Varejao by this time next year. That leaves them with cap space out the wazoo.

Cleveland could clean up in the free agent market in the Summer of 2013, but there aren't going to be very many big name free agents out there at that time, although, Josh Smith, Kevin Love and Steph Curry will potentially be available.

Pair their free agent signings that season with another lottery pick, and you have a team that could potentially grab a top-six spot the following season.

It's a long tough road ahead for the Cavs, but the most important thing they can do is not get too antsy and do things right. They must calculate each move and make sure that they are doing what's best for the long-term success of the team, not just the short-term.