Are Next Season's Cleveland Cavs the Deepest Team LeBron James Has Ever Had?
Following a series-ending loss to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, a dejected LeBron James solemnly answered questions from the media.
Perhaps his most telling quote of the session was a blatantly honest response that summed up the Cavaliers' downfall.
"Tonight we had our chances, but, you know, we ran out of talent. We ran out of talent tonight," said James, relayed by Scott Patsko of the Northeast Ohio Media Group.
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After losing both Kevin Love and later Kyrie Irving to injury during the postseason, James was the team's lone playmaker and offensive threat. The Warriors, it seemed, had a never-ending bench full of refreshed, quality players the injury-ravaged Cavs just couldn't compete with.
Depth now becomes the Cavaliers' primary concern. Should they make another deep run in the playoffs next season, losing a player or two can no longer completely cripple the team.
Cleveland, led by general manager David Griffin, has already made moves to ensure the team won't "run out of talent" again.
Enhanced by the NBA draft and free agency, will the 2015-16 Cavs be the deepest team James has ever been a part of, or is there still work to do?
The Contenders
Next season will mark James' 13th in the association. While the Cavaliers appear to be building another Finals-worthy roster around him, is it necessarily the best with which he has played?
A case certainly can, and will, be made. James has been a part of some impressive rosters, both in Cleveland and with the Miami Heat. Here are two of the most impressive, stacked up against a preview of his 2015-16 Cavs.
Team 1: 2012-13 Miami Heat
Record: 66-16, Won NBA Finals 4-3 over San Antonio Spurs
James matched his regular-season win total with Miami in 2012-13, tying the 2008-09 Cavaliers with 66 victories. The Heat stormed through February and March, winning 27 straight games—the second-longest streak in league history.
This was Miami's third season with the Big Three in place. Roles were defined, stars had bought in and new role players helped elevate the Heat to their best season in franchise history.
Offensive Rating: 112.3, 2nd in NBA
Defensive Rating: 103.7, 9th in NBA
Star Support: SG Dwyane Wade, PF Chris Bosh
The main reasons James headed south in the first place, both Wade and Bosh were outstanding scorers, the likes of which he had never played with before.
While Wade suited up in just 69 games, he was extremely efficient, shooting 52.1 percent from the field and posting a 24.0 PER. Bosh's rebounding took a hit with the emergence of Chris "Birdman" Andersen, although an improving three-point shot helped space the floor for James.
Key Role Players: SG Ray Allen, F Shane Battier, PG Mario Chalmers, F/C Udonis Haslem, PG Norris Cole, G/F Mike Miller, F/C Chris Andersen, F Rashard Lewis
Even though the Big 3 all had excellent seasons, the rest of the starting unit was a bit suspect. Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem are fine role players but were clearly three steps below their star teammates.
However, even after winning a championship the previous season, Miami got insanely deep with the additions of Allen, Lewis and Andersen.
If not for Allen's clutch shot in Game 6 of the Finals, there would have been no second title for the Heat.
Battier played a valuable role by taking tougher defensive assignments away from James, while Miller and Lewis spread the court and helped keep driving lanes open. After signing Andersen, Miami went 48-5 over their next 53 games, as he brought an energy and toughness off the bench.
Perhaps the Heat's best example of overall talent came in a March 31 game against the Spurs in San Antonio. Despite resting James, Wade and Chalmers, Miami still took down the fully loaded Spurs on their home floor.
By combining a plethora of veterans and a few young guards, this was the best and deepest team James played on during his time with the Heat.
Team 2: 2014-15 Cleveland Cavaliers
Record: 53-29, Lost NBA Finals 4-2 to Golden State Warriors
The Cavs' overall record may not be all that impressive, but there's no doubt they were the East's hottest team coming down the stretch.
Cleveland tore through the first three rounds of the playoffs, compiling a 12-2 record via sweeps of the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks.
Advancing to the Finals was a great start, and one can only wonder what could have been if Irving and Love were available.
Offensive Rating: 111.1, 3rd in NBA
Defensive Rating: 106.3, 18th in NBA
Star Support: PG Kyrie Irving, PF Kevin Love
Irving was almost immediately superb next to James, able to play on or off the ball. As a spot-up shooter, Irving knocked down a team-best 46.6 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-pointers. He finished with 21.7 points and 5.2 assists, both second next to James.
Love and James never completely clicked, but the former did have a solid overall season by all accounts. He led the Cavaliers in rebounding (9.7) and was a key third scorer behind James and Irving.
While Wade and Bosh won two championships together with James, there's a lot of potential for Irving and Love. The current Cavaliers stars are far younger and should only improve around their four-time MVP teammate.
A good first year together, yes, but cohesion could certainly improve.
Key Role Players: C Timofey Mozgov, PF Tristan Thompson, SG Iman Shumpert, SG J.R. Smith, PG Matthew Dellavedova, F Shawn Marion, F James Jones, F Mike Miller
Before January, the Cavaliers were far from a deep team. After Dion Waiters was flipped for Shumpert and Smith, and Mozgov was acquired for picks, Cleveland finally had a reliable, lengthy rotation available.
The problem for coach David Blatt was finding the right combination of players. Veterans such as Miller, Jones and Marion would go from starting games to not playing a minute in others. Thompson was in and out of the opening lineup, depending on Anderson Varejao's health and the trade for Mozgov.
On paper, the Cavs were deeper than what they showed on the court. Blatt often stuck to an eight-man rotation, a figure that shrunk to seven during the postseason.
The names were all there but couldn't quite live up to the preseason hype.
Team 3: 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers
Fresh off a Finals appearance and with no notable personnel losses to date, there's no reason why the Cavaliers shouldn't make a return trip to the Finals.
James and company ended the regular season 34-9 overall and will look to maintain this pace when the ball goes up this fall.
Star Support: PG Kyrie Irving, PF Kevin Love
Key Role Players: PG Mo Williams, C Timofey Mozgov, SG Iman Shumpert, F/C Anderson Varejao, PG Matthew Dellavedova, F/C Rakeem Christmas, F Mike Miller
After losing Marion to retirement and Kendrick Perkins to free agency, the Cavaliers added Williams and will be getting Varejao back from a torn Achilles for the start of the season. Cleveland also drafted Christmas in the second round to help bolster the frontcourt.
The Cavaliers' main strategy for improving the team has been to keep a young and improving core intact. Irving is already inked to a five-year extension, while Love and Shumpert agreed to re-sign with the Cavs as well.
Cleveland still has three key pieces of last year's squad without new deals, however. Thompson, Dellavedova and Smith could all very well be back, given that the first two are restricted free agents, notes Matt Moore of CBS Sports.
"That's not to say that the Cavs won't bring back Dellavedova or Smith; they clearly have intentions to do just that. They're simply not stacked against a wall, due to the addition of Williams and the presence of Iman Shumpert.
Still, Cleveland learned the value of depth last time, and Dellavedova earned his minutes with the way he attacked in the postseason, earning LeBron James' trust. Smith is inside James' inner circle, and once you're there, you're La Familia, as he says.
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In the end, the Cavs will likely have the most expensive roster in NBA history. Cleveland better hope this is the deepest team James has been on, given the amount it's going to cost.
Conclusion:
As presently constructed (before all the re-signings are completed), the 2015-16 Cavaliers probably aren't as deep as either the 2012-13 Heat or 2014-15 Cavs.
Should they successfully reach deals will all three of their remaining free agents, however, then the roster suddenly looks much different.
The Cavs are by no means done in free agency, either. With roughly $1.3 million remaining on their tax payer mid-level exception and veteran minimum deals to offer, the Cavaliers should still attempt to find a backup small forward to fill Marion's spot.
If the Cavs can re-sign Thompson, that means Varejao becomes just the fourth-best big man on a team he started on a year ago. Smith, following a brilliant run as the lead shooting guard, will also likely become a key reserve behind Shumpert. Dellavedova could go from second-team offense initiator to his more comfortable role of defensive pest and open-three shooter.
Look for Cleveland to still pursue veterans such as Tayshaun Prince, Dorell Wright or possibly Norris Cole. They still have Brendan Haywood's contract to dangle as trade bait.
The key will be health.
If Irving and Love can stay on the floor, this is easily the East's best squad and a serious championship contender.
Should misfortune strike once again, the Cavaliers have players such as Williams and Varejao now to help cover. While Varejao is injury-prone, playing 10 to 15 minutes off the bench should better keep him upright throughout the season.
The Big 3 is now staring at a bench of Williams, Dellavedova, Smith, Thompson and Varejao, along with co-starters Shumpert and Mozgov. That second unit alone is arguably better than the Cavs' starting group of a few seasons ago.
While Cleveland's roster is far from finished, it will almost assuredly be the best and deepest team James has ever been a part of.
Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA for Bleacher Report since 2010. Follow him on Twitter: @CavsGregBR
All stats come via Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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