David Blatt Comments on Cavaliers' 2015-16 Expectations

The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off a remarkable turnaround 2014-15 season, having reached the NBA Finals after missing the playoffs in four straight seasons.

They’re not expected to slow down, either. An NBA.com survey released by John Schuhmann on Tuesday revealed more than half of the league's general managers think the Cavs will win their first title this year. 

High expectations can yield elevated pressure, and Cavs head coach David Blatt is trying to keep everything in perspective, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com:

"

All the predictions and prognostications, it doesn't mean a whole lot. Right now we are not as of yet a full team, so it's hard for me to tell you what we are. I know what I think we can be and certainly we can be a contender, but beyond that today? I don't think we got the right to talk too, too much about more than that. We'll take it one day at a time.

"

As for the GM poll, an annual ballot conducted by NBA.com, Blatt offered a meek response, per Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group:

The Cavs went on a remarkable run through the second half of the season and the playoffs before falling short in the Finals to the Golden State Warriors.

Team	Odds
Cleveland Cavaliers	53.6%
San Antonio Spurs	25.0%
Golden State Warriors	17.9%
Oklahoma City Thunder	3.6%

But injuries hindered Cleveland. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, part of the team's power trio along with LeBron James, were lost before the championship round. Yet Cleveland managed to earn two wins over a Warriors team that may have been one of the greatest ever.

Health has been a continued concern, as James has missed some practice and been limited to two of seven preseason games, per McMenamin. But the four-time MVP expects to play in the season opener against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 27, according to Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

On Thursday, the Cavs re-signed power forward Tristan Thompson, who emerged as a key cog in their playoff run when Love and Irving went down, per Chris Broussard and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.

As happy as he is with how the offseason went, Blatt wants to reserve expectations in the locker room, per McMenamin.

"

Internally, the motivation for us is to not repeat what happened last year, which is to get so close, but not be able to seal the deal. So, we're excited for the opportunity and, once again, that's an external expectation. Those are outsiders saying what they expect from us, but that's all irrelevant if we don't do our jobs.

"

Blatt is saying what he needs to. Preseason speculation is custom, and the last thing a coach needs is a locker room of egos that balloon thanks to outside chatter. But the Cavs showed resilience and fight last year, which should translate.

If they can remain healthy, they should accomplish their goals of winning the city’s first NBA title.