5 Bold Predictions for Cleveland Cavaliers' Stretch Run

Let's recap the Cleveland Cavaliers' previous week, shall we?

First there was the 99-97 road collapse to the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 26 where Cleveland led virtually all game (well, except for that last part), only to be called out by LeBron James for a lack of mental toughness afterward.

During this contest, as we later found out, coach Tyronn Lue tried to get his star some rest in the fourth quarter. James overruled his coach (as was common under David Blatt) and remained in the game.

With James receiving the day off against the Washington Wizards on Feb. 28, Cleveland showed little fight in a 113-99 beat-down. The Cavs trailed by more than 30 points at times, and were later criticized by a surprising voice of reason in J.R. Smith.

Finally, those fun "Kyrie Irving wants out of Cleveland" rumors flared up once more, and were again denied by the 23-year-old point guard.

Had enough drama yet? Hopefully not, because we've still got 23 more games to go!

Kyrie Irving Will Shoot 45 Percent from 3 over Last 23 Games

Jason Miller/Getty Images

While working his way back from a knee injury suffered in June, Irving just hasn't shown the same comfort level and reliable stroke we've been used to seeing from the three-time All-Star. After leading the Cavs in outside shooting a season ago (41.5 percent), Irving has slumped to just a 30.9 success rate this year.

Perhaps some disrespect from opponents has lit a spark, however, as his recent numbers have caught fire. Over the past 10 games, Irving has bumped his three-point shooting up to 42.0 percent after converting just 24.7 the previous 23.

"I kind of just said 'F' that," Irving said recently, referring to opponents going under his ball screens rather than contesting his shots.

"I took that as disrespect. Just came in the gym, got extra shots up and trying to prove a point to myself. Just out there shooting the damn ball. It's just shooting a three-point shot and I feel like I'm pretty decent at it, so I work on it a ton. Just go out there and execute it."

While his recent streak of 42 percent is good, look for Irving to continue this upward trend.

Only four NBA players (Kawhi Leonard, J.J. Redick, Stephen Curry, Jared Dudley) are shooting better than 45 percent for the season thus far. Irving won't reach this season average due to his slow start, but will at least hover around that mark for the remainder of the year.

Timofey Mozgov Will Become Dominant Force at Center Yet Again

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

With Mozgov set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, combined with his poor play and demotion to the reserve unit, it was shocking that the Cavaliers didn't deal their Russian big before the trade deadline.

It appears the two sides are preferring to try to work this thing out, clinging on to the hope that Mozgov can regain his dominant two-way play from a season ago.

Don't look now, but he might be on his way.

Over Mozgov's last seven games, he's put up a solid 6.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks on 58.3 percent shooting from the field in just 19.4 minutes. Spread those numbers over 36 minutes, and it becomes roughly 12.0 points, 12.4 rebounds and nearly 2.0 blocks.

For all of his faults, Mozgov has clearly been the Cavs' best paint protector, even in his limited role, leading Cleveland in both blocks and opponent shooting at the rim (47.7 percent, via NBA.com).

In the month of December, the 29-year-old registered a plus/minus rating of minus-7.1 in 13 games. He's seemingly flipped it around since, putting up a plus-7.0 in February. His confidence growing once more, Mozgov recently returned to the starting lineup on Feb. 29, a spot he could continue to thrive in.

GM David Griffin Will Regret the Channing Frye-Anderson Varejao Trade

Barry Gossage/Getty Images

Losing Anderson Varejao meant losing a part of the city. Cleveland's longest tenured athlete provided a healthy dose of heart, intensity and passion—three things most lacking on this star-laden roster. Channing Frye is a fine player, but did the Cavaliers really need him?

After all, on a rotation already stretched nine-deep, playing Frye likely means stealing minutes here and there from Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson.

Giving up Varejao definitely struck a chord in the Cavaliers' locker room. 

"He's been great for me ever since I've been here," Thompson said, via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. "Definitely looked at him as a mentor and big brother. He's helped me a lot in the tricks of the trade rebounding-wise."

"A few times in the locker room, you guys didn't see any of it, but he could barely walk and we're coming out of the locker room, he's giving it his all, whether we had a chance at the playoffs or not," Irving added, per Fedor. "Winning or losing, he was still the same way. He came with the same mindset."

Frye could prove to be a fine scorer off the bench, but losing Varejao and all the attributes he brought to the table will be one of Griffin's big regrets.

J.R. Smith Will Attempt 20 Three-Pointers in a Game, Make 10 of Them

It may be bold, but would anyone be surprised?

For example, Smith has attempted 10 or more three-pointers in a game 13 times already this season, topping out at 16 in a 99-84 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Feb. 6.

When asked about this high firing rate after the game, Smith simply replied, “I was going for 20 until they took me out.”

Don't worry, J.R., your time will come.

Look for Swish to hit this mark toward mid-April in a meaningless game where the Cavs are sitting LeBron James and/or other members of the Big Three to rest for the playoffs. This type of game will rely on Smith's offense, especially if pass-first point guard Matthew Dellavedova gets the starting nod next to him.

Given his history of setting obscure three-point records, we're really rooting for J.R. to keep letting it fly.

James Will Publicly Call Out a Teammate (Again)

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

One can tell that frustration has been boiling among James during this recent difficult stretch. At some point, he will let it be known.

While he's been careful not to reveal too much about the Cavaliers' locker room, he has called out teammates on social media before.

Remember the whole Kevin Love "fit in" tweet from last year? It wasn't an accident. Everything James does is with preciseness and a knowledge of the ramifications.

Now, Irving is a prime candidate for a tongue lashing. His passing numbers are down to just 4.4 assists, the lowest of his five-year career. As some recall, James already addressed Irving's lack of distribution last season, noted by Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.

"He came up to me and was like, 'One, you can never have another game with no assists,'" Irving said, describing James' words. "'You can damn near have just one, two, three, but you can't have zero.' And I was like, 'All right, cool, it won't happen again.' And it hasn't happened since that game."

Between his lack of passing, or that the Cavs allow a team-high 107.2 points with him on the court, Irving will draw James' wrath at some point.

Of course, this isn't the best action to take. With his blatant disrespect of Lue and regular mental lapses on defense, James needs to worry about the example he's setting first before calling out others.

If not, Cleveland could succumb to dangerously-low chemistry levels. James needs channel his passion for winning into a better leadership role first before critcizing the play of temmates.

Greg Swartz is the Cleveland Cavaliers lead writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @CavsGregBR.

All quotes obtained originally unless cited. Stats via Basketball-Reference.com and are accurate as of March. 1 unless otherwise noted.