Cleveland Cavaliers Complete 2016-17 NBA Season Preview
One would think capturing a franchise's first title in 46 years while erasing a previously impossible 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals would be cause for a summer full of celebrations.
That is, unless you're LeBron James.
"There was no summer for me," James revealed at media day. "I took two or three days off in the offseason before I got back to training."
James and the Cleveland Cavaliers enter the 2016-17 season as defending NBA champions, even if they may not act like it. June 19 and the weeks that followed are now a blur.
"I just know we won a championship. I know we had a great parade, and the fans here were ecstatic about what we did. But for me, it hasn't hit me," said James.
"I don't really look back on it. I've always said once I'm done playing the game, I'll have an opportunity to sit back. I've been working all summer. You know I don't stop. So I haven't had much time to just sit around and look at the accomplishments that we've made or we had and what we did. But I know it was an incredible ride, and I was happy to be a part of it."
Cleveland, a city whose teams typically make headlines for all the wrong reasons, didn't even get to bask in the spotlight for long. With Kevin Durant leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors, national attention quickly shifted back to the Bay Area.
In a way, this is a positive for the Cavaliers. While the pressure to repeat certainly remains, there's an amount of disrespect to serve as motivation throughout the regular season.
With a healthy returning core and one of the NBA's greatest ever still near the top of his game, the Cavs are serious threats to repeat as champions.
Biggest Offseason Move
The Cavs lost both backup point guards behind Kyrie Irving, waving goodbye to fan favorites Matthew Dellavedova (free agency) and Mo Williams (retirement).
While Williams battled through an injury-plagued campaign, the loss of Dellavedova to the Milwaukee Bucks certainly stings. He led the Cavaliers in three-point shooting last year (41.0 percent) and was second behind James in On/Off rating (plus-8.2).
The good news?
Since the Cavs weren't going to match Dellavedova's four-year, $38 million offer sheet from the Bucks, general manager David Griffin orchestrated a trade to Milwaukee that netted them a $4.8 million exception. This was done knowing they could then acquire veteran sharpshooter Mike Dunleavy from the Chicago Bulls, who needed to move salary to sign Dwyane Wade.
"It was a scramble there for a while, trying with my agent to find a team," Dunleavy told Bleacher Report. "I knew Chicago was looking to move my salary. At the time, there were lots of teams with cap space. I’m very happy we worked this out with Cleveland. It was like Christmas in July."
Dunleavy gives the Cavs another outside weapon to catch pinpoint passes from James. A career 37.6 percent shooter from deep, the 36-year-old has upped his accuracy to 40.2 percent over the past six seasons.
Cleveland also brought in 38-year-old Chris "Birdman" Anderson to fill some center minutes with Timofey Mozgov's departure to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Rotation Breakdown
| Kyrie Irving | J.R. Smith | LeBron James | Kevin Love | Tristan Thompson |
| Kay Felder | Iman Shumpert | Mike Dunleavy | Richard Jefferson | Channing Frye |
| Toney Douglas | Jordan McRae | Dahntay Jones | James Jones | Chris Anderson |
Cleveland is far deeper and more athletic on the perimeter with J.R. Smith, who recently agreed to a four-year, $57 million deal, via ESPN's Marc Stein. Head coach Tyronn Lue, who is officially in his first full season, must carefully preserve his stars after a long playoff run in preparation for another.
The Cavaliers could enter the regular season with the NBA's oldest roster, with James set to turn 32 in December. Lue would be wise to roll with a large rotation throughout the regular season, ensuring that James, Kevin Love and Irving are avoiding major wear and tear.
Outside of the starting five, expect Shumpert, Dunleavy and Frye to grab most of the bench minutes, with some Jefferson and rookie point guard Kay Felder sprinkled in.
Jordan McRae will be called upon for an occasional offensive boost, as he's currently leading the Cavs in preseason scoring at 15.4 a game. James Jones and Anderson will be can fill in shooting and defensive gaps when needed.
Reasons for Confidence
Coming into last season, the Cavs were off to a far worse start than where they sit today.
The coaching situation is stabilized, with Lue sporting a new five-year, $35 million contract in addition to a championship ring as both a player and head man. He has full support of the players, something that could not have been said about David Blatt at any time during his one-and-a-half years.
Both Irving and Shumpert didn't make their season debuts until last December, recovering from knee and wrist surgeries, respectively. They currently represent the starting backcourt, with Shumpert telling Bleacher Report he's down 12 pounds and feeling "completely healthy."
James was receiving anti-inflammatory injections in his back last October. This year? "It's not even a discussion that's been held, so it's a good thing, it's a good feeling," James said, per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
After riding Mozgov in the starting group for spurts, Lue stuck with Thompson as a starter in the postseason. The move paid off, as the Cavaliers' five-man unit of James, Love, Irving, Smith and Thompson was one of the NBA's top lineups.
These same five will begin the year in the starting unit together.
If the Cavaliers could overcome all of this last season and still get it together in time to take home a championship over a 73-win team, morale should be plenty high from the start.
Reasons for Concern
A lot of pressure will fall on Felder, who originally was going to sit and learn from Irving and Williams. With the latter beginning his retirement (although still taking shots, apparently), Felder will be immediately required to handle the ball and spell Irving.
Cleveland's only other true point guard is Toney Douglas, a seven-year veteran who isn't even guaranteed to make the final roster.
This is a lot to throw at Felder at once, as Lue will want to ease the burden on Irving and James' ball-handling responsibilities throughout the regular season. The Cavaliers had the option to retain Dellavedova at a hefty price, but opted for the younger and more affordable Felder instead.
College basketball's assist leader a year ago, Felder should already have a significant role in Cleveland's veteran rotation.
Player to Watch
This is when we (finally) witness Kyrie Irving blossom into a true offensive superstar.
After a delayed start to last year, Irving never discovered his previously strong shooting stroke until the postseason. He battled through a much-publicized breakup off the court and had to adjust to life as a new father.
If the playoffs were any indication, he is about to explode.
Coming in healthy after helping team USA win an Olympic gold medal, Irving looks to build on the 25.2 points on 44.0 percent shooting from deep he averaged in 21 postseason contests. During the Finals, he even upped his scoring average to 27.1 a night, including 41 in a Game 5 elimination-saving victory.
Although he doesn't turn 24 until March, look for Irving to make his fourth All-Star team and finish as one of the top 10 scorers this season.
Predictions
Cleveland should enjoy another relatively easy path through the Eastern Conference.
The Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and (maybe) Indiana Pacers will all be better, but none can outplay a healthy Cavaliers team in a seven-game series.
The Cavs already had the talent needed to win a title; now they have the experience and chemistry to capture another. The Golden State Warriors are the best team on paper, sure, but face a much tougher path to the NBA Finals.
Don't be quick to crown the superstar Warriors or count out James just yet. If Golden State is struggling with chemistry issues while working in all the new pieces, Cleveland could very well go back-to-back.
Final Record: 60-22
Division Standing: First in Central
Playoff Berth: Yes
B/R League-Wide Power Rankings Prediction: Second
Greg Swartz is the Cleveland Cavaliers Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @CavsGregBR. Stats via Basketball-Reference.com. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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