Cleveland Cavaliers: How Losing Season to Lockout Would Benefit the Future
The thought of missing a year of basketball is frightful at first, but a rebuilding Cavaliers franchise could benefit from an extended NBA lockout.
Hopes of starting the NBA season on time have been dashed as of late, by comments from the two figureheads of the negotiation. Player’s Union president Derek Fisher has stated, “We’re still very, very far apart,” while David Stern argues “players’ willingness to engage in a serious way” has endangered the upcoming season.
If the gap between players and owners remains and the season is lost, the 2012 NBA draft and free-agency period could be impacted in a way that would greatly benefit the Cavaliers.
High Draft Picks
1 of 5If a season does not occur, the 2012 NBA draft order will most likely be determined by the past year’s results, leading to the Cavs receiving the second most ping-pong balls in the hopper.
The Cavs would be guaranteed a Top 5 pick, with a chance to receive the No. 1 pick in the second-straight draft. The 2012 draft should contain more bona fide superstars, including Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers (to name a few).
The Cavs are primed for an improved season after drafting Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson, acquiring Baron Davis and returning a healthy Anderson Varejao to the lineup. These moves could result in an “annoying” improvement: not enough to contend deep in the playoffs, but high enough to restrict the top of the talent available within the draft.
Without a season, the Cavs don’t have a chance to “mess up” their high draft position.
Expiring Contracts
2 of 5The Cavs have approximately $21.9 million in expiring contracts that could fall off the books if the 2011-2012 NBA season does not occur.
The Cavs’ expiring contract players do not have strong outlooks into the franchise’s future, including Antawn Jamison, Ryan Hollins, Joey Graham, Alonzo Gee, Manny Harris, Luke Harangody and Semih Erden.
Although not likely, Baron Davis’ $14.8 million player option could be declined if he chooses to go to a more competitive team.
The Cavs might miss out on a potential Antawn Jamison trade to a team looking for an expiring contract, but the increased cap room could come in handy for a super-sized free-agency period.
Expanded Pool of Free Agents
3 of 5The Cavs aren’t expected to make a big splash prior to a potential 2011-2012 season due to little cap room and a cautious approach towards long-time commitments.
The 2011 NBA free-agent list is short on franchise players, headlined by Michael Redd, Greg Oden, Andrei Kirilenko, Grant Hill, Tyson Chandler, Kenyon Martin and Nene Hilario.
The Cavs’ strategy could change the following season based on a stacked class of superstars.
The 2012 NBA free-agent list includes Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Derrick Rose, Jason Kidd, Andre Miller, Andrew Bynum, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Elton Brand, Steve Nash and Tim Duncan.
If the 2011-2012 season is lost, all of these players will possibly be available post lockout resolution. With the increased supply of free agents, the related demand in the form of dollars could be much lower.
Competition Gets Older, Cavs Get Younger
4 of 5The Cavs were the 19th oldest team (average age of 26.7) in 2010-2011, and will only get younger with the loss of veterans Antawn Jamison, Anthony Parker and possibly Baron Davis.
As the Cavs rebuild through the draft, the Eastern Conference could see the continued deterioration of top stars, and even retirement by the 2012-2013 season.
Amare’s knees will be another year older in New York; Boston’s trio of superstars will each be older than 35; and even the Heat, the oldest team in the 2010-2011 season, will need to find a new supporting cast to play for the scraps left by Bosh-Wade-LeBron.
Add Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and the 2012 first rounder, subtract those mentioned through free agency, and the Cavs will be one of the youngest teams in the NBA.
Too Much to Lose
5 of 5With all of these positives, the city of Cleveland still has much at stake if an entire season is lost.
Billions of dollars will be lost by the league and, worse yet, millions of dollars will be lost by each franchise’s city. Bars, restaurants, parking, newspapers, websites, TV, radio and many other small businesses will lose if an agreement can’t be made.
Let’s hope that the players and owners can get the labor issues resolved quickly and, more importantly, that the ills of unbalanced teams can be settled to protect competition and the strength of a 30-team league.
