Predicting How the Cavs Season Will Finish

It’s so close we can almost taste it. Wednesday marks the season opener for the Cavs, as they will be going up against the Grizzlies to begin things. For the first time in a couple of years, the league is back to the normal 82-game slate, which should have folks excited. 

The year could go many ways for the Cavs. And so, let’s take a look at where they may wind up.

Within the Central Division

Divisional standings in the NBA do not mean as much as they once did. Back in the day, a top-four seed was guaranteed if you won your division. Not anymore. The only true significance of it is that you play those teams four times, while other conference teams get three.

The Bucks expect to run away with the Central division, so the Cavs will not really have a chance to take first. Indiana and Chicago will both be middling teams in the East, and then there are the Pistons.

Look for Cleveland to finish in fourth place, with an outside opportunity at three. They are a tough team who will not go down as easily as they did in past years.

Within the Playoff Picture

The Cavs are probably not going to be a top-six team this year. It isn’t a knock on anybody; it’s just that they are not to that level. It would not be possible, given all of the losses they have done in the past and the lack of extreme personnel moves.

They project to compete, but it is not perfect by any stretch. They will still have to deal with growing pains, but they did lock Jarrett Allen up with a five-year deal. Collin Sexton will get his money this summer. Isaac Okoro and Evan Mobley will show great improvement over the course of the campaign too.

The question ultimately is about where they stand against tier 3 and 4 teams. The Wizards and the Raptors. How might they do in head-to-heads? Can they win more games? If they are unable to do that, there will be no chance. The Pistons and Magic have a lot of youth and could finish right at the bottom.

Miami is going to be very good this year, and the Bulls should rise back into relevance for the first time in a couple of seasons. Cleveland will do some winning. But not enough to make the play-in.

Will There Be Any Tanking?

Regardless of how much winning they do this year, there is one thing the Cavs just cannot do, and it is tank games. It has happened in the past and cannot be the case once again. There cannot be a time where they start benching the vets.

A lot of that depends on what happens with Kevin Love. Lamar Stevens and Dylan Windler should be getting playing time early on, and sitting guys at the end for losing purposes would just not be the move.

The team will not be tanking, and should actually be a team that is involved in relevant games in the waning weeks.