The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Cavs could turn some heads for real
Without prime stars Lebron James and Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers aren’t going to win the NBA title this season, but they might be able to squeeze into a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Here’s a news flash. The Cavaliers, with prime-time stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving having taken their talents elsewhere, aren’t going to win the NBA title this season.
I know that comes a blow to all you eternal optimists out there, but hey, it could be worse.
The Cavs could be their neighbors across Gateway Plaza, the Indians, who for a second straight year are laying an egg in the American League Division Series.
Thing is, the Indians are burdened by what many of that game’s wiser heads said were realistic expectations of making some noise in the playoffs and, maybe, grabbing the World Series title that has eluded the franchise for, uh, 70 years.
The LeBron-less an Kyrie-less Cavs , by way of sharp contrast, have all but fallen off the end of the flat Earth that Irving once droned on about in a typically egotistical, braincramped moment.
There are zero to minimal expectations for the Cavaliers.
With five-time All Star forward-center Kevin Love and a few other veteran holdovers from teams that made four straight NBA Finals appearances and won the NBA title in 2016, these Cavs might be good enough to squeeze into the seventh or eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
In the real world, that’s probably the best-case scenario. But since sports should offer a means of escape from the cares of the real world, it does no harm to suggest the Cavs might turn a few heads this season in surprising, positive ways.
In two preseason games against the Boston Celtics, the team Irving joined last season after forcing a trade, the Cavs starters and projected rotation players have acquitted themselves well.
On Oct. 6 at Quicken loans Arena, in the preseason home opener, Love was held out of the action and the Cavs still prevailed, 113-102.
They won because prized rookie point guard Collin Sexton, starting in place of veteran George Hill. scored 13 points in the first half an set an aggressive tone picked up on by his teammates,
Sexton, the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, is a keeper. He’s the best Cavs draftee since they wisely used the first overall pick on Irving in the 2011 draft.
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue knows what he’s going to get from Love, a reliable double-double performer.
As long as Lue can get steady point production from a rotation that also figures to include Cedi Osman, Rodney Hood, J.R. Smith, Larry Nance Jr., David Nwaba, Kyle Korver, Tristan Thompson Ante Zizic and Sam Dekker, the Cavs will have more good games than bad.
That’s not exactly aiming for the stars, but it beats writing off a season because James took his considerable talents to Los Angeles.