For the second time in three years, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. There were no excuses this time around as Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving were healthy, the Cavs just simply couldn’t handle the offensive firepower and excellent defense of the Warriors.
In large part, Golden State was too much for Cleveland to handle due to Kevin Durant, who was sensational in the championship series and took NBA Finals MVP honors. The Warriors adding Durant gave them yet another weapon and a go-to scorer in crunch time situations. The Cavs meanwhile in the Finals, relied too heavily on James and Irving on offense and didn’t get the support they needed from the rest of their supporting cast.
Because of this, the Cavs now head into an offseason that could potentially be filled with plenty of changes as Cleveland are facing several questions about their future.
1. Is Kevin Love now on the trading block?
In his third season in Cleveland, Love looked quite comfortable in his role as the third star of the team, behind James and Irving. Love became an All-Star for the first time in Cleveland, had a great playoff run, playing quite well against the Raptors and Celtics. But since Love is the third biggest name on the Cavs, that makes him the most likely to be the subject of trade rumors as he is really the only player Cleveland can deal and acquire another star-level talent.
However, who could the Cavs actually get back in equal value for Love?
Playing against the Warriors in the Finals, showed that the Cavs need another All-Star quality wing to help defend Durant and to a lesser extent Klay Thompson. Having a wing that could score and defend, will allow James to not exert so much energy on defense. Acquiring Paul George or Jimmy Butler would obviously fulfill that need but why would the Bulls or Pacers make a trade to help an Eastern Conference opponent?
If the Cavs do decide to trade Love, they may have to not set their sights high on an All-Star player and instead try to get a package of role players that can provide more support off the bench. This of course is easier said than done but the Cavs clearly need to upgrade and dealing Love may be one of their only realistic moves.
2. How can the Cavs upgrade their bench?
Cleveland’s bench failed to make an impact for the majority of the Finals. This was quite glaring in Game 5 as Golden State’s bench outscored Cleveland’s 35-7.
The Cavs were able to get by throughout the regular season and the playoffs with the ever-evolving bench but in the Finals, they just couldn’t cut it. Age was possibly a factor with veterans Kyle Korver and Deron Williams getting up there in minutes. But also Cleveland’s bench just wasn’t reliable with uneven performances from Williams, Korver, Iman Shumpert, and others.
Perhaps the Cavs could find a willing trade partner for Shumpert, or maybe the idea of trading Love for role players could actually happen. But besides those two ideas, Cleveland doesn’t have a ton of options. They very likely could just bring back the same team and make some small adjustments via free agency. This is not the most inspiring proposal but it may be the only one, especially since the Cavs will have some cap space to work with as Korver, Williams, Derrick Williams, James Jones and Dahntay Jones are all unrestricted free agents, and Richard Jefferson has flirted with retirement before.
3. Will Cavs GM David Griffin be back?
One issue that could stall any of Cleveland’s offseason moves is the contract status of general manager David Griffin, whose contract expires this summer. James has gone to bat for Griffin throughout the season and it seems likely that he could return. But the Cavs and Griffin couldn’t come to an agreement on a contract extension during the season for whatever reason and you never know, he could possibly not return or take another GM role elsewhere. (He’s been rumored and linked to just about every opening in the offseason.)
Grififn has done an outstanding job building the Cavs around James since his return to Cleveland and it would seem like the prudent move to re-sign him. However perhaps after this latest Finals loss, the Cavs will decide to go in a different direction. And if that is the case, than Cleveland’s future could have yet another interesting sub-plot as they try to retool.
4. Do the Cavs truly need a backup center?
One need the Cavs desperately tried filling throughout the season was finding a center off the bench. They experimented with Larry Sanders, Andrew Bogut got injured immediately and then Edy Tavares was added late but he wasn’t expected to even really play, which he didn’t before his injury.
Having a rim protector off the bench would’ve aided Cleveland’s defense and helped to provide some relief for Tristan Thompson. And while Golden State often plays small, having a credible big off the bench could’ve helped the Cavs set the tone and potentially play a grandiose version of Rock Paper Scissors.
Adding a center is likely not a top priority for the Cavs but it will be fascinating to see if that is one role they look to add this offseason.
5. After losing in five games, can the Cavs even keep up with the Warriors?
Cleveland made it tough for Golden State in the final two games but overall, the Warriors took care of the Cavs fairly easy. Golden State showed that with multiple All-Stars and MVPs, they are one of the best teams of all-time.
Do the Cavs have any hope of actually stopping them in the future? A valid question, especially since the Warriors have Durant and will likely get better and more comfortable playing together.
But anything is possible as Kevin Garnett once famously said. Injuries are unfortunate part of the NBA and the Warriors are not immune from players getting hurt. Plus the Cavs could possibly somehow add more firepower that will allow to get past the Warriors. They seem committed to Tyronn Lue at head coach, but we all know how finicky owner Dan Gilbert can be, so that may be another place where the Cavs could look to make a change.
Also the Cavs have James, the best player in the world and is capable of doing anything he wants on the basketball court. James won’t let the Cavs quit and will use this Finals loss to fuel his drive to win next season.
With LeBron James, the Cavs will always have a chance, even against the seemingly unbeatable Warriors.
