The National Basketball Association is two weeks away, and it is once again time to preview every NBA franchise. I will be covering the teams in the Eastern Conference and my colleague, Joel Beatton, will feature teams in the Western Conference. Today we are featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Key Acquisition
The most significant change in Cleveland in the offseason came at head coach, as Kenny Atkinson of Huntington, New York replaced J.B. Bickerstaff of Denver, Colorado. Atkinson previously coached the Brooklyn Nets from 2016 to 2020, and had a record of 118 wins and 190 losses for a winning percentage of .383 in four seasons. Atkinson has also been an assistant coach with the New York Knicks (2008 to 2012), the Atlanta Hawks (2013 to 2016), the Los Angeles Clippers (2020 to 2021), and the Golden State Warriors (2021 to 2024). While with the Warriors, Atkinson won the 2022 NBA Finals.
The firing of Bickerstaff in May might have been a surprise, because the Cavaliers had a respectable regular season record of 48 wins and 34 losses. However, in the postseason, Cleveland only won one game in the second round against the Boston Celtics, and it appears management had higher expectations for the Cavaliers in 203-24 than reaching the final eight.
Fantasy Star
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell of Elmsford, New York is one of the top guards in all of basketball. He is ranked sixth among shooting guards and seventh among point guards. This past season, Mitchell averaged 26.6 points per game, 6.1 assists per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, 1.8 steals per game, along with a field goal percentage of .462, three point percentage of .368, and a free throw percentage of .865.
Projected Finish
Despite the change at coach, the Cavaliers still have the same starting five as last season of Mitchell, guard Darius Garland, forwards Max Strus and Evan Mobley, and center Jarrett Allen. The Cavaliers seem to believe they can win with this group and believe a change in coaching could be the answer to further success. At this time, a second place finish in the Central Division behind the Milwaukee Bucks is realistic.
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