LeBron James to the Cavaliers: Quick Reaction and Analysis

The idea of LeBron James returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers has not been a far-fetched one for the last few months. He never shot down that idea, even when he signed on with the Miami Heat four years ago.

Now that James has committed to returning to the Cavs, the entire dynamic of the Eastern Conference has changed.

Who is Cleveland going to add to help James? Does it already have enough talent to come out of the mediocre conference? What about the Miami Heat, what are they going to do next?

Kevin Love has been rumored to be an option for the Cavaliers, who have reportedly offered Dion Waiters, Anthony Bennett and a first-round pick in order to bring in the Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star. In addition to that, LeBron has apparently reached out to numerous players about the potential of teaming up with him in Cleveland.

Courtesy of Bleacher Report: James is going to help Irving so much on the court.

In reality, the current Cavaliers roster isn’t the one you are going to see on opening night this upcoming fall. Even if it were, Cleveland would be in a good position to compete in the Eastern Conference. In addition to acquiring the best basketball player on Earth, it has a young star at the point guard position in Kyrie Irving. And let’s be honest for a second, James has never played with an All-Star caliber point guard throughout his NBA career. The entire dynamics of his ability to elevate the play of his team will change now.

You then have to take into account young power forward Tristan Thompson, who would end up being a bench option should the Cavaliers land Love. The former No. 4 overall pick has put up a near double-double in each of the last two seasons and seems to be on his way to improving even more heading into the 2014-2015 season.

Even without adding other pieces, Love Included, the Cavaliers already have a roster that’s ready to contend in the mediocre Eastern Conference. That’s not even taking into account Andrew Wiggins, who they selected first overall in the 2014 NBA draft last month. He could either be used to land another piece to the puzzle or work off the bench behind LeBron. That’s a win-win scenario for Cleveland.

As it relates to the Heat, we have absolutely no idea what’s going on here. They have reportedly offered Chris Bosh a max deal, but the power forward has already received a similar deal from the Houston Rockets, who are at this point in a better position to succeed than a LeBron-less Heat team. And there are other reports out there that the two sides may very well be working on a sign-and-trade for Bosh.

Dwyane Wade has been brought up as a possibility for the Chicago Bulls, who are in need of a shooting guard. But it’s hard to imagine Wade leaving Miami at this late point in his career.

Even if Bosh and Wade return to South Beach, Miami will be missing one of the biggest (if not the biggest) pieces to the puzzle in the entire NBA. Ask yourself this. Were the Heat a championship-caliber team without James over the past four seasons?

While Pat Riley still has time to work his magic, it’s readily apparent that the Heat may be a team in transition.

If Miami isn’t the obvious favorite to win the Eastern Conference, which it obviously can’t be at this point, then who is? The short-form answer has to be the team with the best player in the planet, even if another move isn’t made.

The Chicago Bulls are still somewhat in flux, as they haven’t necessarily added the necessary pieces while waiting for Carmelo Anthony’s decision. The Indiana Pacers still don’t know what hit them after late season struggles and being knocked out by Miami in the playoffs. In addition to that, they simply don’t know what’s going to happen with Lance Stephenson, who turned down a long-term extension offer earlier in the offseason. With Roy Hibbert potentially on his way out of town in a trade, Indiana could very well be a much different team in 2014-2015.

That’s about the extent of major contenders in the Eastern Conference at this point in the offseason. The Toronto Raptors were a good story last season, but they don’t have the star power to match up with what Cleveland will be throwing out in 2014-2015. The Brooklyn Nets, who defeated Toronto in the playoffs this past season, seem to be nothing more than a mediocre team in a mediocre conference.

James’ decision to return to Cleveland may have very well been a personal decision for his family and himself. But he’s a smart man. He knew very well what team would give him the best opportunity at success in 2014-2015. By his mere presence on the Cavaliers, they can very easily be called Eastern Conference favorites right now.

Then again, a lot can change over the course of the next couple months.

Photo: NBA.com