3. Cleveland Cavaliers
As long as LeBron James is suiting up for an Eastern Conference squad, his team will be favored to appear in the Finals. Considering he led an injury-plagued Cavaliers squad to two wins from the ultimate goal of bringing a title back to Cleveland this summer, there is no reason to believe James won’t be back on the biggest stage the game has to offer next June.
Cleveland’s success could very well depend on Kevin Love’s decision and how James and company react to it. If Love were to opt out, the Cavaliers would then look to retain Tristan Thompson on a long-term deal. If he opts in, the focus then becomes to add more talent to the bench and potentially pass up on re-signing Thompson, who is said to be demanding near-max money. Either way, Cleveland will need to add talent to a bench in order to have success in the postseason. That much really can’t be denied.
Now that it’s clear James will be acting the part of a player/general manager in the coming months, the onus is really on him to surround himself with the depth to succeed when it comes playoff time. Talk about pressure.
Another thing to look at here is Kyrie Irving’s health. The former No. 1 overall pick has not played a full season in four years, and is coming off an injury-plagued postseason. He must find a way to overcome his recent bout with injuries if the Cavaliers are going to have a chance to repeat as conference champs.