The NBA season still isn't here yet, although for Cavalier fans, it can't come soon enough. There are still some potential pieces floating around, but the Cavaliers roster is starting to take shape a little bit. The biggest pending transactions are the Kevin Love for Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett trade as well as if Ray Allen decides to join the Cavaliers or retire. With Allen, the Cavs would get a tremendous shooter to go along with Mike Miller, Kyrie Irving, and possibly Kevin Love.
The Kevin Love trade looks like it's going to happen as long as the NBA doesn't step in and dismiss it, which it could. If they find evidence that this trade was set in motion before James' return to Cleveland or even the draft, then this could easily get vetoed. I don't think it will, though, so I'm betting on Love coming to Cleveland and sending the two Canucks to the Canadian border along with a first round 2015 draft pick. Signs are pointing to Allen playing for one more season, and that would likely be with LeBron. So let's say these two things happen. The lineup looks like this:
PG - Kyrie Irving
SG - Dion Waiters, Ray Allen
SF - LeBron James, Shawn Marion, Mike Miller, James Jones
PF - Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson
C - Anderson Varejao, Brendan Haywood
There are a lot more players listed on the current roster, but they will be in and out of the D-league. Guys like rookie Joe Harris and Matthew Dellavedova. Some pieces may be packaged to help alleviate some cap room as the Cavs want to sign K-Love to a long-term deal. Haywood also has a special contract situation so look for him to possibly be shipped. Thompson would be a good trading piece like J.J Hickson was a few years ago.
With Marion, Miller, Jones, and Thompson looking to come off the bench, the Cavaliers are probably 9-deep. Three of those nine are top 20 players easily, two of them arguably top 6. Dion Waiters wants to be in the starting lineup, and even if he is, he'll probably get major minutes with the second group. The fact is that he's a good scorer and plays better without Irving on the floor. At times the Cavs used him as the backup point guard. He will need to learn to play off the ball more this season as not only Irving but Love and James will be taking away touches from him.
Playing Varejao and Love will be a good front court duo. Thompson can rotate in as well. The Cavs can go big and play Miller at the 3, James at the 2, and Waiters or Irving at the 1. They can also go small and have Love at the 5, James at the 4, and any SF/guard combination at the 3, 2, and 1. Thompson and Varejao give them a presence inside offensively, especially Thompson, while Love is a good stretch 4 and one of the best shooters in the NBA. James can also play inside now. With James, Irving, and Waiters able to penetrate, shooters like Miller, Allen, Harris, and Love will help stretch the defense out or give them open looks.
The Cavs have a great transition game. Love is a great outlet guy, while James, Waiters, and Irving can run the floor. Varejao is a center who can run as well. While they may not have the highlights that Wade and James put together, they will have their fair share of them on ESPN's sportscenter.
Overall, even without Love and Allen, this is the best supporting cast LeBron has ever had. If the trade doesn't come through and Wiggins and Bennett stay, it basically moves Thompson up and gives the Cavs an extra piece on the bench. Bennett struggled his rookie year, as a lot of rookies do, but he's steadily improving and will be a solid player wherever he lands. Wiggins has the potential to be an all-star and will have some highlights this year, but if he does become a star, it won't be until year two or three. Having Wiggins on the floor would take away some minutes from Waiters or possibly push him to be more of a backup PG to Irving, although I still think they are on the floor together during the crucial minutes of the game.
LeBron also has this intangible ability to make the players around him better. He took a pretty average, although Cavs fans wouldn't admit it at the time, Cleveland Cavaliers team to the finals in 2007 only to be swept by the Spurs. With this group, he has at least one (Irving) bonified all-star and possibly two (Love) around him. These aren't aging stars, either. Irving, Waiters, Thompson, Bennett, and Wiggins are all under 4 years, some of them rookies. Love is entering his prime. LeBron is still in his prime, although he's probably peaked in his prime. While some older veterans like Allen, Miller, Marion, and Varejao there, it's not dependent upon them like it was Bosh, Wade, Allen, and Birdman. LeBron basically carried them into the finals those last 3 years. With the Cavs, he'll have some youth who he can mentor and have them carry some of the load.
Recently Shawn Marion came to an agreement with the Cavs despite them offering him a minimum contract. This signing becomes huge because now they aren't so dependent upon LeBron playing major minutes. Marion at this point in his career is a borderline starter, which makes him one of the better bench players in the league. So now when teams go to their benches, the Cavs will have a very capable defensive player in Marion. With the exception of point guard, which the Cavs can work around in their rotation, the Cavs are 2-deep at every position. They also have multiple looks in their lineups: they can go small or big. While they probably won't beat out Chicago's front line, they don't really have to. They'll have a solid 4 in Love and a solid 5 in Varejao. With arguably the best point guard and small forward in the league (I think Chris Paul and Tony Parker are better at point, but I think you can make the argument that Irving is the best...it's just not a strong argument), it more than makes up for their lack of star power in the frontcourt. The NBA is now a wing league. Look at the Heat...didn't have a strong presence down low, still went to the finals for 4 straight years. Let's be honest; at the time, even though Cavs fans didn't want to admit it, it was because of LeBron. Now that the Cavs have 2 other all-star caliber players in Love (again, assuming the trade goes through like everyone believes) and Irving, you can't try to lock-down on James as much.
The weaknesses on this team are the defense and coming together in year 1. The pieces that have been added are either real solid (Kevin Love) or have championship experience (James, Miller, Jones, potentially Allen, Marion). Aside from James and Marion, the others on this roster aren't exactly known for their defense. Varejao is better than advertised, especially playing with James again. Waiters and Irving can play defense, they just haven't been forced to yet. Love is a great rebounder but not necessarily a protect-the-rim kinda guy. If they can solve this part of it, the offense will be there. There are 4 players who could put up at least 25 points on a given night (James, Irving, Love, and Waiters). Their new coach is supposedly an offensive genius, so offense will not be a problem for them. They may be like the Saints or the Packers of the NBA: maybe not great on defense, but they'll be banking on the fact that you probably won't outscore them.
This Cavaliers team is going to be fascinating to watch. It feels like a championship is coming to Cleveland at some point in the next few years. I think they have a real shot at it with the addition of Marion, Love, and potentially Allen. They just have to put it all together.
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