Will the Cavs be the 1 seed?

[Moranis]

So the latest report has James getting a shot in his back (same as last year) and he will miss the rest of the preseason.  Irving has yet to play and won't be ready for the start of the regular season.  Shumpert is going to miss at least the rest of the calendar year.  Thompson still has yet to sign.

So, the question is, will the Cavs be the 1 seed?  And if not does it even matter?

[Who]

Yes -- but it does not matter because they can beat anyone in the East comfortably come playoff with or without home court advantage.

I said yes because I do not think anyone else in the East will have a dominant W-L record like Atlanta did last season. So I think Cleveland can make up whatever difference in the standings there is once enough of their guys get healthy.

[KeepRondo]

I think so. Once healthy, they are the only team in the east that could snap off a 20 game win streak or come close to it. 

[Csfan1984]

Wish a choice was, "More likely than not."

[Moranis]

Wish a choice was, "More likely than not."

there is no wishy washy in moranis' polls

[Csfan1984]

Wish a choice was, "More likely than not."

there is no wishy washy in moranis' polls

Man, I bet you don't believe in trying either. You're probably one of them, "Do or Do Not" jedis with green skin. 

[hwangjini_1]

i do believe the cavs will still be THE team to beat in the east this year. but as was hinted at above with his back problem, lebron's window as a transcendent and HOF player maybe be close to starting to think about closing. 

aside from the shot for his back and missing the pre-season, lebron is 31 and is coming off his worst statistical season in 7-8 years (including a .487 ts% in last year's playoffs).

he has now played over 43,000 total career minutes (which is more than Bird or Magic played their whole careers), and has talked to the press about how his body doesn't feel the way it used to, and how he could have used a lot more rest this summer, and adopted a "special diet."

this is NOT to say he is breaking down and is a has-been. but i think lebron's humanity may be tapping him on his shoulder. what this means is that the cavs absolutely are all in, win right now, no delays, screw tomorrow.

[pearljammer10]

I dont see any situation in which they wouldnt be.

[Denis998]

It all depends on how long it takes them to get healthy. Love needs to get into game shape. Irving still needs to recover. Lebron is out. Shumpert is out. Mosgov is coming of surgery. Who knows when the Thompson deal is resolved. I'm not saying the Cavs are going to be bad, but their record depends on the time for them to get 100%.

[MJohnnyboy]

I think they'll go through what they did last year but only shorter. I hadn't realized until this was posted that the Cavs are kind of in a mess right now with the injuries, fatigue, and contract disputes.

I expect them to be fine and get the number 1 seed but they won't be as quick to dominate as everyone thinks.

[SHAQATTACK]

Everything rides on LeBron and effort he wants to put in.  Without Irving and LeBron on the floor the Cavs really suck .   Without them a doubt the Cavs could get the 8 th seed in the east , much less,the West.

With a fully healthy Irving and James .....and IF they want to actually go for the best record ......I think they could be the number one seed.

Problem is ....James likes to coast , rest , mull over the situation.  So ......I doubt he will try and win every game and get a 65 or better win total.

i look for the Spurs to have the best record.,  followed by Rockets , Clippers and Cavs and Warriors.

No .....they could , but LeBron is Diva and won't go for the best NBA record.  First in the East will do for the Diva.

[zubi.anaba]

They were 20-21 half way through last season and still wound u getting a top 5 seed and 2 games away from a title with Klove and Kyrie hurt. I doubt they will care one iota about the RS. Probably strictly use it to implement their offense

One thing to watch is the TT situation. Cavs apparently pulled the 5yrs 80mill offer after the the QO deadline passed

http://www.basketballinsiders.com/chat/nba-chat-with-larry-coon-10152015/

One assumption I think we’re safe making is that if there was a big offer sheet waiting for him, he would have signed it by now. The Cavs were under no obligation to leave their $80 million offer on the table, and from what I heard, pulled it as soon as Thompson’s qualifying offer expired. I heard it was Mark Termini doing the actual negotiating, and he has a reputation for taking a really hard stance in negotiations, but I think he seriously miscalculated this one. Maybe he was thinking LeBron would be more of an influence on the team.

This is really bad for Rich Paul and TT because Cavs have all the leverage now. They most def will be giving him a lower contract. If he doesnt take, he will be forced to sit out the whole season. This is will be a terrible outcome for TT because he will still be a RFA next.

For teams to steal him from the Cavs, teams will have to max him out but which team do realistically think will be willing to max out a role player that just missed a full yr of competitive bball. Keep in mind that all the memory of him perfoming in the PO will be long gone by then. Rich Paul played his cards horribly wrong in this situation

[Big333223]

If there's anyone who believe the Cavs won't be the #1 seed, I just have to wonder who they think it will be? I guess no one saw the Hawks coming like they did last year so some team might put up a random 60-win season and beat the injury-plagued Cavs, but looking at things now, I don't see who is going to come within 5 games of Cleveland.

[tarheelsxxiii]

They'll be riddled by injuries all year, again ... and they'll bench guys to stay fresh for the playoffs. And even so, they'll probably still lead the East ... mainly because, who else? Toronto doesn't give us reason to believe they'll turn the corner - nice additions, but you're still relying on DeRozan in crunch time; Hawks will probably be a bit worse, and regress towards the mean. Chicago? Doubtful they can make that leap.. still waiting for Rose's final injury before moving on to "business."

[Moranis]

If there's anyone who believe the Cavs won't be the #1 seed, I just have to wonder who they think it will be? I guess no one saw the Hawks coming like they did last year so some team might put up a random 60-win season and beat the injury-plagued Cavs, but looking at things now, I don't see who is going to come within 5 games of Cleveland.

Last year the Cavs were the 2 seed with just 53 wins.  I think the East is better on the whole, so I wouldn't be surprised if 55 wins is the top seed in the East.  In that case, I think the following teams (aside from Cleveland) if everything goes right could get to 55 wins: Toronto, Chicago, Milwaukee, Indiana, Atlanta, Washington, and Miami.  Again, that is if everything goes right for them, which may not even happen for any of them.