What's going on in Cleveland?

[Bobshot]

I think the Cavs are in trouble. They're about maxed out in talent vs the Warriors, and can't beat them with KD added.

I doubt the ownership is going to pay a ton in luxury tax to add another star.
On the contrary, they may be doing the opposite. Which could explain why Billups said no.

The Warriors are paying what? $122M +? How long will they do that? KD is taking it a year at a time, signing for 1 +1.

In the meantime, the Celtics are sitting pretty, below the cap, with a ton of top draft picks and good young players. Hold on, baby.

[celticinorlando]

One more year for the Cavs. Then window shuts.

[SparzWizard]

LeBron James could probably bolt to the Wizards...to team up with John Wall and Bradley Beal. They're the Celtics' other competitor in the East lol.

[CelticsElite]

They don't even have a GM yet lol.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Billups chose wisely staying away from that mess of a situation.

[mctyson]

I don't but the narrative on here that Gilbert doesn't want to pay up.  He just spent ~$30M for 3 more years of Kyle Korver.

The problem here is that they need to move Love but if I am Gilbert I refuse to do that having given up Wiggins just 3 years ago.

I still think we see a Wade + Melo buyout, with both going to CLE.

[CelticsElite]

8 players over 30

1 dimensional role players being overpaid

Iso heavy point that gets cold sometimes

Love disappears occasionally

[crimson_stallion]

Chauncey Billups just withdrew from the Cavs GM search.

Cleveland is reportedly looking to dump Shumpert's salary.

Lebron hasn't been actively recruiting free agents to Cleveland.

A lot of signs point to Lebron moving on, although frankly, I have a hard time seeing him join the Western Conference. He's basically guaranteed a spot in the Finals every year, and no EC team seems willing to challenge them.

They are in a massive mess, pretty much. 

Ultimately it's similar to the scenario Lebron found him in that final year in Miami.  Wade was old and battered...Bosh just wasn't good enough anymore...they got knocked off by an old and over-the-hill Spurs team...meantime everybody else in the league was getting better, and the Heat were capped out with no trade assets, no useful picks and ultimately no means left to improve.

So Lebron did the standard Lebron thing and moved on, having realized that he had sucked dry all of the success there was to be had in Miami.

Now Cleveland is in the same position.  They have no cap space, they have trade assets (since the have no players or picks of any real value) and they just got destroyed by a Golden State team that they clearly aren't capable of beating as they are currently constructed. 

Lebron only cares about rings right now so he can try to chase Jordan's legacy, and at 33 years of age he only has about 3 or 4 years left to chase them, so it seems pretty obvious what he's going to do.  He can't sit around in Cleveland and endure a rebuild / retool, or he's just wasting time.  He'll skip down, and he'll find a young team (preferably in the East) that has a number of talented young players who he feels he can carry to 2 or 3 championships.

Minnesota (Teague, Butler, Wiggins, Towns) would be a perfect option.  As would Philly (Fultz, Reddick, Saric, Simmons, Embiid).  Boston would be another if we had cap space (but we wont if we sign Hayward).  Tehre are even some options out west like Houston (CP3, Harden) and OKC (Westbrook, George). 

Plenty of options out there really. 

[cman88]

you kind of have to lay some of the blame on Lebron. it was him who pushed for the wiggins trade for Love, and it was him who pushed to pay up for JR smith...

at the time I understood it was a win now move. but imagine Lebron with Wiggins? and JR smith always was going to be a hot or cold player.

now they are paying big $$ to an over the hill Korver.

[Fan from VT]

I'd take him at PF for the MLE or a sign and trade...

[chilidawg]

How much of it is coaching?  In the finals I couldn't help but notice guys like McCaw and Clark contributing, while the Cavs were getting little out of their role players.  I think that goes to coaching.

[makaveli]

whatever happens, you guys seem to forget too easily that they beat the 73 win Warriors, and all the trouble that they are in right now is totally worth it.
Thompson was essential during that run, JR as well, all those guys earned their money, but the market is a killer nowadays, there are a whole lot of guys being overpaid.
just look at our roster, realistically speaking, next year we will have 3 max deals, and none of them are top 10-15 players, none of them make the top 5 on their position, but you gotta pay them because someone else will...

the only problem is that LeBron was basically the GM so a lot of fault goes on his side. He should have stayed out of their business.
But i don't think Lebron will be going anywhere, cleveland is his home, and they will always be able to put quality guys around him.

[Darío SpanishFan]

Apart from all the other stuff, the Billups affair is simple. He doesn't want to ruin his future GM career starting in a situation than can only get worse.

[celticsclay]

I have to say I don't understand what they are doing more with each passing day.

The Cavs are now bringing back Richard Jefferson at 37 years old instead of bringing in any sort of athleticism off the bench. So the oldest team in the league that just didn't have the foot speed or athleticism to contend with the warriors last playoffs are now going to be running it back with the old guys a year older?

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19844884/richard-jefferson-says-not-retiring-back-cleveland-cavaliers-next-season

[Birdman]

A lot of people don't want Lebron James to tell them what to do