NBA: Distinguishing The 2014-15 Contenders And Pretenders

Oct 17, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward

(23) shoots against Dallas Mavericks forward

(4) in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Cavaliers – Contenders

Basically, any team that has LeBron James on it is automatically classified as an NBA “contender.” Cleveland may finish the regular season with the best record in the East but when it comes to the playoffs, James has been there. Everyone has been talking about the addition of James and Kevin Love. The Cavaliers “big three” may even be better than Miami’s, and that speaks high volumes. Kyrie Irving has been improving more and more and has made his case for the best point guard in the NBA. The only knock on him is his defense, but James will be there to help and teach him a few things.

The bench is slightly weaker than Miami’s when they had James, but still may be just good enough to complement their starters. Veterans Shawn Marion and Mike Miller followed James to Cleveland in hopes of a title as well. The addition of center Brendan Haywood provides some much needed depth in their only weak spot at the center.

First-year head coach David Blatt will have a tremendous amount of pressure on him this season. After his success in Europe, he should have no problems with the talent he has in Cleveland. Even with Anderson Varejao at center, this team may have the best starting lineup I have seen in a long time.

PROJECTED STARTERS (with 2013-14 NBA statistics)

PG: Kyrie Irving — 20.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists a game
SG: Dion Waiters — 15.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game
SF: LeBron James — 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists a game
PF: Kevin Love — 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists a game
C: Anderson Varejao — 8.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists a game