Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) walks off the court after losing to the Golden State Warriors in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
19. Cleveland Cavaliers
2014-2015 Efficiency Rating: 28.7
You can’t blame LeBron James for looking so down trodden in the picture above. He had a herculean effort and still lost in the NBA Finals. The bench was a major component of the Cavs failure in the Finals.
Their bench finished dead-last in points per game with 23.8. They barely were beat out for the title of worst bench efficiency-wise by the Orlando Magic. The plain and simple of it was, the Cavs bench was horrendous.
Now they have gone out to fully correct that issue. Despite the lingering Tristan Thompson issue and Kyrie Irving’s injury, there were major strides made to the bench.
Mar 27, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard
Mo Williams(7) shoots over Washington Wizards center
Marcin Gortat(4) as guard
John Wall(2) looks on during the second half at Verizon Center. The Wizards won in double overtime 110 – 107. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Hopefully Anderson Varejao returns healthy, that will help bolster the frontcourt depth of Cleveland. Let’s also just assume Thompson will be in a Cavs jersey next season, that provides Cleveland with ample frontcourt depth.
The short-term hero Matthew Dellavedova is returning, as well as J.R. Smith (on a smaller deal than the player option he declined). Bringing in veteran Richard Jefferson also helps the wing rotation that struggled against the Golden State Warriors last season.
The biggest acquisition of them all has to be the return of Mo Williams. He gives the Cavs a legitimate backup point guard, which will prove to be important now that Irving may be out for an extended amount of time.
Overall, Cleveland is now willing to pay a ton of money in luxury tax in order to ensure that they improved their greatest weakness last season; their depth. It also doesn’t hurt they have that LeBron James guy – he’s pretty good.
Next: New York Knicks