Cleveland Cavaliers: Will newly-added depth result in a rejuvenated Cavs?

The Cleveland Cavaliers added a ton of talent to their roster this offseason. With depth being a struggling point in last year’s NBA Finals, the Cavs can matchup with anyone now

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been a staple of the NBA Finals for the past three seasons. The future looks to contain more of the same with a mix of their roster moves as well as a diminishment of competition in the Eastern Conference.

Aside from the Boston Celtics, the Cavs do not have much to go against out East. You can maybe argue that both the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors could matchup well, but they don’t have the poise or maturity to beat Cleveland in a seven game series.

The Cavs have made some pretty major changes to their team. The big eye-catcher is the loss of all-star point guard Kyrie Irving. The Cavaliers sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and also the Brooklyn Nets 2018 1st-round pick. While the Cavaliers received a ton for their very own all-star in Irving, they are getting another one back in Thomas. Another big win in this deal is the Brooklyn Nets’ first rounder. With the Nets likely to struggle and this upcoming draft class looking loaded, the Cavs could end up with huge upside from trading Irving.

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A big problem for the Cavs against the Warriors in the Finals was bench production. If the bench unit was on the court for Cleveland, it was pretty much open season for the Warriors’ strong bench battalion. The Cavaliers simply could not hang when LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, or Kevin Love were on the bench. Irving led a few runs to keep contests somewhat competitive, but it was never sustainable.

Now, the Cavaliers’ bench last year was not short of talent. The problem was they simply were severely underperforming. The Cavs’ bench boasted players such as Kyle Korver, Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye, Deron Williams, and Richard Jefferson. Each provided solid production throughout the season and through the playoffs, but hit a brick wall come NBA Finals.

One eyebrow raising quote came from Jefferson about teammate Deron Williams:

"[via Sports Illustrated]Richard Jefferson: “When you ask Deron about golf, his eyes light up. When you ask Deron about MMA, his eyes light up.”ESPN’s Dave McMenamin: “What about when you talk to him about coming off the bench for the Cavaliers?”Jefferson: “His eyes did not light up, his eyes did not light up.”Chris Geeter: “What about when the Warriors saw him coming off the bench?”Jefferson: “Their eyes lit up.”"

The Cavs have set themselves up nicely with some key additions by addressing their needs. They dispelled a turned-sour relationship between LeBron and Kyrie and added an all-star in Isaiah Thomas, who averaged 28.9 points per game last season and dished out 5.9 assists per game. Another essential piece of that deal was the inclusion of Jae Crowder.

Crowder is a solid option for the Cavs to have to give LeBron rest at the small forward slot. He also allows them to run a small-ball death lineup with James at the four position and Kevin Love at the five.

Former teammate and best friend to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, was also just recently signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers following a buyout from the Chicago Bulls. D-Wade’s days of being referred to as “Flash” are long gone. That being said, he is still a great addition and can be a key contributor to the Cavaliers. His arrival in The Land also slides J.R. Smith back to his more natural role as a sixth man.

The Cavaliers even added a former MVP to their roster in Derrick Rose. Due to a series of unfortunate knee injuries, we will probably never see Derrick Rose return to his MVP-form. That being said, he is still more than serviceable as a starter or bench player. Last season in New York, Rose scored 18 points a night while shooting an efficient 47.1 percent from the field. Rose is an excellent paint attacker and will open the floor for Cleveland’s 3-point attack.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a great position to do some damage to their NBA competition. They look to have yet another easy road to the NBA Finals outside of the Boston Celtics. Should they have yet another rematch with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, they will be locked and loaded with firepower in the starting lineup as well as off the bench.

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