National Basketball Association

Cleveland Cavaliers: 2016-17 Season Outlook

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:57 p.m. ET

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Coming off their first ever NBA championship, what can we expect from the Cleveland Cavaliers’ title defense? Here’s their 2016-17 season preview.

Oct 18, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after being fouled in the first half at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

For the first time in 52 years, a sports team in Cleveland will be entering its new season prepared to defend a championship.

After the Cleveland Cavaliers improbably overcame a 3-1 deficit against a 73-win Golden State Warriors team in the 2016 NBA Finals, LeBron James cemented his status as one of the greatest players in league history, and perhaps the greatest sports figure in the history of Cleveland as well.

At this point, there’d be no shame in falling short of a title this season, or every season for the rest of his career. King James more than earned his crown and the eternal love of his subjects, who bore witness to the most memorable Herculean labor of his career. The burden has been lifted.

But when you’re king of the hill, there’s no reason to give it up until someone forcibly removes you, and good luck telling this Cavaliers team that they can take it easy after bringing Cleveland its first championship in a half-century.

With the Golden State Warriors adding Kevin Durant this summer, the defending champs are once again underdogs. “The rich got richer” saying seems appropriate, except it’s more like Warren Buffet winning the Powerball. Somehow, LeBron’s next challenge will be his toughest one yet.

Heading into the 2016-17 NBA season, what can we expect from the defending champs? And did the Cavaliers do enough in the offseason to keep their hopes of repeating alive in the wake of another Warriors juggernaut assembling out West?

Here’s Cleveland’s preview for the upcoming season.

2015-16 Vitals

57-25, 1st in Central Division, 1st in Eastern Conference
104.3 PPG (8th)/98.3 OPP PPG (4th)
110.9 Offensive Rating (3rd)/104.5 Defensive Rating (10th)

Team Leaders
Scoring: LeBron James, 25.3 PPG
Rebounding: Kevin Love, 9.9 RPG
Assists: LeBron James, 6.8 APG
Steals: LeBron James, 1.4 SPG
Blocks: Timofey Mozgov, 0.8 BPG

Honors
First Team All-NBA: LeBron James
NBA Finals MVP: LeBron James

Sep 26, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers Mike Dunleavy films a segment with Sir CC during media day at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

2016-17 Roster

Chris Andersen, C
Mike Dunleavy, SG
Kay Felder, PG
Channing Frye, PF
John Holland, SG
Kyrie Irving, PG
LeBron James, SF
Richard Jefferson, SF
Dahntay Jones, SG
James Jones, SG
DeAndre Liggins, SG
Kevin Love, PF
Jordan McRae, SG
Iman Shumpert, SG
J.R. Smith, SG
Tristan Thompson, C
Mo Williams, PG

Offseason Additions
Chris Andersen (free agency, Memphis Grizzlies), Mike Dunleavy (trade, Chicago Bulls), Kay Felder (54th overall draft pick, Oakland), John Holland (free agency, unsigned), DeAndre Liggins (free agency, unsigned)

Offseason Subtractions
Matthew Dellavedova (sign-and-trade, Milwaukee Bucks), Sasha Kaun (trade, Philadelphia 76ers), Timofey Mozgov (free agency, Los Angeles Lakers), Mo Williams (retirement?)

Quick Thoughts

For the most part, the Cleveland Cavaliers are pretty much the same team as last year. To no one’s surprise, LeBron James re-upped with his hometown team, though it was unexpected to see him agree to a three-year deal rather than another 1 + 1 deal.

With the Big Three (plus Tristan Thompson) locked in for the foreseeable future, Cleveland’s biggest offseason objective was re-signing J.R. Smith. As is the case with most Rich Paul clients, it came right down to the wire, but the Cavs eventually doled out a three-year, $57 million deal to ensure the starting lineup of a championship team remained intact.

With distractions and a gaping hole at shooting guard averted, the Cavaliers can focus on the upcoming season. They did, however, lose some considerable backcourt depth with Delly accepting Milwaukee’s hefty offer and Mo Williams (possibly?) on the way out.

That means rookie Kay Felder and possibly even a rarely used reserve like Jordan McRae could see some time at the point guard spot off the bench. With Timofey Mozgov accepting a gargantuan pay raise from the Lakers, the Cavs will also have to rely on Channing Frye or the aging Birdman to back up Tristan Thompson at the 5.

However, depth was never Cleveland’s selling point during their title run, and that will be the case again in 2016-17. Mike Dunleavy was a steal if he can stay healthy, but for the most part, the Cavaliers will once again make their money with one of basketball’s best starting lineups.

Oct 10, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) looks on from the sidelines against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Three Key Storylines: 1. Resting The Big Three

On Media Day, head coach Tyronn Lue made his plans to rest LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love more this season a point of emphasis. After what we saw from the Cavs during last year’s playoff run, that really shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Just take a look at how the starters’ minutes increased from the regular season to the playoffs to the NBA Finals:

Love’s numbers decreased by the round, but that was based on matchups and his concussion during the Finals more than anything else. The point is, the Cavaliers are heavily dependent on their starting five — especially LeBron James — logging unsustainable minutes when the going gets tough.

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For a guy like LeBron, who already has 46,861 minutes on his NBA odometer between the regular season and playoffs, saving his energy for another postseason run is paramount. There’s a reason he was able to close out the last three games of the Finals with a 41-16-7-3-3 performance, a 41-11-8-4-3 masterpiece and a triple-double clincher.

Now that the Warriors have added Kevin Durant, the Cavs are going to need even more magic out of their franchise player, which, even with his penchant for being a cyborg who never gets hurt, is a lot to ask of the soon-to-be 32-year-old.

The Boston Celtics added Al Horford this summer and the Toronto Raptors aren’t going anywhere, but as long as everyone is healthy at there right time of year (or even if it’s just LeBron), the Cavaliers are still the heavy favorites to represent the East in the Finals.

All Cleveland really needs to do is breeze through the regular season like they did last year, secure the No. 1 seed (or even the No. 2 seed) and save their full might for another heavyweight bout in June.

It may cost him a shot at his sixth MVP Award, but resting LeBron as often as they can afford should be a top priority for the Cavs.

Oct 10, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kay Felder (20) dribbles the ball against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Three Key Storylines: 2. Backup Guards

As of right now, second-round rookie Kay Felder is the backup point guard for the NBA’s defending champs. Depth becomes less important in the playoffs, but that’s obviously concerning for a team relying on its bench to help sustain leads and allow the starters to rest during the regular season.

For the time being, Kyrie, LeBron and Felder are really the only players capable of logging minutes at the point. The 5’9″ Felder is an explosive player and has relatively held his own in preseason, averaging 8.8 points in 22.2 minutes per game on 40.7 percent shooting.

But as much as Felder stands out as a potential second round steal, a steadier hand might be needed with Cleveland’s championship aspirations in mind.

Meanwhile, Mo Williams and the Cavs are currently at an impasse after he wavered between retiring and returning for a final season in 2016-17. Williams was a rarely used third-stringer behind Delly and underwent knee surgery on Oct. 12. The deadline for waiving him and stretching his salary without being liable for his contract (and corresponding luxury tax payment) has already passed.

As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports, the Cavs are trying to package him and Jordan McRae — Cleveland’s leading scorer in the preseason — to avoid the problem and free up room for another backup point guard. At that point, someone like the still unsigned Mario Chalmers might become a realistic option.

Until the Cavs can deal Williams and bring in a more experienced backup though, their backcourt depth will be a bit of a question mark.

Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) stares at Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the fourth quarter in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland won 115-101. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Three Key Storylines: 3. Cavaliers vs. Warriors, Part III

Let’s not beat around the bush: Barring injuries and some sort of unexpected leap from the Raptors or Celtics in the East, the Cavaliers are heading for their third straight NBA Finals appearance, while the same could be said of the Warriors out West.

Cavaliers vs. Warriors Part III is on the docket.

Of course, there’s a reason they play the games. If everything had gone according to plan, the Thunder would’ve been thoroughly beaten by the Spurs, or the Warriors wouldn’t have overcome a 3-1 deficit in the conference finals, or the Cavaliers wouldn’t have overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals…you get the picture.

However, a 73-win team just added one of the three best players in the NBA, and unlike the super-teams we’ve seen over the past few years, he’s really an idyllic fit for his new team. The versatility, defense, scoring and three-point shooting in Golden State is going to be unfair.

With another monster preparing for its league-wide onslaught, everything the Cavaliers do this year needs to be with this potential — and entirely likely — Finals matchup in mind.

Feed Kevin Love minutes now; he might be unplayable for long stretches of a Finals matchup. Keep Kyrie healthy; Cleveland will need him at 100 percent to pull off an upset. Rest LeBron; he’ll need to unleash his finest Finals performance yet at age 32.

By re-signing J.R. Smith, the Cavs avoided having a gaping hole on the wing — one which Iman Shumpert has repeatedly failed to fill. That being said, did Cleveland do enough to prepare for this newest Golden State beast by bringing back Smith and trading for Dunleavy, especially with Mozzy and Delly gone?

The Warriors aren’t a deep team, and like the Cavaliers, that won’t matter in a high-octane Finals series when rotations are severely shortened. As much as Cavs fans will never admit it (especially after they were banged up in the Finals the year prior), that 3-1 comeback really did require a perfect storm.

LeBron’s heroic final three games of the series were the lasting image, and rightfully so, but it doesn’t change the fact that without Draymond Green‘s Game 5 suspension, Stephen Curry‘s inconsistency born from a knee injury a few weeks prior, Andrew Bogut‘s injury and Harrison Barnes going 5-for-31 over the last three games of the series, the end result may have been very different.

Again, that’s not to take anything from the Cavs. Like we said about the Warriors in 2015, you can’t help what happens to your opponents en route to a title; you play against who’s out there.

But the Cavaliers would be fooling themselves to bank on a similar self-destructing act from Golden State in 2017. Barring injury, the Dubs are going to be even more dangerous in the playoffs than they were last year.

A healthy Stephen Curry isn’t going to be as timid in his third Finals with vengeance on his mind. A motivated Klay Thompson probably isn’t going to stink up the joint again. Kevin Durant isn’t going to miss all the wide open threes Harrison Barnes bricked in those last three games.

Kyrie vs. Curry. J.R. vs. Klay. LeBron vs. KD. Love vs. Draymond. Thompson vs. Zaza Pachulia. The matchups are going to be glorious, and the entire 2016-17 season is pretty much on a collision course toward this inevitable showdown.

The question is whether we can finally get a fully healthy series between these two teams, and if that’s the case, whether LeBron and company have enough in the tank to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds one more time.

Oct 8, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) against the Philadelphia 76ers at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers won 108-105. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Best-Case Scenario

The Raptors regress and the Celtics aren’t quite as dangerous as advertised, allowing the Cavaliers to coast to the East’s No. 1 seed. With home-court locked up, Cleveland is able to strategically rest its starters, but not before LeBron James puts up enough numbers to claim his sixth MVP Award.

The Cavs manage to deal Mo Williams away and free up space for a quality backup point guard — most likely Chalmers, which allows the world to enjoy at least one sideline shouting match between LeBron and his favorite little brother teammate.

Cleveland stays healthy at the perfect time of year, breezes through the East en route to their third Finals appearance, and puts all that extra rest to good use against a banged up Warriors team that had to travel through another Western gauntlet. LeBron captures his fourth title, winning Finals MVP honors while the Cavs repeat as NBA champions.

Worst-Case Scenario

With Toronto seeking some kind of advantage on the Cavaliers and the Celtics looking formidable, Cleveland’s rest goes overboard and they fall to No. 3 in the playoff picture.

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Mo Williams’ contract clogs up the books and a roster spot, as Cleveland is unable to trade him away. This leaves the roster very thin in the backcourt, and that lack of depth comes back to haunt the Cavaliers when Kyrie Irving is banged up again.

With LeBron now 32 and Kyrie and Love on the mend at the most pivotal time of year, the Cavaliers just don’t have enough in the tank to return to the Finals. They are stunned in the conference finals by the Raptors or Celtics, who have home-court advantage on their side.

LeBron’s six-year streak of making it to the Finals is snapped and Kevin Durant captures his first title, which in turn prompts him and Curry to re-sign in Golden State and remain a thorn in the King’s side for years to come.

Oct 8, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) against the Philadelphia 76ers at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers won 108-105. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Predictions

The Cleveland Cavaliers are still second to none in the East, but it may not be such a breezy path to the Finals as their 14-game trek last season. The Raptors and/or Celtics will put up a better fight, and people forget how close a couple of games against the young Detroit Pistons were in the first round.

However, there’s no doubt that unless LeBron James is electrocuted by lightning, his team will be back in the Finals in 2017. The MVP race is wide open with the Warriors votes being split between Curry and KD, but the amount of rest LeBron enjoys may take him out of the contest.

Stil, even with his eye on the ultimate prize — repeating as NBA champs — LeBron has another monster season in decreased minutes and the Cavs win 57 games to secure the No. 1 seed in the East. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love stay healthy for the second season in a row, and Cleveland manages to swing a trade to bring in a more reliable backup point guard.

In another epic showdown with the Warriors in the Finals, Cleveland gets the short end of the stick as head coach Steve Kerr shortens his rotation and allows his four superstars to carry the load. The Warriors exact their revenge on the Cavs, but it’s worth noting there’s no shame in losing to a 73-win team that just added Kevin Durant in the wake of Cleveland’s magical title run in 2016.

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