Following three straight last-place finishes in the Central Division, two No. 1 overall draft picks, two No. 4 overall picks and the hiring of one (sort of) new coach, the Cavaliers are ready to make a push for the playoffs.
All they need to do is finish in the top eight in the Eastern Conference. Can they do it? Much depends on how these questions are answered.
1. When will Andrew Bynum play, and for how long?
Bynum is a 7-foot center and the Cavs’ largest free-agent acquisition, both in name and in size, in quite some time.
He has practiced regular five-on-five, full-contact basketball for a week and a half. He could probably play at least a few minutes in Wednesday’s season opener vs. the Brooklyn Nets (7 p.m., FOX Sports Ohio).
But the Cavs don’t need to rush him back. The odds seem to be against him playing in the Nets game. Even if he does, it’s hard to envision him playing more than 10 minutes. The Cavs would certainly rather have Bynum healthy for the first game of the playoffs than the first game of the regular season.
So keeping him healthy is what matters. Not just for the Cavs, but for Bynum. His earnings increase substantially if he plays and produces.
The Cavs have every reason to play Bynum. He has every reason to want to play. If it works out, it could be glorious for all involved.
2. Will the Cavs pull off Mike Brown’s plans to be respectable on D?
I don’t have the exact numbers in front of me, but the Cavs were horrible on defense in the Byron Scott era. I mean, like, embarrassingly bad.
If they needed a big stop, you could almost be certain it wasn’t gonna happen. Basically, the Cavs’ defensive scheme seemed to be waiting for the other team to mess up.
So Brown was brought back. As one Cavs’ official said, “We improved defensively the minute Mike Brown walked through that door.”
That’s true. The Cavs are better defensively. And keep in mind, the question isn’t whether the Cavs have bought in to Brown’s philosophy. They’re trying hard on D, and that much was evident in training camp and the preseason.
But you don’t go from atrocious to amazing in a day. Or a month or maybe even a half-season.
So the Cavs will have to take some lumps, do some learning, experience some losses -- and yes, some will be the result of slipups at the defensive end.
The key is improvement, even gradual. If that happens, if they follow Brown’s vision, they’ll be a better team, regardless of whether or not the Bynum thing works out.
3. Can the Cavs stay healthy?
We all know about Anderson Varejao, Kyrie Irving, and Bynum. Not one has exactly been an ironman the past three seasons. And that’s putting it nicely.
After all, who can forget last year when the Cavs set a record for protective masks worn by the same team (three) in a game?
Actually, that’s not an official stat, but you get the idea.
The Cavs are deeper this season, and therefore, don’t have to be as concerned with the everyday bumps and bruises and minor injuries. Nor will guys sit out as long if they do suffer from some of that everyday stuff.
Nobody’s saying the Cavs wanted to lose last year -- but nobody is denying that getting a couple more ping-pong balls in the draft lottery hopper was such a bad thing.
Either way, the Cavs’ key players have to stay on the floor more often than not. Playing (and winning) through pain is the only way for your team to develop chemistry and make strides.
4. Is small forward a problem?
Between Alonzo Gee and Earl Clark (or is it Clark and Gee?), the Cavs probably have at least one decent small forward. C.J. Miles will play the position, too.
But Brown has repeatedly stated what he wants from the fifth wheel in an offense that features Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and either Bynum or Varejao (or both). Jarrett Jack and No. 1 overall draft pick Anthony Bennett are also capable of big nights.
So the small forward only needs to defend, rebound and not stop the offense when he receives the ball. Neither Gee nor Clark seems to have figured that out yet.
At least one will need to soon, or yes, it will be a problem that could keep the Cavs from reaching their potential.
5. Will the Cavs make the playoffs?
The way I (and others smarter than me) see it, five East teams are shoe-ins for the postseason, provided they remain relatively healthy: Miami, Indiana, Chicago, Brooklyn and New York.
That likely leaves five others fighting for the final three spots: Cleveland, Washington, Toronto, Detroit and Atlanta.
Of those five, the Cavs arguably have the best collection of young talent. But other than the Hawks, no one on that list has really gotten close to the playoffs recently. Additions and experience will count for a lot (as will, again, good health). Still, it typically boils down to more than that.
Last season, Chicago, Indiana and Memphis (and the dreaded Heat) were among the teams that played playoff-type basketball all season. They defended first, got physical, and used turnovers to create offense. That’s basically what Brown wants for the Cavs.
If they come close to that, they’ll get in. Most, of course, depends on how the first questions are answered.
Twitter: @SamAmicoFSO
