According to Ben Wallace they do..... SOURCE: NBA.COM http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/54484/20080922/ben_wallace_cavs_have_chance_to_win_title/
Yeah, maybe if all the players in Boston, Detroit, New Orleans, and Los Angeles go on strike. Come on Ben think about that you are saying.
The Cavs have a chance to come out of the East, but only if Ferry can pull off a favorable trade with those expiring contracts he's armed with.
I think they could come out of the East, but I don't think they have a chance to win it all. The Lakers, Hornets and Spurs are all miles ahead of the Cavs out West, while the Celtics are still the best team in the East. I do think the Cavs have the chance to be the #2 team out East this year now that LeBron has a legit #2 guy in Mo Williams, but I want to see them play together before I pencil them in ahead of Detroit.
Lebron is amazing, but let's be real. Ben Wallace is horrible now, Big Z is creaky and declining, Wally sucks, Andy is good but only on defense. They need to use those expirings or else I see them being knocked out in the 2nd round with Lebron carrying them on his back
It is, but one player doesn't make a team. Ask Kobe that. He tried the one-man show thing for a few years, and where'd it get him? A couple first round knockouts and a season where he missed the playoffs entirely. If LeBron is going to do anything this year, he needs the others around him to step up. Mo Williams needs to that legit #2 guy, Wally needs to knock down the open looks he's going to get, Big Ben needs to got back to being a good defensive player and rebounder, etc. No matter how great LeBron is, it won't matter if the rest of the team doesn't perform well, even if he is in the Leastern Conference.
He already got to the finals with a crappy team when he wasn't as good as he is now, so I would say that no matter what, any team with LeBron on it has a puncher's chance.
The Celtics were one game away from being eliminated by a team that has no one who can even dream of being LeBron.
This is true, I attribute that to jitters and expectations more than anything. When Pierce finally realized he needed to take over the games and be the man, they took a different direction.
LBJ has always been a team guy on the court. At this point in his career, any team with him on it is has a serious chance to win the NBA title.
I agree. But the offense doesn't always come easy even when Pierce is getting off and with older guys the defense is sometimes the first thing to slip. It wouldn't take much Celtic fatigue or many Cav contributors for LeBron to look unstoppable against them. Anyway, the Cavs have a shot. There's a decent chance this question could be answered on the court next spring.
Why don't they have a chance? They have made at least the Eastern Conference Finals for the past two years, and were damn close to retaining the Eastern Conference Championship last year and making a second straight appearance in the Finals. They're not the favourites, but they're probably one of the 5 most likely teams to win. Granted, that is helped by the fact that it will almost certainly be between them and Boston for who comes out of the East. The thing to remember about the Cavs is (unless they're playing the Spurs) they are very difficult to beat over the course of a 7 game series come May/June, because their defence steps up a notch to elite status, and then they can rely almost solely on LeBron for offence. Hopefully this year there will be a cohesive offensive system in place which should make them stronger still and, if they can pull off a Gasol-esque trade, there is no reason whatsoever why they shouldn't be competing for it all come June.
I don't think they have a chance at the NBA title. With Bynum back and healthy, the Lakers have to be the favorites. I don't see Cleveland being able to beat them, barring a Gasol-esque trade which is easier said then done.
I don't recall Odom, Pau, Luke, or Radman helping Kobe out too much. The Cavs have no chance at actually winning the title. A trip there is possible though.
A few things here, since I don't feel like quoting everyone... The East wasn't as good when LBJ got to the Finals. Beyond that, his trip was a relative cakewalk until the ECF when they played Detroit. Now, the East is quite a bit stronger I think. The Celtics are hands down the best team in the East. The Pistons, while they've lost a step, I think will be rejuvinated with a new coach and new philosophy there. They have the same core of players that has made the ECF what, 6 times in a row? While the Cavs are getting better, they're still the second best team, even if Dumars didn't make the drastic changes he'd promised. Also, I think the 76ers are going to be a team to be reckoned with. They're going to have one of the best defensive frontcourts in the East with Dalembert and Brand, and then I full expect Iggy to continue his progression and have another big year. I'd also continue to expect Louis Williams to progress and have an even better year this year than he did last year. As for the Finals, while Kobe didn't play great, he didn't get a whole lot of help. Odom was invisible most of the time and Pau never really got in to much of a groove. Throw that in with the fact that the role players didn't do much while Ray Allen, KG and PP were playing great, and of course it's going to be hard to win the series. As for the Celtics playoff struggles, it didn't really shock me. They struggled all year against athletic teams, and the Hawks are one of the more athletic teams in the NBA. As for the Cavs series, both teams struggled. It was an ugly, ugly series. Probably the worst display of basketball over a seven game series that I've seen in a long time. All in all, the Cavs have a chance, I'll say that much. However, I don't know how much of a chance. As I said earlier, right now, I look at them as the 3rd best team in the East. But depending on how they play, they could go up or down, and I'm also curious to see how Phillly plays with the addition of Brand.
The Cavs have a chance, as does any team that makes the playoffs. There are more talented teams, with better coaches out there than the Cavs for sure. But, I`ll admit, I definitely didn't expect the Cavs to take the Celtics to 7 games. I think they have a chance, but I'll be surprized if they do. They team feels like it is awkwardly assembled. Kind of just throwing players in the mix. When the squad had Ben Wallace and Eric Snow on the court it is like 2 offensive liabilities that the defenders can essentially ignore.
