Cleveland Cavaliers

Roster (15)

Kevin Love PF
Darius Garland PG
Collin Sexton PG
Tristan Thompson PF
Jordan Clarkson G
Cedi Osman SF
Matthew Dellavedova PG
Larry Nance Jr PF
Brandon Knight SG
Ante Zizic C
John Henson PF
JP Macura SG (Exhibit 10)
Kevin Porter Jr SG
Dylan Windler SF
Jarell Martin PF (Non Guaranteed)
Sindarius Thornwell SF
Marques Bolden PF

Two Way

Dean Wade PF

Starting 5

Darius Garland PG
Collin Sexton SG
Cedi Osman SF
Kevin Love PF
Ante Zizic C

Players Lost (5)

JR Smith (Waived)
Marquese Chriss PF (FA)
Channing Frye PF (Retired)
David Nwaba G (FA, BRK)
Nik Stauskas SG (FA, Kirolbet Baskonia)

Players Added (7)

Darius Garland PG (5th pick, 2019 NBA Draft)
Kevin Porter JR SG (30th pick, 2019 NBA Draft, Trade MIL via DET)
Jarell Martin PF (FA,ORL)
Dylan Windler SF (26th pick, 2019 NBA Draft)
Dean Wade PF (Undrafted)
Sindarius Thornwell SF (FA, LAC)
Marques Bolden PF (Undrafted)

2018-19 Final Regular Season Standing: 15th Eastern Conference (19-63)

2019-20 Projected Regular Season Standing: 15th Eastern Conference (18-64)

The Cleveland Cavaliers look to be at the bottom of the stack again, in what will be the second season since Lebron James left for LA and they were forced to rebuild. They waived volatile guard Jr Smith and drafted Darius Garland (who they are set on playing next to Sexton) and Dylan Windler and traded for Kevin Porter Jr. While they look a little better than last year, in reality they have just added a few more pieces to a rebuild that will take a handful of more seasons at least to see the finished picture. As it is, the Cavaliers won’t win much more games if any because the NBA for the most part got better around them.

The Cavaliers only won 19 games last season, after firing head coach Tyronn Lue (who went 0-6 to start the season) and replacing him with Larry Drew who didn’t do much better than his predecessor would have. Some of the those 19 wins came against fellow bottom feeders like the Grizzlies, Knicks, Lakers, Wizards,Suns, and Bulls. Wins like those are still in the getting for them. Though, the Knicks, Lakers, Suns got better. Other wins that came against higher tier teams like the Bucks, Rockets, 76ers, and Raptors maybe harder to come by.

Star player Kevin Love, if he can still be called that, will likely be traded this season, after the Cavaliers went all in on him, desperate to keep some form of a star on the team after the Exodus of Lebron James. Love has been injury prone and only played in 22 games last season. He has only played in 141 out of 246 games the past three seasons. He likely won’t play 82 games this season, even if he somehow stays healthy. The Cavs will probably want to play him the least amount of minutes possible, so that he can be healthy when they trade him, to be able to get more back. As it is, the Cavs aren’t going to get a lot for him. Portland is one team that has been connected to him, though it has been mostly rumor, it makes since as Portland is his hometown. Though wherever he goes, I hope, as a Blazer fan, it isn’t home, unless he is retiring or enjoying an off season break.