Where Do The Cavaliers Stand In The Eastern Conference?
Typically the blockbuster trades and players switching teams occur sometime in June with free agency and NBA free agency occuding around this time. However, some of that was delayed this offseason.
Damian Lillard was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday afternoon and part of that aftermath was the Boston Celtics acquiring Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers. The top teams in the Eastern Conference are in an arms race to attain as much talent as they can which poses a serious question:
Where do the Cleveland Cavaliers stand in the Eastern Conference?
The Bucks and Celtics are the clear top two teams on paper following their recent trades. Milwaukee got a superstar point guard to pair with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Boston filled the void Marcus Smart left with Holiday.
If the Philadelphia 76ers run back the same roster they had last season then they are likely barely one tier below the Bucks and Celtics. However, the uncertainty surrounding James Harden and his future with the organization puts a hold on this.
Next up are the teams such as the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Atlanta Hawks who have deep rosters and could easily surprise a number of people throughout the season.
This group is probably where the Cavs fall too.
All of these teams are undeniably full of talent and could very easily make a deep playoff run. However, Boston and Milwaukee have multiple bonified superstars with playoff and Finals experience that no one else in this group has.
With this in mind, the third seed looks to be the best-case scenario for the Cavs to finish considering the talent and how tight the Eastern Conference will be this season. It would be shocking to see them jump either Boston or Milwaukee, but I suppose it's possible.
Mar 6, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) during the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
All of this assumes that the Cavs stand pat throughout the season and they don't make any trades. This seems unlikely considering how crucial Cleveland's success is this season to convince Donovan Mitchell to resign long-term.
It won't be long before we find out whether all of these projections and predictions are accurate or not as NBA's opening night is just around the corner.
