The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off their best season since the end of the LeBron James era.
Unfortunately, that only applied to the regular season.
They failed to get past the second round again, blowing their home-court advantage and only winning one game vs. the Indiana Pacers.
Nevertheless, as disappointing as this season was, and as many reasons as there are to have doubts about this team, Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com believes they’re in a great position for the future:
“In the last three seasons, [the Cavs] have a 163-73 record. They have gone to the second round twice. They have put a winning and entertaining team on the court. The franchise is in very good shape, the key players are between the ages of 23 and 28. They are all under long-term contracts,” Pluto wrote. “The door is open for the Cavs, whose roster remains in the sweet spot in terms of age and contracts. But the salary cap/second apron will limit some big roster moves.”
Granted, that’s the case on paper, but it might not mean anything in reality.
We’ve seen strong groups grow apart after some years, and it will be very hard to turn around the narrative surrounding this team.
Even when they had the best record in the entire Association, people still questioned their toughness and ability to get the job done in a seven-game series.
Opposing teams and players might not feel like they’re a true contender until they prove so, and it will be up to them to keep their foot on the gas after the regular season.
On top of that, they might not have enough money to keep their key role players on the team for much longer.
Having four players on big-money contracts might lead to more trouble than success under this current CBA, and someone will eventually have to be the odd man out.
Evan Mobley is a potential superstar in the making, and the team should be good for as long as he’s there, but everybody else should be available at the right price.
NEXT: Cavs Urged To 'Make A Move' This Offseason
