Story written by Tim Whelan –

The Cavs are coming off a disappointing NBA finals loss to the Golden State Warriors. It was a series that showed the true weaknesses of the Cavs. Cavs had major problems with the bench, rebounding, defense, and the reality of not having enough firepower on the floor to match with Golden State.

The Cavs offseason has been very entertaining. But took a turn for the worse just before the draft. The Cavs and General Manager David Griffin have decided to part ways due to different visions of the future with the team. Koby Altman, Assistant General Manager, has been fielding the calls and the draft for the time being.

What is next for the Cavs as we head into free agency? First order of business is the finding a new General Manager. The Cavs have been pursuing ESPN analyst Chauncey Billups aka “Mr. Bigshot”. You may have heard of him. Billups is regarded as one best all-around point guards the NBA has seen. Billups was a part of the Detroit Pistons when they were making big in the postseason year after year. Billups has met with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert for 2 days. It has been reported he is currently mulling an offer. His position would be President of Basketball Operations. He will then add a General Manager under him.

Now, let’s talk about the current state of the roster. Is it a championship caliber roster? Yes. Is a roster that can beat Golden State? No. Are there moves that the Cavs can make that would make them better, or at least feasible against the Warriors? Yes but not much.

The problem with the Cavaliers appear to be the lack of trade assets they have this offseason. No one is willing to take on the contract of Iman Shumpert. Kevin Love’s trade value is no where near what it was in 2014.

But that isn’t the only problems the Cavs face. They now face a roster that is depleted by age, lack of athleticism off the bench, the lack of defense. The Golden State Warriors were able to exploit that every time LeBron James left the court.

Rumors have been flying about the Cavaliers. Especially ones involving some guy by the name of Paul George. You may have heard of him. George has been linked to the Cavs since the end of the NBA Finals. Paul George recently told the Pacers that he will leave them in 2018. George has insist he prefers to play for the Lakers. But can a trade the Cavs change his mind? Paul George is currently sitting on a 1-year deal and is basically a one year rental for any team that trades for him.

With the NBA free agency upon us, here are some names I believe the Cavs should consider:

Small Forward, Rudy Gay (Sacramento)

Small Forward, Tyreke Evans (Sacramento)

Guard, Tony Allen (Memphis)

Forward, Michael Beasley (Milwaukee)

Small Forward, Vince Carter (Memphis)

Point Guard, Darren Collison (Sacramento)

Center, Dwayne Dedmon (San Antonio)

Forward, Taj Gibson (Oklahoma City)

Point Guard, George Hill (Utah)

Guard, Jrue Holiday (New Orleans)

Of course, there are several other players available to the Cavs. The problem is the Cavs don’t have money to spend. Any free agent they spend money on will put them in a deeper hole in the luxury tax. Making trades, moving contracts in order to add a free agent would most likely be the route for the Cavs. The Cavs will still be in a bad spot heading into next season. But every decision they make will be with the question does this free agent or trade improve our chances against Golden State? It will be a very interesting offseason for the Cavs. One that could change the look of the Cavs future for a very long time.

Story written by Tim Whelan –

We are now under a week from the trilogy battle. Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors. The Cavs are coming off it’s first season in franchise history as the defending champions. While Golden State is coming off another fantastic regular/postseason campaign.

HOW DID WE GET HERE? Let’s begin with the Cavaliers journey. The Cavs went through a roller coaster of a season. Starting off red hot to start, only to leave questions heading the postseason. But the Cavs answered all of them. Finishing their postseason with a record of 11-1. Topping off the Eastern Conference with a 4-1 series win over the Boston Celtics.

The Golden State Warriors are coming into the finals with a 12-0 record. After Kevin Durant, the Warriors went 67-15. Once again the best record in the NBA. Golden State will be without Head Coach Steve Kerr as of now to start the finals.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT? We can expect this series to be offensively driven. Both teams are the top scoring teams in their respective conferences. I fully expect the Warriors to try to throw the first punch in this series. After blowing a 3-1 lead in last years NBA Finals. The Warriors led by KD, Steph Curry, are seeking revenge. How can the Cavs contain GSW? It’s pretty simple, if you slow down KD and Steph Curry, you will have a pretty good chance to steal a game on the road, and win the finals. For the Warriors, they’ll need to focus on LeBron James.

LeBron James has been phenomenal this postseason. If there was a MVP award for the just the playoffs alone, LeBron James would be that MVP by far. In Game 5, LeBron James passed Michael Jordan to become the All-Time leading scorer in NBA postseason history.

3 KEYS FOR THE CAVS: The Big 3. Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Kevin Love. Last year, a healthy big 3 led the Cavs to their first franchise NBA title. Now they seek no. 2. My second key will be the bench. Both GSW and the Cavs have terrific benches. They play their roles really well. I think the Cavs have the better bench when they are going strong. It’s important for them to give as much production as possible. My final Key will be Tristian Thompson. Thompson has been a monster down low. If he is able to keep players like KD, Draymond Green, JaVale McGee, and Zaza Pachulia off the boards, the Cavs could really be at a big advantage down low.

Game 1 will be on Thursday, June 1st. Tip-off is at 9 pm eastern on ABC (ESPN).