Cleveland Cavaliers: Looking Into The Crystal Ball

With the recent acquisition of Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith, and Delonte West many say that the entire face of the Cavalier's franchise has changed; I would have to challenge to the death that is false and Lebron James is still "The King" in Cleveland, Ohio.  With all his recent complaining about how the Cavs needed somebody like Jason Kidd, it's good to hear that Lebron has given his thumbs up on the trade.

I really feel bad for Chicago Bulls fans, who are probably just now recovering from the Elton Brand trade about seven years ago, because they now have to deal with Larry Hughes on their beloved team.  Hughes has averaged only 12.3 points per game on a lowly 37% from the field this season.  Lebron James, obviously, is the reason the Cavaliers have had as much as success as they have had, and with what he has done with the players around him I think there is no doubt in my mind he is the best player in the NBA (and will be for a long time).  In his fifth season in the league, "The King" is averaging 30.2 points per game, 8.2 rebounds per game, 7.5 assists per game with a 48% field goal percentage.  In case you don't keep up with fantasy basketball and were wondering, those kind of numbers definitely make him a top five ranked player in the league; my personal number one.  The Cavs should be getting back to healthy at the right time, the playoffs, as Anderson Varejao (forward/center) and Daniel Gibson (point guard) should both be back on the court by the end of March.  I will be interested to see how much Zydrunas Ilgasukas and newly acquired big man Ben Wallace will be on the floor at the same time.  

Outlook & Predictions: For the Cavaliers, I think this recent trade has made them a clear number three team in the Eastern Conference, but to be completely honest with the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons ahead of them, that really does them no good.  I think the Cleveland Cavaliers will end the season at 48-34 and the #3 Seed in the Eastern Conference; when they meet the Detroit Pistons in the 2nd round they will lose in a five or six game series.  Just like last year, any success that this team has will be because of Lebron James.