Cleveland Cavaliers 2013-14 season preview

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Season Predictions

Apr 5, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson (13), shooting guard C.J. Miles (0) and point guard Kyrie Irving (2) celebrate against the Boston Celtics during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /

The only two predictions I can make with confidence about the Cavaliers this season are as follows: 1) They will be better on defense under Brown and 2) Irving will become a star by years end. Even if things don’t work out as they expect, I have no doubt that Brown will install a defensive work ethic that will, at the very least, make Cleveland more competitive then they were last year. As for Irving, I see a breakout season in the works for his third season. He’ll increase his scoring average, assist average and, by the All-Star Break, he’ll be in the conversation for best point guard in the league.

As for the entire time, it’s hard to see where a gray area exists for the Cavaliers this season. Either they take a major step forward, making the playoffs and pushing one of the upper-echelon teams in the first round behind star-making performance for Irving. The flip side of this is a lost season for the Cavaliers, where Bynum doesn’t play any a high number of games and the Cavaliers can’t find a semblance of a rotation and sputter out come April, missing the playoffs yet again and drafting in the lottery once again.

And when it comes down to it, I think the Cavaliers will sneak into the playoffs as an eighth seed. Behind Irving, a halfway decent season from Bynum (which only opens up more questions) and improvements from some of the young talent, the Cavaliers will win somewhere between 41 and 45 games.

That’s a step in the right direction. And considering how pitiful the last few seasons have been, can you really ask for more?

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