Cavaliers' Futures Odds Keep Climbing in Vegas
By Peter Dewey
There is no question that the biggest surprise of the 2021-22 NBA season to date is the impressive start by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland came into this season at +50000 to win the NBA title and +15000 to win the Eastern Conference at WynnBET Sportsbook.
WynnBET Senior Trading Manager Alan Berg explained last week why Cleveland’s odds hadn’t moved, citing the team’s young core and lack of experience as the main reasons why.
“Right now, it's mainly because they are just too young and inexperienced to make a real run," Berg told BetSided.
"But, the talent looks really good there. Evan Mobley is the real deal, Jarrett Allen has shown how great he is in the past few weeks and Darius Garland is showing why he was a Top-5 pick. There is a bright future, but the window is just not yet. As far as moving this year's version down in odds, we have to see some more wins. 13-12 isn't going to scare the bookmakers from taking that bet.”
Now, with the Cavs at 19-12 and in third in the Eastern Conference, things have changed. WynnBET has moved Cleveland to +10000 to win the NBA title and +4000 to win the Eastern Conference this season as it continues to impress.
The Cavs have been led by Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and rookie Evan Mobley this season, playing the NBA’s No. 2 defense and ranking fourth in the entire NBA in net rating (6.1).
While the Cavs certainly are young and have yet to experience a playoff run with this core, they have shown that their style of play can lead to wins this season.
Cleveland is also the best team in the NBA against the spread this season, going 24-5-2 which means they cover at an insane rate of 82.8 percent this season. To put this in perspective, the Golden State Warriors are second in the league in ATS record, and they cover 65.5 percent of the time.
Should Bettors Buy Stock in the Cavs?
While Cleveland is climbing in the odds, I still don’t think it is wise to back the Cavaliers in the futures market.
The Eastern Conference is extremely top heavy, specifically the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, and while Cleveland could put itself in position to win a playoff series, I don’t see it beating the star-filled rosters of Brooklyn or Milwaukee.
If you really want a long shot pick, you could do much worse than the Cavs, but I am not going to advise that this is a play in the futures market that will actually hit. Cleveland’s odds are as long as they are for a reason, the team simply lacks the top-tier talent to be a true contender at this state.
Cleveland is certainly a team to watch in the coming seasons, but don’t rush to get a Cavs ticket unless something serious happens to Milwaukee or Brooklyn this season.