The Cleveland Cavaliers Futures Odds (BetDSI Sportsbook)
Cleveland Cavaliers to win the Central Division: -1000
Cleveland Cavaliers to win the Eastern Conference: -150
Cleveland Cavaliers to win the NBA Championship: +450
Cleveland Cavaliers Total Win Prediction: Total 53.5 (Over -115, Under -115)
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t finish at the top of the Eastern Conference in the regular season in 2016/17, winning 51 matches while the Boston Celtics had 53 wins. However, they managed to win the conference after defeating the Celtics in five games in the Eastern Finals, but the Golden State Warriors eliminate them in five encounters to cling the NBA title.
This offseason brought plenty of excitement to the Cavs fans and also a lot of roster movement, but the general opinion is that they have a slightly better team this time around. Cleveland looks better this time around, and it seems that they are more prepared to fight for the championship. Kyrie Irving left the team in a sensational blockbuster trade that saw Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and Ante Zizic going the other way from Boston. With the addition of a free agent Derrick Rose, the Cavs have a lot of potential, and it is no wonder why they are the second favorites to win the title, and the first one to win the Eastern Conference.
Read on to find out more about the Cleveland Cavaliers offseason moves and the 2017/2018 futures and props brought to you by BetDSI Sportsbook. Also, don’t forget to visit our Get More Sports website for more NBA teams season previews.
The 2017/2018 Cleveland Cavaliers Roster
Arrivals: Jose Calderon, Jeff Green, Jae Crowder, Cedi Osman, Derrick Rose, Isaiah Thomas, Ante Zizic.
Departures: Kyrie Irving, James Jones, Deron Williams, Derrick Williams, Dahntay Jones.
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t have the right to pick in the 2017 NBA Draft because of the various transactions and deals in the past few years, but they did sign a contract with the Turkish international Cedi Osman. Osman was initially selected by the Cavs with the 31st pick overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, but he stayed in Turkey and represented Anadolu Efes in the last couple of seasons. The 22-year-old small forward will likely struggle for playing time after being listed as the No. 4 option at the SF position behind LeBron James, Kyle Korver, and Richard Jefferson.
Jose Calderon joined the Cavaliers following 2016/17 when he played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks, but he didn’t play a significant role and averaged just around 13 minutes per contest. With Isaiah Thomas and Derrick Rose at the point guard position, the 35-year-old Spaniard should not get more than a few minutes per match, but given Rose’s injury history, Calderon could see extended playing time at some point of the season. Another free agent that arrived in Cleveland this summer is Jeff Green, once a quite talented player who had a great few seasons with the Thunder and Celtics, but now is just a rotational player. The 31-year-old forward spent the 2016/17 with the Orlando Magic, averaging 9.2 ppg and 3.1 rpg in 22.2 mpg (all career lows), and will serve as the No. 4 option at the PF spot behind Kevin Love, Jae Crowder, and Channing Frye.
Ante Zizic was a part of Isaiah Thomas and Kyrie Irving trade, and the Croatian center spent the previous season in Turkey with Darussafaka. The 20-year-old had solid displays in the EuroLeague, averaging 13.3 ppg and 6.7 rpg in 21.9 mpg. Tristan Thompson and Edy Tavares are ahead of him in the pecking order, but the talented center could get the opportunity to be Thompson’s backup and receive around 15 minutes per game when Tavares is inactive. Derrick Rose decided to quit the New York Knicks and test the free agency with hopes of signing for the title contenders, so Cleveland granted his wish and offered him a contract. The former MVP and three-time All-Star came to Cleveland after playing the last year for the Knicks, where he averaged more points per game (18.0) than in any of previous three seasons. The 28-year-old couldn’t appear in every match but managed to play in 64, which is a good number considering his injury problems since the 2011/12 campaign. Still, I expect his playing time to be reduced significantly as D-Rose will have to play behind Isaiah Thomas on the depth chart, but can do great things for the team and help them in their title pursuit.
Jae Crowder had a season of his career in 2016/17 for the Celtics, averaging 13.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg, and 2.2 apg in 32.4 mpg (all career highs). He became a very important player in Boston, and although is the small forward, Crowder will be deployed at the power forward position, to serve as Kevin Love’s backup. The 27-year-old came in a package with Thomas and Zizic and will significantly boost Cleveland’s bench that looks quite impressive at the moment.
Finally, the Cavs biggest reinforcement of the season, Isaiah Thomas, joined them in a move that only a few could predict as nobody believed the Celtics could give up on a player who restored their championship aspirations. Thomas had out of this world season in Boston last year, averaging a career high 28.9 ppg, 5.9 apg, and 2.2 rpg in 33.8 mpg, earning the All-Star invitation in the process. Thomas led the Celtics to the regular season Eastern Conference title and the Conference Finals as well. He is not a very different player from Irving; both of them are more shooting guards than point guards, so Cleveland will not lose anything by letting Irving go. Thomas’ playing minutes might take a slight hit with D-Rose as his backup, but with such PG’s on the roster, the Cavs will be a dominant force in the East.
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
| Isaiah Thomas | JR Smith | LeBron James | Kevin Love | Tristan Thompson |
| Derrick Rose | Iman Shumpert | Kyle Korver | Jae Crowder | Edy Tavares |
| Jose Calderon | Richard Jefferson | Channing Frye | Ante Zizic | |
| Kay Felder | Cedi Osman | Jeff Green |
James Jones retired from professional basketball after playing in the NBA for 14 seasons, winning three NBA titles and also the NBA Three-Point Shootout event in 2011. The former Miami Heat shooting guard represented the Cavs in the past three seasons but was just a fringe player. Still, he won the 2015/16 championship and the Cavs fans will always remember him fondly. Derrick Williams came to Cleveland last year as an emergency option and signed a 10-day contract in February, eventually staying with the team for the remainder of the campaign. The 26-year-old power forward appeared in 25 games for Cleveland, averaging 6.2 ppg and 2.3 rpg in 17.1 mpg, but after the Cavs decided not to offer him a contract extension, Derrick became an unrestricted free agent. The similar situation was with Deron Williams, who came to Cleveland in the second part of the season from the Dallas Mavericks. He played in 20 matches for the Cavs, averaging 7.5 ppg and 3.6 apg in 20.3 mpg, which were quite low numbers for the point guard of his quality, and the Cavs didn’t want to extend his deal. The three-time All-Star is now looking for a new team.
The player of the highest caliber that left Cleveland this offseason is certainly Kyrie Irving, and even though he had the season of his career in 2016/17, the Cavs got a similar player in return, and I don’t think they will miss the four-time All-Star. Irving did have a terrific season, though, averaging 25.2 ppg, 5.8 apg, 3.4 rpg, and 1.3 spg in 35.1 mpg, but the former No. 1 pick overall went to Boston after six years in Ohio. With Isaiah Thomas and Derrick Rose now on the roster, the Cavs seems better than with Irving and Williams in 2016/17, while Kyrie will undoubtedly become the leader of the Boston Celtics.
The only new player in the Cavs starting lineup is Thomas, who will play alongside LeBron, Love, Smith, and Thompson, and this is the probably best starting five in the East. However, the second and even third units are very good and filled with experienced players who can contribute in the hunt for the title. That is something that other teams don’t have, and if the Cavs win the NBA trophy this season, it’s going to be because of their depth.
The Bottom Line and Total Win Prediction
The Cleveland Cavaliers are clearly the best team in the Eastern Conference, and while the Celtics will be their most serious rivals for the conference title, I think nobody can stop them in the Central Division. Last year they failed to clinch the regular season conference title but I believe they will this time around, and they should surpass their total season wins from 2016/17. The bookies also think so, and the BeDSI Sportsbook set the number of seasons wins at 53.5, so I suggest you to go with over on this one as the Cavs could get up to 60 victories in 2017/18.
Season total wins: 53.5 Over (-115)
