The NBA and the world of basketball were shaken to its core as the league entered this year’s free agency period and LeBron James announced he was returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers after 4 years and 2 championships with the Miami Heat. Interestingly, some of the books, including BETDSI, have installed the Cavaliers as favorites to win the NBA Championship in 2014-2015. They currently have Cleveland at (+350), while the defending World Champion San Antonio Spurs sit as second favorites at (+500).
The Cavaliers are supposedly not done with their return to relevance, as the front office is reported to be actively working to add all star power forward Kevin Love. The Cavs have appeared to be given credit for finishing the bevy of moves when the bookies set the line. They don’t have Kevin Love in the fold, despite all the talk that Love wants in, and LeBron talked to him, and that they are willing to part with incoming rookie superstar to be Andrew Wiggins to get him, Kevin Love is not in. So if they do pull it off, what are the odds going to go to then?
When James went to the Miami Heat, he was part of the Big Three, but even they took a year to adjust and did not win a championship in their first year. Heat coach Eric Spoelstra, had a ton of potential but he was untested. Some of the similarities are there. Cleveland’s new coach David Blatt has a reputation and a resume that hint at the cavalier’s having struck gold, but he too is untested.
Modern watchers of the NBA may have a reason to get mad at people who talk about Jordan, Bird and Russell and the NBA of years gone by in comparison. If you go back and watch Michael Jordan’s first NBA playoff appearance as a rookie, he led his team into battle with the mighty Boston Celtics. Jordan never stopped trying to will his team to victory, never once stood around waiting for his teammates to step up. He led the charge against hopeless odds with a ferocity that few can ever match in the annals of sports history. As great as he is as an individual player, we haven’t seen that ‘fire’ out of LeBron even two championships in. Pass on Cleveland as the favorites to win the championship, don’t believe the hype.
