Previewing the second half of the Cleveland Cavaliers 2020-21 season

After a few days away due to an annual All-Star break, the Cleveland Cavaliers are back tonight as they head to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans. There is reason for hope for this Cleveland team, they are playing better than initially expected despite being spoiled by early injuries. They won four of their last five before the All-Star break – including a 112-109 gutty win over the Philadelphia 76ers at the Eastern Conference. That is expected to return, and Kevin Love (calf), Larry Nance Jr. (hand) and Matthew Dellavedova (neck / decision) return to Cleveland ‘s circulation “hope soon”, according to league sources. Perhaps that move, coupled with the added depth, makes the Cavaliers feel good heading into the second half of the season. So much so that Cleveland can push to make themselves one of the lowest seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The thing is, can Cleveland achieve that? And should they even want to?

As previously mentioned, the Cavaliers open the second half of their record against the Pelicans and forward superstar Zion Williamson. By permission, New Orleans will be on the second half when they face Cleveland. However, Williamson, along with co – star Brandon Ingram, may be too much for the Cavaliers to handle. As soon as they cast their tilt Friday in New Orleans, the Cavaliers will travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks – a team they have beaten twice this season. After that, things then become brutal for a while for the Cavaliers.

For the rest of March here are the rest of Cleveland ‘s record: Miami, Boston, San Antonio, Toronto, Sacramento, Chicago, Los Angeles, Again Sacramento and Utah. They won’t then get a chance to catch their breath in April when they open the month against Philadelphia, Miami, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Toronto and New Orleans. Things get easier for a while after that for the Cavaliers as they take on the likes of Detroit and Washington. However, plenty of East and West Conference playoff risks are still more easily distributed between those matchups as well. Unfortunately, that’s just the nature of the beast in the NBA – especially in a world that is now under the control of a coronavirus. The league and teams need to plan team road trips accordingly and that’s how Cleveland got the unfortunate draw of a brutal start to the second half of their season.

That’s why whether you reach the playoffs for the Cavaliers, or even the new play-in tournament, feel like a fool’s gold more than anything. Yes, the Cavaliers have games on their schedule in the second half that they can win. However, the sheer power of playoff threats and title contestants in March and early April could put Cleveland into a tailspin record. Because of this, FiveThirtyEight gives the Cavaliers a 1% chance to make the playoffs, with a projected record of 25-47. Reference Basketball, meanwhile, gives Cleveland a 0.2% chance of making the playoffs, with a projected final record of 26-46.

“Cleveland is a young, hungry and scrappy squad that plays well under JB Bickerstaff,” said one scout at the Eastern Conference. “However, what it means is that they’re just going to be talented some nights, maybe most nights, and they’re out there for the second half of the season. They’ll be fine, though. This could be a blessing in dismay for them. ”

Is it disappointing that a wet blanket was thrown at what was shaping up to be a promising season for the Cavaliers? Yeah, a little bit. However, like the Eastern Conference scout mentioned above, there is a silver lining to this. Based on the predictions provided by FiveThirtyEight and Basketball-Reference, the Cavaliers are slated to finish with the fourth-worst record in the NBA. After finishing with the worst record in the league last season, the jump to fourth is proof that there is substantial growth for Cleveland ‘s rebuilding! Speaking of their rematch, finishing with the fourth worst record will help them in the long run the most.

With that record, the Cavaliers would be second best to get the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Cleveland are the lowest possible to go in eighth place and have a 25.7% chance of the sixth overall selection if the aforementioned projections are true. With that in mind, the Cavaliers could give a nab to one of the top players in a heavyweight draft class that will strengthen their schedule. If they landed first, it ‘s clear they would take on Oklahoma State superstar Cade Cunningham, who is expected to be a player similar to Luka Doncic. If Cleveland can’t get Cunninghame, there are still amazing options like Evan Mobley, Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Johnson available as well.

While he insists the Cavaliers are unlikely to be in the playoffs this season, he is for the best. It’s best to see the woods for the trees when it comes to Cleveland and not so easily try to get to the postseason. Because that means the Cavaliers can add a high-level prospect that they can do the middle of their rebuild. So far, Cleveland has amassed a nice collection of young talent but they need to find the one who will put it all together. They would be able to get that with any of the top players in the 2021 class draft and then the Cavaliers can focus on being a constant threat for playoffs.