King James Gospel
Fansided

What if the Cavaliers do not make the Finals?

By Duane Rohrbacher

Jun 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy after beating the Golden State Warriors in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy after beating the Golden State Warriors in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 3, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyle Korver (26) talks with forward LeBron James (23) during a break in the fourth quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Cavaliers won 135-130. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 3, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyle Korver (26) talks with forward LeBron James (23) during a break in the fourth quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Cavaliers won 135-130. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

Deron Williams and Kyle Korver Will Be Back

I think this happens either way. Deron Williams and Kyle Korver are perfect fits to surround LeBron. They are wily veterans, who will resign at cap-friendly deals.

There is no reason to scour the NBA for a 40% 3pt shooter and a backup floor general, when they exist on the roster already. Korver and Williams are the Cavs two biggest priorities this offseason, and win or lose, they will resign both of them to mid-sized deals to see if the Cavs can run it back in 2017-18.

Derrick Williams and a backup center are secondary priorities, and the Cavs lost confidence in Derrick as he has not played. After the failed Larry Sanders experiment, the Cavs signed Edy Tavares, who has been in a suit for each playoff game.

The Cavs are already deep with Shumpert, Korver, Williams, Frye, and Jefferson, so there is really no reason to spend a lot of time and money on getting to 12 or 13 deep. The Cavs will resign these two guys and try again.

Must Read: 3 Flaws the Cavaliers Showed Us in Their Sweep

Conclusion

If the Cavs somehow miss the NBA Finals for the third consecutive season, change will be on the horizon. David Griffin will leave the somewhat toxic environment (for a GM at least). The Cavs will bring in some combination of Anthony, Bosh, and Wade to appease LeBron. They will resign Deron Williams and Korver to 2- or 3-year deals at reasonable costs.

The Cavs will probably trade Kevin Love in desperation. The roster will look very similar to the 2016-17 version, and the burden will be on Ty Lue to fix what happened. Let’s hope this does not happen.