Cleveland Cavaliers and the end of the Eastern Conference

With the Carmelo Anthony trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder, there’s a good chance that the East is done losing All-Stars. How did we get here? Who’s left? What’s going to happen?

Carmelo Anthony. Paul George. Jimmy Butler. Paul Millsap. The Eastern Conference lost four of its thirteen All-Stars from 2016-17. They gained one back in Gordon Hayward, but he’s not exactly a top-flight guy like George and Butler are. With a watered-down conference where tanking will be the norm and two teams will reluctantly make the playoffs, there’s a huge opportunity for the Cleveland Cavaliers to take flight.

How did we get here?

There’s an arm’s race. Similar to MLB’s summer of 2015, the 2017-2018 NBA season has turned into a modern-day arm’s race. Unlike the MLB though, the players are driving this race to the top.

After Kevin Durant and the most recent collective bargaining agreements laid the foundation for the superstar-driven super-teams, more and more players are controlling where they go and why. Want to get traded today? Tell your team. That’s what Paul George and Kyrie Irving did.

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In the past, superstars could demand trades and get their way. Shaq did this. Stephon Marburg did. But in today’s NBA, all you have to be is a top-20 player (or maybe top-30) to have enough leverage to get out of town.

Why the West?

Interestingly, these modern, star-driven, super-teams are all essentially in one conference: the Western Conference. For some reason unbeknownst to this writer, players and GMs would rather compete head-on against the Warriors in the playoffs than wait until the Finals to see them.

There’s a lot at play here, like that Houston had James Harden and OKC had Russell Westbrook. But what about the Timberwolves? Analysts expect them to make a huge jump, but are they a top-4 team? Doubtful.

Regardless, the Pacers, Knicks, and Bulls did the Cavs a HUGE favor by sending their stars out west. The Clippers did the same by keeping Chris Paul in the conference. So who’s left in the East?

Who’s left?

Outside of Cleveland and Boston, maybe Toronto and Washington are teams that might compete in the Final Four in the Eastern Conference. The Milwaukee Bucks will stroll into the five seed. After that, we are looking at a lot of mediocre, .500 teams making the playoffs.

What does this mean? The Cleveland Cavaliers likely won’t play a competitive series until the Eastern Conference Finals. Look for another opportunity for the Cavs to go 8-0 before heading to Boston. And with the likelihood that Chicago will soon buyout Dwayne Wade, there’s a good chance that the rich will get even richer soon.

As far as actual All-Stars, there’s a good chance we see some new faces donning the Eastern Conference All-Star roster this season. Can Dwight Howard make a comeback? Will another Buck make it? Only time will tell. But, we do know that the quality of players in the West is vastly superior to those in the East.

What’s going to happen?

Outside of Cleveland and Boston, nothing exciting is likely to happen in the East. With no marquee free agents on the table and no clear buy-out candidates (outside Wade) on the horizon, there’s a good chance that the East goes quietly into the night.

This could be the first time in a long time where more than two teams with overall losing records make the playoffs in one conference. Just four years ago, the Western Conference was the JV conference, sending out 7- and 8-seeds that were barely .500.

Today, the bottom four teams in the West might have a chance to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. A team like Denver or Minnesota, a clear 6-seed or lower in the West, would be a 3- or 4-seed in the East?

Will Toronto or Washington live up to what they have tried to build the last few years? Will the hyper-athletic, versatile Bucks make the next step? Can someone like the Heat or 76ers surprise? Probably not.

What does this mean for the Cleveland Cavaliers?

For the Cavs, this is a great chance to experiment. We all know that the Cleveland Cavaliers float during the regular season. Unfortunately, there’s an opportunity to do it, even more, this year.

Every other night will be a de facto night off against a tanking team. We are going to see a lot of wacky lineups and experimental sets as the Cavs blend in their new rotation players.

Positively, this is amazing. Experimentation always leads to better results. The Cleveland Cavaliers might find a new “death lineup” that crushes. Someone like Derrick Rose, playing on a winning team with very little pressure, could get back into form. Cedi Osman might take huge leaps as he gets more playing time than he would during a competitive regular season.

Must Read: How the Carmelo Anthony trade could help keep LeBron James in Cleveland

Overall, the Western Conference arm’s race is a net positive for the 2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the end of the Eastern Conference

By Duane Rohrbacher | Sep 25, 2017