King James Gospel
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The Sad Truth: The Cleveland Cavaliers have no Eastern Conference challenges

By Nathan Beighle

CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 17: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks to get around Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena on October 17, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland won the game 102-99. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 17: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks to get around Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena on October 17, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland won the game 102-99. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Due to Gordon Hayward’s gruesome leg injury, the Cleveland Cavaliers no longer of any competition in the Eastern Conference.

The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers are the only two teams in the Eastern Conference that ESPN projected to win 50+ games. The Celtics, just like the Cavaliers, completely remodeled their team this offseason. But, with the recent injury to Gordon Hayward, that will be backing firing on them.

When ESPN was doing their summer forecast, they said this regarding Hayward and the C’s:

"So it’s not entirely unexpected that they’re projected for “only” 54 wins despite the addition of prized free agent Gordon Hayward. And it’s not as if Hayward came without a cost — Boston had to ship out defensive stalwart Avery Bradley to clear cap space for the former Jazz All-Star."

The season before, ESPN projected them 51 wins. 51 wins when Thomas and Horford were the No. 1 and 2 options. But, is Al Horford even going to be the second option? Both this season and last season it was assumed that Horford would be a key offensive option. Instead, this season, it might be Jaylen Brown, who showed flashes of stardom in the season opener, and last season it ended up being Avery Bradley.

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The Celtics made sacrifices to bring in Gordon Hayward. They traded Jae Crowder, watched Avery Bradley go to Detroit, and shipped IT to Cleveland. Without Hayward, the Celtics lack depth, scoring, and playmaking. Without Hayward, the Celtics are not a threat to the Cavaliers.

What about the rest of the Eastern Conference? The Washington Wizards? While John Wall and Bradley Beal have done enough to earn the Cavaliers’ respect, their team is one solid star away from being a true contender, and the same can be said for the Toronto Raptors. The only team that still interests me is the Milwaukee Bucks. They have shooting, length, rebounding, and a star to control the game. Being a young team with Brogdon, Middleton, and Giannis still developing, they are certainly still a couple seasons away from being a serious contender. In two-three seasons, it could be Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Boston fighting for the East, but not now.

In the end, this might be the one time I agree with Sir Charles.

Charles Barkley, the retired NBA star and TNT analyst, told Marc Stein in a recent interview that acting like it won’t be the Warriors-Cavs in the Finals is the hardest part of his job. Specifically, Barkley said this:

"The toughest thing for me is I have to get on TV and fake it for seven months that it’s not going to be the Warriors and Cavs in the finals again,"

To be fair, Barkley’s comments might have been premature, especially with the resilience we saw from Boston in their opener against the Cavaliers. Nonetheless, now Barkley’s statement is too true. We will be waiting all season for another Finals’ rematch. For the casual fan, they can tune the NBA out, and it’s the sad truth.

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The NBA has exciting players, but for now, the Eastern Conference does not have a single team that will rival the Cleveland Cavaliers.