King James Gospel
Fansided

10 Off-season moves the Cleveland Cavaliers must make if LeBron James leaves

By Tony Pesta

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images /
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CLEVELAND,OH – Rodney Hood #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers high five in Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals on June 8, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND,OH – Rodney Hood #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers high five in Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals on June 8, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Players 5-7: Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr.

The Cavaliers should do everything they can to ensure all three of these players remain in Cleveland.

Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr are all under the age of 27. They all have untapped potential. To be clear, I don’t think any of them are going to explode into superstars or anything. But they can be solid members of an NBA team.

Hood, in particular, could become an NBA All-Star playing for the Cavaliers. He would be one of the primary options on offense. Meaning his number should shoot up. Furthermore, Hood has become vastly underrated. He had an underwhelming season in Cleveland, but for good reasons. He was clearly unhappy with his role and never got the shine he deserved. This is a guy who went from taking 14 shots per game in Utah to only nine per game in Cleveland.

As for Clarkson and Nance, they would see increased roles as well. They would be asked to carry a heavier load, but they would be dealing with lower expectations. Because of this, I think they would flourish in Cleveland. They wouldn’t be stars, but they would become fan favorites.

These players are all young and hungry to win games. They don’t want to be stuck in the lottery every year. This is exactly what the Cavaliers want. Nobody want’s to tank in order to rebuild the team. The goal is to stay competitive while also forming the future.