At the start of every season, each team in the NBA has a chance at the title. For some their place in the life cycle of an NBA team places their odds well below one percent — the rebuilding teams, the tanking teams, the treadmill-of-mediocrity teams — but for most there exists at least a chance.
That chance was minuscule to start the year for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but a strong season buoyed by multiple budding stars saw them come within a whisker of the playoffs. Alas, a pair of close losses in the Play-In Tournament has eliminated the Cavs from the postseason, and with it their whisker of a shot at the title.
The Cleveland Cavaliers can’t win a title this year. Can any former Cavs players win a championship on another playoff contender?
While the opportunity to win a title may not exist for any current Cavs, could it possibly exist for alumni of the Cavaliers’ organization? What former players have a chance at winning a title? What are the odds a former Cavalier of some kind wins the title? LeBron James won a title two years after leaving Cleveland, just as he did with the Miami Heat the first time around. As the Los Angeles Lakers are eliminated, he joins a bevy of other former Cavs (Isaiah Thomas, David Nwaba, Derrick Rose, Kevin Porter Jr.) who will be watching the playoffs from home.
Let’s take a quick and fun look around the playoff field and see whether anyone with the wine and gold in their closet has a shot at the title.