Cavs Expectations
The Cleveland Cavaliers season is set to begin on October 30th and they will face off against the Brooklyn Nets. The 2013 season is a very important season for the Cavs because we are “supposed” to make the playoffs. There are also many headlines and sub-plots that are going to play out for the Cavs. For instance, everyone is very interested to see our number one draft pick, Anthony Bennett, play. There is also interest and concern around the health of key players especially our new acquisition Andrew Bynum. The season opener against The Brooklyn Nets is a good test for the Cavs to see if they will be a serious contender in the Eastern Conference.
Injuries have plagued the Cavaliers recently so getting a full healthy season from Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao is key to the Cavs’ success. The health of Andrew Bynum is the biggest question mark this season because he did not play a single game for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2012. Bynum really needs to be healthy because he is anticipated to be a big part of the Cavs’ winning strategy this year. Many have high hopes and expectations for Bynum because he had his best season under the Cavs’ new coach Mike Brown.
Another big story for the Cavs as we approach the season opener is the play of our new rookies Anthony Bennett and Sergey Karasev. Bennett was our first pick and was the number one draft pick overall out of UNLV and Karasev was our second pick and number nineteenth overall from Russia. Bennett is a power forward and is able to get a double double every game especially with his ability to rebound the ball. Karasev is a shooting guard and should get a lot of playing time if his defensive skills improve because he has a great shot especially from three-point territory. Also, if Bynum is able to play big minutes and stay healthy it will really help Anderson Varejao because he will come off the bench again as an energy guy for the Cavs this year. That was his role when he first came into the league and he does better in that role than as an every game starter.
Finally, a main headline for the Cavs team this year is the depth of our bench, which has the potential to be one of the best in the league. Our key bench players include C.J. Miles, Tyler Zeller, Anderson Varejao, Earl Clark, and Jarrett Jack. Coach Brown is a great defensive coach, and can use the strength of our bench to back up one of his favorite sayings “Defense wins championships.”
Top Cavs headlines to follow in 2013:
• Player health/injury
• Top rookie draft picks
• Bench players
• Return of Coach Mike Brown
-Dal Oprian
