If the Cavaliers' season has taught us two things, they are: Kyrie Irving gives the franchise potential for a promising future, but it's one that won't be realized for a few years.
Even with the addition of two first-round draft picks next season, the Cavs probably are no better than an opening-round appetizer for Chicago or Miami, assuming the Heat is still intact.
That's not necessarily a bad thing. The Cavaliers might come of age at a perfect time in the Eastern Conference, whose top teams are either at the apex, or their powers are beginning to wane.
Put another way, the Cavs should have fewer major obstacles than a similar team in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City, Memphis, Minnesota and the Los Angeles Clippers are all teams on the rise.
The Thunder is set for the foreseeable future, with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook under contract through at least 2016. The Grizzlies, who promise to be a tough out this spring, can also keep their core together. Chris Paul gives the Clippers an elite point guard in his prime, and the Timberwolves possess the coveted point guard-big man tandem in Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love.
Those are four organizations with legitimate futures, and we've made no mention of the Los Angeles Lakers or Dallas Mavericks. Compare that picture to the one in the East.
The Boston Celtics' days near the top are dwindling. Yes, you've heard that before. They are, after all, the Hyman Roths of the NBA, dying of the same heart attack for years. But there simply isn't much life left in Doc Rivers' club. The New York Knicks, who have no stomach for slow rebuilds, socked all their money into Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler and bought a lovely sixth-place team for years to come.
Philadelphia. Atlanta and Indiana are good teams that will fall short of becoming great because they can't draft high enough to get there. The Orlando Magic could well be without its best two assets, Dwight Howard and Stan Van Gundy, by this time next season.
The Bulls are the one Eastern Conference team that appears to have a sustainable run in them. Derrick Rose is just 24, and the Bulls might be a piece removed from a title.
As for the Heat, it could be as close to disassembly as a championship parade. They remain the favorites this season, but the window on multiple titles could be closing rapidly, as Dwyane Wade's body breaks down and LeBron James talks publicly of opting out of his contract in two seasons.
The new collective bargaining agreement has given them little wiggle room to add legitimate parts.When Pat Riley and James are having to woo Ronny Turiaf, you know depth is a concern. With the playoffs approaching, the team suddenly can't win on the road against quality opposition. The grand experiment on South Beach could be the last of its kind for a while.
None of this guarantees the Cavs as much as a single playoff victory in the next five years if General Manager Chris Grant misses on a high draft pick, or Irving becomes injury prone, or the Cavs evolve no further than the Atlanta Hawks.
But Cavaliers fans remember the frustration of Mark Price and Brad Daugherty not being able to get past the Detroit Pistons and then Michael Jordan's Bulls. Fortunes can change rapidly in this league. As James was leading Cleveland to the 2007 NBA Finals, he didn't know the Celtics were about to construct the Big Three. Tweaks to the system, however, will make it increasingly difficult to win with three max contracts on the same roster.
It will be interesting to monitor the progress of other Eastern rebuilds such as Washington, New Jersey, Toronto, Detroit and Charlotte. The Pistons are quietly constructing potential with Rodney Stuckey, Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight.
The Cavaliers of Irving, Tristan Thompson and Alonzo Gee remain a long way from title contention. But the road there seems much less congested than the one west of Chicago.
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