Oh look at you!
You got the Cavs at 30-1!!
Boy, aren't you special!!!
The odds went down to 3-1 after that! You timed the LBJ homecoming and subsequent Love signing PERFECTLY!
Give yourself a pat on the back!
No with your other hand, find the lighter fluid and make your way over to your stove top.
Speaking of Stove Top, grab some from the cabinet above, because the books stuffed you good as the Cavs odds fell like an anvil.
You think the books are scared of those 30-1 tickets? Please. They will be fanning their face with them after you drop them on the Bellagio book floor, 30-1 or 3-1.
Let me say this:
You lose to two teams that are completely awful at the moment AT HOME, in the Knicks (who are going through extreme growing pains and god knows when they will be able to implement the triangle effectively), and the Nuggets (who BeginnerBoy appropriately said was an automatic fade at the moment), you are not winning the championship. The Cavs should be wiping their feet on these teams while the Knicks and Nuggets use their own towels to wipe the Cavs as*.
The league is destroying these two teams right now and not one but BOTH, come in and assert their will on the mighty Cavs.
I'll put it to you straight:
1) Although there are many new faces, the core of the Cavs that were there when LBJ arrived can only be described in one word: LOSERS.
I followed this team all last year.
This team, KYRIE included, lost AT HOME to a Laker team that had a guy playing with six fouls because they didn't have 6 healthy players.
This team got SMOKED by a Hawks team that was universally derided as tanking, all the while the Cavs (fairly embarrassing that they had a shot at the playoffs with 32 wins at that time) playoff hopes hinged in the balance.
Kyrie is a dog. He'll put up great numbers and then the grumbling and disenchantment will begin when the wins don't follow. Then his play will drop off.
Waiters? A talented troublemaker and guy who will refuse to fall in line when things go sour.
Varejao? Past his prime. Playing motivated ball for now but he only has so much left in the tank. Thompson? Will fade like a fart in the wind.
Guys they brought in?
Miller - looks like he's done. He'll show up at some point but this is no longer a guy who plays clutch playoff basketball.
Marion - a mess right now.
No bench.
Love - a guy who is a fantasy league dream, and that is what his playoff history looks like...complete fantasy. Has won nothing and plays matador defense. Golden State fans must be overjoyed this guy stayed out of their uniform.
LBJ - The greatest player in the world decides to spend his offseason coming home....and making commercials while losing muscle mass.
Folks, write it down right now: those tickets ARE TOAST.
If they should ever get to the finals, the representative will smoke them like a cheap joint. I'd love it to be the Spurs to have LBJ smacked up twice in two cities.
Lastly, and something everyone is overlooking with this roster: the camaraderie.
Wade was a good friend and immediately handed over the keys to the city when LBJ arrived, surrendering his team for the ultimate reward, all while still being one of the best players in the game.
Bosh knew EXACTLY what he should be and when to be it: A third wheel. Allen? Along for the ride and knew when he was needed picking up the slack when other guys were lethargic.
And now LBJ has to have similar camaraderie with Love, Kyrie, Waiters, Varejao and a guy named Tristan? PLEASE!
And remember, the Heat DID NOT even win that first year with a MUCH stronger team than this one!
You have to go all the way to cash those futures tickets. All the way as in, win the final game of the 2014-2015 season or guess how much you get:
Absolutely nothing!
Sorry guys, this futures goose....is cooked.
And please, bump this thread in some alternate universe if they should ever win it all.
Not gonna happen folks. Save your money next time and buy a soda pop.