Will LeBron be the MVP? Will his Cavaliers repeat as NBA champions? What moves should Cleveland make to give it the best chance at repeating?
Our NBA Insiders debate the 2016-17 season for the defending champs.
1. Will LeBron James be the best player in the league this season?
Brian Windhorst, ESPN.com: Yes, but he probably won't be the MVP. Over the past several years, James has taken a slow build-up approach into the season. His energy level, especially on defense, has habitually been low in the first two months. This has hurt his stats and led some to conclude he is losing a step.
Perhaps there's truth there, but no matter how he performs over the next couple of months, just remember what he did in Games 5-7 of the NBA Finals last June.
Amin Elhassan, ESPN Insider: He's certainly the most versatile -- and still can dominate every facet of the game -- but I think part of being the best player is being able to consistently put forth that effort on a night-in, night-out basis -- something that quite frankly doesn't serve James anymore.
He paced himself last year, and as a result had a lot more left in the tank in the Finals than he did the year before. I expect that pacing to continue and perhaps become even more drastic.
Jeremias Engelmann, ESPN Insider: Last season's race for "best player in the league" was extremely close. Going by Real Plus-Minus, LeBron overtook Steph Curry only in the last few weeks of the playoffs. Warriors fans would probably say Steph's knee injury had something to do with that. Given there are so many other candidates -- Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and even Draymond Green -- I would have to say no.
Bradford Doolittle, ESPN Insider: I suspect James' MVP days are behind him. I think he's still the best player in the league in that he can outplay anybody on a given night if he decides he wants to do it. But at this juncture, he's secure enough in his past accolades and the level of his current team to use the regular season to prep for the playoffs. Then he'll be the best player in the playoffs.
Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider: Not for the regular season. But in the playoffs? Nobody is better.
2. Going forward, how stable or volatile will the trio of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love be?
Windhorst: Somewhat stable. Even though the Love fit remains less than perfect, the Cavs are dedicated to it for the time being. You can pitch trades, scenarios and game plans where other options make more sense on paper -- especially against the Warriors.
But the Cavs can point to the Finals when Love played, which they won, and to the Finals that he didn't play, which they lost. And all these guys are now under long-term deals. So let the Love speculation continue -- I don't think the Cavs care right now.
Elhassan: Very stable. Winning goes a long way in relieving tensions and stress, as the sacrifices made along the journey are justified with a championship. Also, as James' focus on rest and pacing intensifies, the night-to-night opportunities on the offensive end grow for Love and Irving, letting them feel a greater sense of involvement.
Engelmann: Somewhat volatile. I believe the most likely scenario is the Cavs coming out of the East, then getting stomped by the Warriors in the Finals. Cavs management will then probably look to shake things up, and with Love presumably not looking great in the 2017 Finals due to being matched up with Green, he'll probably be the one that gets dealt.
Doolittle: Very stable. For many teams, Irving or Love would be the top producer. But with the Cavs, their individual production will suffer, and the full range of their games is marginalized -- especially for Love as the third wheel. Still, they won a title and have played together for two years now. As they go through their first full season under coach Tyronn Lue, I suspect they will only coalesce more and more from here.
Pelton: Somewhat stable. At some point, the challenge the Warriors present may force the Cavaliers to rethink their core. But I can't see that happening until they've lost a Finals rematch at the earliest.
3. What kind of move(s), if any, would get the Cavs closer to another title?
Pelton: Upgrading at backup point guard. With all due respect to Kay Felder, fresh off a high-scoring preseason effort, his best skill -- shot creation -- is not what the Cavaliers need, so I'd like for them to acquire someone more in the mold of the departed Matthew Dellavedova.
Engelmann: Re-sign Dellavedova to a long-term deal. Oh, wait. Unfortunately for the Cavs, the now-departed Dellavedova was just what they needed -- a no-nonsense PG with tenacious defense and the ability to hit open 3s. As it is, Kay Felder (who?) is Cleveland's backup PG.
Windhorst: They could use another good wing player. They're hoping Iman Shumpert returns to the way he played in the playoffs two years ago. That would solve some issues. But if they have to go to an all-wing lineup, which may be needed in a Finals rubber match, they're a man short at the moment.
Also, they have an issue at backup point guard. They can talk all they want about doing it by committee, but Dellavedova played a real and important role the past two years, especially because Irving has an injury history.
Doolittle: I think they are going to have to upgrade with veterans at a couple of backup spots, assuming they are able to work things out with J.R. Smith. They have a chance early in the season to give Kay Felder some run, but it's hard to imagine he'll give them what they got last season from Matthew Dellavedova, and I don't see Toney Douglas as the answer, either. And even with Chris Andersen on board, they could use another small-role rebounder/rim-protector type.
Elhassan: Bringing back J.R. Smith should be a priority, as his scoring and athleticism and occasional bouts of defensive focus contributed greatly throughout the season and the playoffs. Backup point guard is also a point of concern with the departure of Dellavedova and the retirement of Mo Williams.
4. How likely are the Cavs to win the East?
Engelmann: 60 percent. I believe the Cavs are a bit weaker due to the departure of Delly. The Raptors lost Bismack Biyombo, so the Celtics probably moved into the No. 2 spot.
According to my projections, the race for the No. 1 seed shapes up to be closer than people think. If the Celics end up with a better record than the Cavs -- and have homecourt advantage -- things could get really interesting.
Elhassan: 90 percent. There is a significant drop between the Cavs and the rest of the East, with the Celtics looking like the only team that can somewhat matchup. Truth be told, probably the only thing that could beat Cleveland is an ill-timed injury.
Doolittle: 80 percent. It's only this low to hedge against an injury and a possible season-long stalemate with Smith. Even if the Cavs cruise through the season, they should win enough to get the top seed. They just have too much of a buffer with the rest of the conference. That gap will hold up in the playoffs, just as it has the past two seasons.
Pelton: 75 percent. Absent an injury to one of their stars, it's hard to see the Cavaliers losing before the Finals. But the Celtics or Raptors may yet prove better than expected, and maybe LeBron drops off and is no longer the East's ultimate trump card.
Windhorst: 75 percent. I'm not foolish enough to predict injuries, trades and other unforeseeable acts that will unfold over the Eastern Conference so let's allow legit wiggle room. If reasonably healthy, I think it would be very hard for an East team to beat the Cavs four times at the moment. LeBron hasn't lost an East playoff series since 2010. Someday this streak will end but it's probably going to take an outside act that we can't see right now for it to happen this season.
5. Will the Cavs repeat as champs?
Elhassan: No. The Warriors were the better team last year and effectively were the cause of their own ruination, whether it was because of Draymond Green's lack of impulse control or coach Steve Kerr's questionable substitution patterns. One would imagine that a year of anguish over those poor decisions will sharpen the sword, and, oh yeah, they also added a bazooka by the name of Kevin Durant.
Windhorst: I'm not committing to anything that's eight months away. The pool of real contenders is smaller this year than normal, and they are on it, so they will have a chance.
Doolittle: No. My gut feeling, even as a very mild Warriors skeptic, is that we'll see the Cavs and Warriors in the Finals once again. And this will be Kevin Durant's year. That on-paper gap the Cavs have over the rest of the East, the Warriors have it over the rest of the NBA. But ask me again in a month.
Engelmann: No. It took injuries to Curry, Iguodala and Bogut for the Cavs to win the title against a team that was significantly weaker than what the Warriors will roll out now. The 2017 NBA title is very much the Warriors' to lose.
Pelton: Maybe! But I'd say it's less likely than not. When besting the Warriors required a historic comeback, it's hard to bet on a repeat even absent two key differences this year: Steph Curry's health and Kevin Durant.
Bonus: What is your take on the J.R. Smith situation?
Windhorst: I see both sides. Smith has had two strong seasons for the Cavs and hasn't gotten into any trouble for a year and a half. He believes he has earned a deal for multiple years -- and at the market rate of between $12-15 million a year.
The Cavs, whatever their offer is, see no reason to raise it because there are no other bidders. But the truth is they both need each other. J.R. will ultimately get the best deal of his career, and the Cavs will find a middle ground where they get comfortable with the risk.
Elhassan: The Cavs are playing this correctly. Smith has salary demands that cannot be met by almost any other team in the league, and the ones that can pay him have shown no interest. He is at a stage where he can either accept Cleveland's offer or stay home and not get paid. I imagine a compromise will be made by signing another short-term deal with his hoping the market for him will resurrect next summer.
Engelmann: At this point I don't think Smith has any option left but to sign with the Cavs for whatever they offer, unless he wants to go play in China, as all other formerly interested teams have spent their money. Next offseason, Smith should consider talking to more than one team.
Doolittle: There has to be a middle ground here. Smith has no leverage -- no one is going to pay him anything near $15 million. The Cavs need him more than any other team, if only to keep James happy. They found a championship formula, and you don't tamper with that, especially less than a month before the season starts. They can't find a comparable player. But Smith needs to be reasonable, as well.
Pelton: I'm not going to worry about it until opening night. Smith can slot right into the starting 5, and I can't imagine a resolution that has him leaving Cleveland.