The Smoking Cuban
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Dallas Mavericks: Four Playoff Teams With a Chance at 2019 Lottery

By Kohl Rast

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 17: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball against John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on December 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 17: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball against John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on December 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 25: LeBron James #23 and Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers slap hands during the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on March 25, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matteo Marchi/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** LeBron James; Kevin Love
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 25: LeBron James #23 and Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers slap hands during the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on March 25, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matteo Marchi/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** LeBron James; Kevin Love /

Cleveland Cavaliers

Obviously this pick comes from the idea that LeBron James will be leaving the team in the offseason. There is no way the Cavs could fall out of the playoffs while James is still there, but without him, that team is destined to be a lottery team.

The LeBron James sweepstakes will be heavy this year, with rumors of the Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Lakers all joining the hunt with the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s never too late for Boston or San Antonio to add their name to the list either. The threat of LeBron leaving, especially if they don’t win the title this year, seems pretty high. I don’t think he knows how to settle down in one area for too long.

The rest of the Cavaliers team is not built for success, not even in the Eastern Conference. If Kevin Love stuck around (which is not a guarantee by any means), the team would have one star but Love is not built to carry a team. He proved that at Minnesota and he would prove it again in Cleveland.

The rest of the team may be able to keep up a little bit but not nearly enough to make a playoff splash. This should speak to two different things that are correlated but do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. One, LeBron James is still good enough to single-handedly carry a team to the playoffs. Two, The East is still a really week conference. It’s just the sad truth.

Next: Four Lottery Teams with a Chance at 2019 NBA Playoffs

These four teams will have decisions to make this summer. If the decision I am predicting is made, we could see any combination of these four teams outside the playoffs in the upcoming NBA season.