Former GM Says LeBron James’ Cavs Faced Lesser Competition in East as Compared to Current-Day Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the middle of their most successful tenure since the departure of LeBron James. For the majority of the franchise’s existence, they have been among the worst teams in the NBA. They had a decent stretch in the late 1980s and early 90s. However, the shift really began once James was on the roster during his two stints.

Specifically, the second time around, the Cavaliers were an Eastern Conference powerhouse. Typically, teams don’t like to look too far ahead, so the Cavaliers didn’t pay much mind to the rest of the East.

In the 2013-14 season, the Cavaliers strung together a decent season in comparison to the years prior. The team was recovering from the damage James left when he joined the Miami Heat in 2010. Luckily, they landed the top overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, which resulted in them signing Kyrie Irving.

The first three seasons post-LeBron consisted of fewer than 25 wins each year. In the 2013-14 campaign, the Cavaliers finished with a 33-49 record. The future appeared bright. That light would become blinding once LeBron decided to return to the team.

Cleveland immediately became a championship contender. Actually, they were the only championship contender in the Eastern Conference. They would reach the NBA Finals for four consecutive seasons, facing off against the Golden State Warriors each time.

Despite a few seven-game series’ along the way, there was never much of a doubt that the Cavaliers would represent the conference. That belief was strong even within the team’s front office.

“One of the things we benefited from was we were in a historically bad Eastern Conference,” former Cavaliers general manager David Griffin said on BigPlay Sports Network. “All through those years, we really knew the target was the Western Conference team.”

David Griffen on the LeBron Cavs teams vs the current Cavs team

“One of the things we benefited from was we were in a historically bad Eastern Conference. All through those years, we really knew the target was the Western Conference team. There was nobody in the East who was… pic.twitter.com/ckcAUwI29q

— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) February 14, 2026

David Griffin was the man responsible for putting together the Cavaliers’ championship roster. He pulled off outstanding trades like acquiring Kevin Love, as well as J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert. Plenty of other Eastern Conference teams also strived to build a contender the time, but unlike the Cavs, they weren’t quite able to keep up.

Notoriously, the Toronto Raptors were the second-most successful team in the East during this span. They held the top seed in the Conference in multiple seasons, but weren’t able to put forth much of a fight against the Cavaliers.

Even during the Atlanta Hawks’ historic 2015 season, when they boasted a 60-22 record,  they coasted through the regular season, just for the Cavaliers to dismantle them in four games in the Eastern Conference Finals. It should be noted that the Cavaliers definitely benefited from a weaker East. Unfortunately, this current team doesn’t have the same privilege.

Many believe the West to be more talented than the East, which may be true, but it’s undeniable that the conference is much better than it was 10 years ago. The New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, and Philadelphia 76ers are all teams capable of making some noise.

Although this current constructed version of the Cavaliers is a title contender, their path to the Finals isn’t as easy as it was during the LeBron era, which even Griffin can admit.

“This Cavs team, with Donovan, is trying to do what they’re doing in an Eastern Conference that is significantly more competitive than what we had. So just making the finals will be significant,” Griffin declared.

The Cavaliers are fresh off the heels of an extremely disappointing postseason. They have committed to this season with the recent acquisition of James Harden for Darius Garland.

If there’s a time to finally get over the hump, it is now. An NBA Finals berth is certainly a possibility, which Griffin would consider a huge win, even if they fall short of their ultimate goal of winning a championship.

The post Former GM Says LeBron James’ Cavs Faced Lesser Competition in East as Compared to Current-Day Cavaliers appeared first on The SportsRush.

from The SportsRush https://ift.tt/Oos2HGq