With 8 wins and 5 losses, the favorite to win the championship has fallen! The total salary ranks first in the league, and the Cavaliers are about to rebuild.

The new regular season lasted for three weeks, continuing the pattern of the strong west and weak east in the past few decades. Among the top five teams in the league, four are in the Western Conference, and only the Pistons remain competitive in the Eastern Conference. In particular, the Thunder and Nuggets, the top two teams in the Western Conference, have net efficiency values ​​of +15.6 and +13.3 respectively. If they can maintain this level of efficiency, they can go down in history. But one thing is very interesting. There are only 9 teams in the Western Conference with a winning rate of more than 50%, including the Grizzlies, Clippers, and Mavericks. The decline is unexpected. Everyone has their own lessons. The Grizzlies and Mavericks want to break up the team. The Clippers are like headless flies, leaving only Harden. In the East, 10 teams have a winning rate of over 50%. Except for the Nets + Wizards, who are not enterprising, and the Pacers, who are short of major generals, the gap between the other teams is not big.

Looking back on the predictions of the US media during the offseason, in the East, when Celtics boss Tatum and Pacers boss Haliburton both suffered serious Achilles tendon injuries, it was inevitable to withdraw from the competition in the new season. On paper, there are only two favorites in the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers and Knicks. The total salary of these two teams is among the top two in the league, but neither of them has played a dominant role. The Cavaliers, in particular, had an impressive record of 64 wins and 18 losses in the regular season last season, locking in the first place in the Eastern Conference early in the regular season. However, they were eliminated by the Pacers in the second round of the playoffs. The team didn't make any big moves during the offseason. They just sent away Jerome and traded Okoro for Ball. In the first 13 games, they had 8 wins and 5 losses. This result, compared with the team's expenditure, is very bad!

Looking at several sets of data, the Cavaliers averaged 122.2 points per game this season, fifth in the league, but averaged 118.2 points per game, ranking 19th in the league. The net efficiency value +3.8 ranks 11th in the league. For comparison, the Cavaliers averaged 121.9 points per game +121.7 offensive efficiency last season, both ranked first in the league, and ranked second in the league in net efficiency +9.5. The outstanding feature of the Cavaliers this season is "instability." They can beat the Pistons, the No. 1 player in the Eastern Conference, by 21 points, and they can also lose two games in a row to the Raptors, including a 20-point defeat to the Celtics, who are No. 11 in the Eastern Conference. In just one summer, they went from being the strongest team in the league to being in the middle of the pack. What's the problem? Let’s start with salary. The Cavaliers' strongest starting five this season are Mitchell 46.39 million + Mobley 46.39 million + Garland 39.45 million + Hunter 23.3 million + Allen 20 million, which is 176 million US dollars.

On the bench there is Strus 15.94 million + Ball 10 million + Merrill 8.48 million, which has reached 210 million, surpassing the second richest line! Including the salaries of other marginal players, the Cavaliers are expected to have a total salary of 226 million this season, and they will need to pay about 150 million in luxury tax. This is an expenditure of close to 380 million! Last season's Cavaliers were all at a glance: they were invincible in the regular season, but in the playoffs, the two 1.85-meter small guards Mitchell and Garland became the biggest defensive loophole. After the key Garland fell injured, no one could fill the gap in his support organization. Going directly to the data, in the playoffs last season, with Garland and Mitchell on the court at the same time, the team lost 11.3 points per 100 possessions! During the offseason, Garland underwent surgery on the big toe of his left foot. He was sidelined for 5 months and came back to play 3 games. However, his left foot was injured again!

is similar to Xiaoka. He is absent continuously and has no specific return date! And the backup point guard signed by the team, Ball, averaged 6 points and 5.4 assists per game. When the team was on the court, the team lost by 5.4 points per 100 possessions. When he was not on the court, the team won by 9.4 points per 100 possessions. How does this work? The team's main substitute, Struss, also suffered a left foot fracture and may return as early as December. The current Cavaliers rely on Mitchell + Allen + Mobley, but the problem is also here. In the past few seasons, the Cavaliers' lower limit was very high, but the upper limit of the high-end playoff games was relatively low; this season has changed, and the lower limit of the regular season is gone. Mitchell said he was helpless when Garland was injured again, saying that it was inevitable. Fortunately, it was only the beginning of the regular season and not four or five months later.

The Cavaliers' lineup is immobile. Their best way was to send Garland away, because if they retained this lineup framework, by the 26-27 season, the starting five alone would have a total salary of 195 million. The super luxury tax penalty cannot be avoided, but the Cavaliers owner is not taken advantage of. James spent a few years after leaving the team to assemble a talented lineup, but it is not competitive. What is the purpose? The key is that Garland is plagued by injuries, which has caused his trade market to decline sharply. According to an anonymous NBA executive, the Cavaliers should consider trading Garland for Monk from the Kings. Maybe the Kings will be interested in Garland. The worst outcome is that the Cavaliers still miss the Eastern Conference Finals (a high probability event, the Cavaliers' dual-core playoff shortcomings are too obvious).

What should we do? That can only dismantle the lineup! From a salary perspective, if Mitchell + Mobley stay, Garland, Hunter, and Allen may be sent away. The Cavaliers need too many things. In an environment where player contracts are premium in the Eastern Conference, Garland has become a burden. Allen's contract is getting bigger and bigger. It's a pity to abandon Hunter. Whether he is on the court this season or not, the team's net efficiency value is not much different. So what is the significance of his existence? First of all, based on this performance, it will be difficult for the Cavaliers to enter the top three in the Eastern Conference. Secondly, if the situation continues like this, the Cavaliers will break up as early as next summer or even before the trade deadline. It mainly depends on whether they can find a new home for Garland, as long as they don't pay too much.