It was always a coaching problem, not a roster problem.
The coach's job on a LeBron team is to coach everyone around LeBron to bring the best out of them. Lue could not do it with either one.
Role players that play very well on other teams come to Cleveland to die and become scrubs. Then leave and become good again.
It's a coaching problem.
I think this is pretty much the crux of the situation. The team that we assembled this off-season was decently well constructed, but for the last two years Lue has wanted our guys to play at break-neck speed......which is idiotic on multiple levels.
1. Even if you successfully implement a high paced efficient offense, you aren't beating the GSW at their game. So why implement that type of style, knowing there's a team out there with significantly more fire-power, and significantly more efficient. It's a losing proposition off the bat.
2. The Cavs continue to surround LeBron with aging vets. Asking these guys to play a style and pace befitting of elite youthful players, is also stupid. It's asking to burn your guys out mid-season, and we saw it happen in real speed.
I've said countless times. When you have the best/most efficient ISO player in the world in LeBron James, you surround him with great shooters or at a minimum high IQ players who know how to play off his passing ability.
The roster we assembled could've been great with a different coach who emphasized system defense, and then an offensive system built around LeBron in ISO situations. It's no surprise Crowder played much better in Utah. It's no surprise Wade played much better in Miami. It's no surprise Rose played much better in Minny.
I get bored a bit rehashing all my frustrations, but when IT came back, how does Lue (and in fairness the organization) not look to optimize roster rotations based on fit?
They continually trotted out IT, JR, LeBron, Crowder, Love.......our backcourt defense was a mess, and our second unit was composed of two guys who couldn't be worse fits for each other in Rose and Wade.
How did they never once try Wade in starting line-up with IT so JR could provide spacing for Rose? Or how did they not try starting Rose with JR, so IT could play off Wade in the second unit?
It's just basic shit that was so mis-managed. And I don't put it all on Lue, but the Cavs organization is obviously lacking quite a bit in the rotation construction department.
To answer the question....I undoubtedly believe our opening day roster was much better/more talanted than what we finished with. I just don't think the right adjustments ever would've been made for it to ultimately matter. We get dog walked in the finals no matter what.
Give Frank Vogel or Mike Budenholzer what we had on opening day, and they'd have swept the same exact roster coached by Ty Lue...if that makes sense. We didn't play to our strengths and the season continued to unravel as guys became more and more frustrated by their roles and playing sub-standard basketball.