Men’s Bracketology: Six realistic candidates for 1-seeds as Champ Week begins

Not every gamble pays off. The Cavaliers just learned that the hard way. Remember back in February when Cleveland re-did its roster, shipping Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and its first-round pick to the Lakers for Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson? That’s the reason Los Angeles will be able to sign another max player next to LeBron James. By getting rid of Clarkson’s four-year, $50 million contract (and Nance’s four-year, $6 million deal) for two expiring contracts, the Lakers opened up two max slots in their payroll for this summer. Now that Kawhi Leonard — set to make $21 million next year — is reportedly pushing for a trade to the Lakers, and the team is said to have called DeMarcus Cousins,