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All Out Of Love: Possible Rotation Changes For The Cleveland Cavaliers

By Mike Schreiner

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The last few days have been trying for the Cleveland Cavaliers and their fans. Despite finishing off a sweep of the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, the bad news far outweighs the good in Cleveland. First, Kevin Love was lost for the entire second round of the playoffs, then GM David Griffin said the whole playoffs, due to a separated shoulder on a non-basketball play from Kelly Olynyk. Then J.R. Smith was suspended the first two games of the second round due to an ill-advised swipe at Jae Crowder. Now, with two-fifths of the starting rotation out for the first two games of what will likely be a tough series against the Chicago Bulls, the Cavaliers will have to make several changes to their rotation. What could these rotations be and how would they affect the Cavaliers? Let’s take a look.

Power Forward

With Love out, the natural assumption for many is that Tristan Thompson would slide into the starting power forward spot. Thompson has had a great year and has been an absolute force in these playoffs. He’s a tremendous rebounder who moves well on defense and has perfected his role on offense when playing alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. But a frontcourt of Thompson and Timofey Mozgov has almost no shooting and would allow the Bulls to pack the paint against the Cavs, making it difficult for James and Irving to attack the basket. It would also significantly weaken the Cavaliers’ bench. Because of this it would be no surprise to see the Cavaliers go with another option.

James Jones has had some success as a stretch four this season and his shooting would help the Cavaliers maintain the space they crave on offense. Unfortunately for Jones, he is a willing, but mostly unable defender who gives back most of what he provides on offense. Because of this head coach David Blatt might want to consider adding Shawn Marion to the starting lineup.

While this may seem a bit out of left field as Marion hasn’t even been in the rotation for a while, it does make sense on several levels. Age has slowed him down, particularly on offense, but Marion is still a very good defender who would be able to guard any Bulls starter with the probable exception of Pau Gasol (remember that Joakim Noah and Nikola Mirotic are playing hurt), saving James from taking a pounding inside. In many ways he is somewhat similar to Thompson with his length and mobility on defense, and a lineup with Marion, Thompson, James, and Iman Shumpert would be interesting if only due to their ability to constantly switch on defense. Considering the trouble the Bulls have had with the length of the Milwaukee Bucks in their current series, this may be something the Cavaliers would want to consider. While Marion cannot space the floor like Jones, he is a better shooter than Thompson despite his terrible form. Furthermore, Marion could still probably outrun any Bulls big man when the Cavaliers are on offense, adding another dimension to an offensive attack that has lost quite a bit with Love’s injury.

No matter who Blatt starts, expect to see Thompson and Jones’s minutes increase and Marion to return to the rotation in a variety of possible roles.

Shooting Guard

In this case, the next player in the rotation is likely to become the starter. Iman isn’t the shooter J.R. Smith is, but he’s good enough to typically keep defenses honest. Shumpert is also a superior defender who actually had a superior Real Plus-Minus rating to Smith this season. His play has gotten stronger throughout the playoffs and it’s not uncommon to see Shumpert play more minutes then Smith when the latter’s shot is not falling. Shumpert has also played only twenty-nine minutes per game in the playoffs and could easily deal with an increase of five to seven minutes per game.

Shumpert is the likely starter, but there are a variety of options behind him for the two games Smith will miss. Marion was the starter here early in the season, and while he doesn’t fit the offensive profile of a shooting guard, he is capable of guarding the position well. He offers some of the same things Shumpert does, but leans slightly more to the style of a big man. Mike Miller is another option. Like Jones, Miller is a veteran outside shooter who can space the floor. While neither Miller nor Marion have been in the rotation lately, they (and Jones) are championship veterans who will not be overwhelmed by the moment.

While many Cavalier fans don’t want to hear this, there’s also a possibility that Blatt increases the minutes of Matthew Dellavedova. “Delly” is a solid defender and outside shooter, and Blatt, like Mike Brown before him, loves the grit the Australian guard brings to the floor. That being said, Dellavedova has struggled on offense in the playoffs even more than he did in the regular season, and the Cavaliers are likely better off giving the extra minutes available to Jones, Miller, and Marion.

Conclusions

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While it’s understandable for Cavalier fans to feel like the basketball world is filled with doom and gloom after Kevin Love’s injury and J.R. Smith’s suspension, the Cavaliers still have many things going for them. They have a week to prepare for the next series and will have home court advantage when it begins. The players they will be turning to are championship veterans who have a history of rising to the moment. They have a coach in David Blatt who became wildly successful in Europe due to his ability to come up with game plans that gave his teams the advantage despite whatever disadvantages they were perceived to have. They have a young star in Kyrie Irving who keeps proving that he is meant for the big stage. Finally, they have LeBron James, the best player since Michael Jordan, and the most dominant player in the game today. That, above all other things, is why the Cavaliers’ season is anything but over.

Next: Can Tristan and Iman Step Up?