Cavs Vs Bulls Series Roundtable Preview

Apr 5, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) celebrates in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Like we did for the First Round, we preview Cavs Vs Bulls in the NBA Playoffs as a Roundtable of our writers. How do the Cleveland Cavaliers adjust to Kevin Love being out? What is scarier, the Chicago Bulls big men or Derrick Rose? That and more in our Cavs Vs Bulls Series Roundtable Preview.

Who do you want to see starting for Kevin Love (Playoffs) and J.R. Smith (First 2 games) in this series and why?

Omar – I want to see LeBron James at power forward and Iman Shumpert at shooting guard to begin the game. I know James Jones is the more likely candidate to play the four-spot that Love vacated but LeBron can play better defense and be a semi-stretch forward with his ability to shoot from the outside. Shumpert is a given but will have his hands full trying to contain Jimmy Butler.

Luke – I’m going with Iman Shumpert replacing J.R. and James Jones to replace Kevin Love. Shumpert is a pretty obvious choice, as he was actually meant to be the starting 2 guard when the Cavs pulled off the trade. His defensive activity will be pivotal in shutting down Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler. If he can play like he did in Game 4 against Boston, he will be a huge positive for the Cavaliers. I’m going with JJ to keep the floor spaced and not loss the shooting that Love provides. Of course Love is a better shooter and demands more attention but with Jones on the perimeter, he still demands respect, which will create driving lanes for LeBron and Kyrie. While Jones will be outmatched on the rebounding and defensive ends, Tristan Thompson is still coming off the bench to help him out and the Cavs still have big Timo in the middle.

Spencer – The obvious answer is Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert, although I have a hunch that James Jones might get the starting nod from coach Blatt. When Kevin Love was out for stretches during the season, he stepped in as the starting power forward and frankly, performed pretty well on the offensive side of the ball. Now before anyone calls me out on this, just because Jones might start doesn’t mean he will get the most playing time. Thompson should easily get over 35 minutes per night whereas Jones might get 15-20 minutes. As for the two guard, Shumpert can slide right in to the starting lineup and fill the void of JR Smith with lockdown defense and scoring.

Noah – Iman Shumpert should replace J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson should replace Kevin Love. This allows the Cavs to create a more dominant defensive presence against the Bulls. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James have already showed that they are able to score enough to win. This allows David Blatt to stock up their defense and try to shut down Pau Gasol, Jimmy Butler, and Derrick Rose.

Mike – I think Iman Shumpert will start at shooting guard, but I’m a bit more torn on power forward. A Thompson/Mozgov frontcourt shrinks the floor on offense, but it’s a beast in terms of rebounding and defense, and still scores well as Zach Lowe points out. James Jones gives you the floor spacing, but is a worse passer, defender, and rebounder than Love. I also wondered if David Blatt would go with Shawn Marion, who can guard a one-legged Noah and offers at least a little more shooting than Thompson. I guess if I have to guess, I’ll say Jones gets the start, but nothing would surprise me short of Joe Harris or Brendan Haywood starting.

Jared – For me it is Shawn Marion. He can start at the 4, in place of Love, with either Mike Miller or James Jones starting at SG for the first two games. This gives the Cavs some semblance of consistency with Shumpert and TT coming off the bench together still. Miller or Jones also replace some of the shooting that will be missing while Marion can drive far more than Thompson and some still are worried about his shot from the corner, even if his numbers are down.

Next: Missing Most from Love