Cavs Roster: How Many Spots Available?
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had an interesting off-season so far. The Cavs have brought back Iman Shumpert and Kevin Love while adding Mo Williams to their bench. The assumption is that LeBron James will sign as soon as Tristan Thompson signs his deal, which is also expected.
The Cavs still have the Brendan Haywood contract, part of their mini mid-level exceptions and veteran minimums to add even more talent to the roster. We have been teased with names like J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, David West, Rodney Stuckey and others.
Cavs fans are begging for at least another wing to backup LeBron James, especially one who can play solid defense. J.R. Smith is also possible to return to give the Cavs a weapon off the bench as well. An offensive minded big man to join Kevin Love would be nice as well. Thompson, Timofey Mozgov and Anderson Varejao are the Cavs other big men and are defensive players.
The issue for the Cavs, and something fans need to think about, is how many roster spots are available. Lets take a look at where the Cavs current 15 man roster sits:
Starters (5)
PG – Kyrie Irving
SG – Iman Shumpert
SF – LeBron James
PF – Kevin Love
C – Timofey Mozgov
Certain Bench Players (5)
PG – Mo Williams
SG – Joe Harris
SG/SF – Mike Miller
PF/C – Tristan Thompson
C – Anderson Varejao
Likely Bench Players (2)
PG – Matthew Dellavedova
PF – Rakeem Christmas
Total – 12 Players
So with the assumption of those 12 players on the Cavs roster, the team has room for 3 other players. So what, or who, will fill those roster spots?\n
15th Spot
The Cavs are unlikely to use their last roster spot. When they signed Mo Williams, they only used a part of their mini mid-level exception. The Cavs are likely to hold on to both their roster spot and the exception money to sign a player bought out after the NBA Trade Deadline.
14th Spot
Caron Butler/Tashaun Prince/James Jones – The Cavs are likely to sign a veteran bench player to fit around the team’s current roster. Butler and Prince would provide James a defensive backup while Jones could return as a deep shooting threat that can be the Cavs Stretch 4 off the bench.
13th Spot
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Brendan Haywood’s Trade Replacement/Sir’Dominic Pointer – The Cavs are likely to acquire a player using Haywood’s contract. This spot is held for that player. Crawford, Redick or any one of a number of players could fill this spot. If the Cavs don’t make a deal for a player, they will likely trade Haywood for a Traded Player Exception and Pointer can fill a roster spot as a 2nd Round pick of the Cavs. If not Pointer, the Cavs will have options from their Summer League team or veterans looking for a ring.
So while the Cavs, and fans, want the team to add a few players, they are really only likely to add 2 new players. Best case scenario is bringing in a wing player, either Butler or Crawford might work, while bringing in a big man who can help score.
The great thing for the Cavs is that this is already a very talented roster. Adding a couple of other pieces will help perfect a roster that is ready to compete for an NBA Title.
How do you want the Cavs to fill their 2 available roster spots?