Cleveland Cavaliers: Roster hopefuls make noise against Chicago Bulls

The Cleveland Cavaliers have tough decisions to make after their loss against the Chicago Bulls.

In a home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls didn’t have their best night on Friday. The Chicago Bulls won 118-108 as they scraped past a lot of players who won’t even be in uniform for the Cleveland Cavaliers once the regular season starts.

Nevermind that Rajon Rondo scored 20 points and went 2-3 from behind the line. It doesn’t matter that six other Bulls players scored in double-figures. It doesn’t even matter that the Chicago Bulls shot 40.9 percent from three-point range as a team. Or that the Bulls out-rebounded the Cleveland Cavaliers by 60-26 and 18-4 on the offensive boards.

What matters is that Dwyane Wade and Rondo combined for 10 turnovers and that the team had 22 in total. It matters because statistically speaking, that was the primary reason the Bulls starters almost lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers hopefuls. Some of the turnovers were unforced errors, however, the Cavs who played big minutes in this contest proved they were smart defenders off-the-ball.

The Cleveland Cavaliers started Kay Felder, Jordan McRae, DeAndre Liggins, Jonathan Holmes, and Cory Jefferson. Out of the starting lineup, only Felder and McRae are guaranteed to be starters. Meanwhile every starter except for Cory Jefferson, who had nine points off of pick-and-pops, scored in double figured for the Cavs.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Where Do Kay Felder and Jordan McRae Fit In?

Felder and McRae had bounce-back games after struggling to make a large impact against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night. Felder finished 6-13 from the field and 2-3 from behind-the-line to finish with 14 points. He showed a determination to mix up his shooting from the elbow, three-point range, and from in close as he always does.

McRae went 7-18 from the field and 5-5 from the free throw line but didn’t take a single three. This isn’t surprising. McRae, who has been compared to Jamal Crawford, is a player who like James Harden prefers to do most of his damage on drives to the rim. McRae was dangerous from both the midrange and in close this contest. He also added in three steals.

Liggins and Holmes are two players that show Tyronn Lue their value on a nightly basis.

Liggins has played well, especially defensively. Against the Chicago Bulls, Liggins had four steals. He’s had at least one steal in each contest. Liggins is an incredibly intelligent defender and uses angles to put his matchup in positions to make a mistake. An errant pass here or an off-kilter drive there, all set up by Liggins’ on-ball defense. It makes it easier for players, including him, to make plays off-the-ball as they jump into passing lanes or stifle the ball handler in traffic forcing him to caugh up the ball.

Offensively, Liggins not only makes the right pass but he has a pure-point mentality. If he was quicker and a better ball-handler, Liggins could be a point guard in the Rondo mold. He’s not a big threat from the outside though he’s capable of hitting his shots out past three-point range. His biggest strength as a scorer comes when he unfurls his

lanky body and runs towards the rim. When he gets there, he’ll usually finish or be fouled. Last night, Liggins made 2-3 shots from inside the lane and went 6-7 from the free throw line.

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Holmes, who can play both forward positions and has been a nominal center for the Cavs at times, also had a strong game. He finished 7-12 from the field and 2-5 from three-point range for 16 points. Over the course of the preseason, Holmes has made 8-24 three-point attempts. He’s moved well without the ball and often finds himself open under the basket. Defensively, Holmes has solid size at 6-foot-9 and 242 pounds to guard the post. He’s managed to block four shots this preseason. He’s also athletic enough to guard players on the perimeter, adding to his overall versatility.

The 23-year-old Holmes is also a viable option to be signed to the Canton Charge, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ exclusive NBA Development League affiliate. Holmes might not fit on the roster now but he looks like a player who can should a Cavalier go down with an injury.

It’s interesting to note that Toney Douglas, who was signed to a make-good training camp deal to be the Cleveland Cavaliers point guard, subbed in for Liggins when he came out in the first quarter. Though Lue said that Liggins playing in front of fan favorite Felder didn’t mean he was ahead of the 5-foot-8 point guard on the depth chart. However, Liggins certainly looks like he is ahead of Douglas. Liggins is a defensive-minded guard that can play three positions and is also capable of the point guard in spots. He’s also a better option at point guard than Douglas.

Douglas has struggled to score or impact plays defensively in the preseason. So far in the preseason, Douglas is 5-22 from the field and 0-11 from three-point range. He also only has six total assists and one steal in the five contests he’s played in. In comparison, Liggins is 9-21 from the field and 1-4 from three-point range. Liggins also has 16 total assists and 8 steals in the five contests he’s played in.

Though Douglas has the veteran experience the Cavs would like from their third point guard, and only has two total turnovers this preseason, the team will run the second unit point guard role by committee. As players like Felder and Liggins prove themselves capable of running the offense in spots, Douglas looks less likely to make the opening day roster.

To this point, John Holland, who was sidelined in the first three preseason contests with a back injury, was playing very well. Holland, who had six points on 3-5 shooting Thursday night against the Raptors, finished with 23 points against the Chicago Bulls. He made shots from everywhere and efficiently as he finished 8-12 from the field and 3-5 from the line. While chipping in three assists and showing an ability to keep the ball moving, Holland also had a much better defensive game than he had against the Raptors and finished with two steals and one block.

As the Cavs found out when Smith was holding out in his contract, their offense work best when a shooter is playing in the starting lineup. Furthermore, without James in the starting lineup, the Cavs also miss a big-time scorer that will take the pressure off of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. When the Cleveland Cavaliers played against the Toronto Raptors, it was obvious that Irving needs the ball taken out of his hands at times. Yet, he only seems to cede ball-handling duties to James who is both a scorer and facilitator from the perimeter.

Holland has a fighter’s chance to make the roster because he can score as well as make the right basketball play as a facilitator. In games where Smith or James is unavailable, Holland is a viable option to be a spot starter.

Liggins and Holland, who are 28-years-old and 27-years-old respectively, are players whose best chance to make an NBA now. Holmes, and even Jefferson — who is 25-years-old — are players who still have years left as they try to make an NBA roster. If possible, both players should be signed to the Canton Charge in case there’s an injury to core Cavs player.

However, it should be noted that they aren’t guaranteed to fall back in the clutches of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their ability to keep up with the Chicago Bulls starters proved that they’re legitimate NBA-level players. It’s easy to see another NBA team signing Holmes or Jefferson. Until then, it’s nice to know that the Cleveland Cavaliers will have tremendous depth on the roster and have one of the deepest benches in the league regardless of who they decide to keep.

The team’s loss against the Chicago Bulls is an example of the losing the battle but winning the war. The game was lost but penultimate confidence in makeup of the Cleveland Cavaliers roster was gained.

What do you think the Cleveland Cavaliers can take from their preseason matchup against the Chicago Bulls? Do you think Tyronn Lue has tough decisions to make before the start of the regular season? Let us know in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.