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Cleveland Cavaliers: David Griffin Has Made Shrewd Moves To Counter The Golden State Warriors

By Quenton S. Albertie

Jul 7, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Kevin Durant poses for a photo with his jersey during a press conference after signing with the Golden State Warriors at the Warriors Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 7, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Kevin Durant poses for a photo with his jersey during a press conference after signing with the Golden State Warriors at the Warriors Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Golden State Warriors started out the offseason by creating a Super Death Lineup. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a shrewd counter to the splash move.

The Golden State Warriors started out the offseason by creating a Super Death Lineup. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a shrewd counter to the splash move.

Who would have considered drafting Kay Felder, trading for Mike Dunleavy Jr., and attempting to acquire Chris Andersen and Larry Sanders to counter the Golden State Warriors signing of Kevin Durant?

David Griffin did.

The Death Lineup that dominated and demoralized opponents last season has been upgraded. In the Super Death Lineup, Kevin Durant will draw so much attention with his ability to get in the lane that Stephen Curry will get open looks from three in ways he hasn’t before.

This technically makes Golden State Warriors more dangerous. However defensively, with no rim-protector at all, they’re vulnerable.

Andrew Bogut was traded to give the Dubs the space to sign Durant, so the team has a hole in the middle they have no choice but to fix, lest history repeat itself.

To counter the Golden State Warriors big move, David Griffin’s acquisitions this summer have been drafting Kay Felder and trading for Mike Dunleavy Jr. The team could also be adding Chris Andersen and Larry Sanders.

Related Story: What Does Kay Felder Bring To The Cavs?

What these acquisitions mean for the Cleveland Cavaliers is that they’re going to be all in on going uptempo as Tyronn Lue has wanted to do from day one, according to ESPN‘s Dave McMenamin.

Acquiring Dunleavy Jr. is like acquiring a Shane Battier for LeBron.  Dunleavy Jr. possesses a high basketball IQ that makes him an underrated playmaker and he’s an intelligent team defender that can guard up to three positions. His ability to both make shots around the rim and stretch the floor makes Dunleavy Jr. a weapon for the Cavs.

As Felder develops his NBA game he’ll be able to destroy the competition. The speed and consistent penetration the opposition face when Felder is on the floor opens up room for other Cavaliers to attack or spot up. In a lineup with Irving, the defense would have its hands full as the two point guards attack the defense in pick-and-rolls, in transition and set up the others for easy points.

Then, should the Cavaliers want to keep their speed and protect the rim, they could have Andersen or Sanders on the floor.

While the Golden State Warriors will have to adjust after a roster upheaval and lost a big defensive presence after reaching the NBA Finals in back-to-back seasons, the Cavs get the chance to build upon their season and chemistry by keeping their roster in tact and adding a few key pieces.

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Golden State will have three players who need to handle the ball to be effective in their starting lineup in addition to losing the defensive presence of Bogut.

Though Sanders is linked to the Golden State Warriors as well, Sanders didn’t play last season and even before his conditioning was questionable he was a foul-prone player. For that reason, the Cavaliers would be wise to sign Andersen regardless of if they sign Sanders.

They’ve also been linked to free agent Willie Reed. Again, though the center’s ability to protect the rim isn’t a question, they’re ability to be counted on for heavy minutes is. Reed has only averaged 10.9 minutes per game and at 26 has only played one season in the NBA.

Options are not in abundance for the Warriors for the center position.

Between that truth and the signing of Durant to create a Super Death Lineup, expect a lot of small-ball to be played by Golden State next season.

Games 6 and 7 of the NBA Finals provide shining examples of how the Golden State Warriors play without a rim protector. LeBron, Kyrie and even Felder will be able to wreak havoc off of dribble-drive penetration when the space from small-ball lineups opens up the floor for them.

Then, if Andersen or Sanders signs with the Cavs, expect the NBA champions to be able to keep at least one big on the floor at all times and be able to protect the rim in ways they hadn’t been able to all last season.

Who would have considered drafting a tiny point guard from a mid-major college, trading for a 35-year old sharpshooting wing and attempting to acquire a 38-year old center or center that missed all of last season as the counter to the Golden State Warriors signing of Durant?

Who would have thought it was actually a good idea.

Next: Jordan McRae Has Future With Cleveland Cavaliers

Though they haven’t made the big splash in the offseason, these are shrewd moves by David Griffin. These are moves that will allow the Cleveland Cavaliers to take advantage of their mismatches against the Golden State Warriors.