King James Gospel
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Cavs Great Chance To Beat Golden State Warriors In Finals Rematch

By Quenton S. Albertie

Jun 10, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball as Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) looks on during the second quarter in game four of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 10, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball as Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) looks on during the second quarter in game four of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Specialists

The Cleveland Cavaliers went into the offseason with a desire to bring back all of the core players from the previous season. That could have concerned J.R. Smith, specifically, as he’s the only free agent the Cavs had no replacement for.

As a result, the Cleveland Cavaliers biggest storyline this offseason was the holdout of Smith, who was eventually re-signed and has since continued to be the x-factor the Cavs need at shooting guard.

Mike Dunleavy Jr., a friend of renowned defensive specialist Shane Battier and son of coach Mike Dunleavy Sr., was acquired in an underrated move that did nothing more than allow James to play to his greatest strength even more. He also helps mitigate the loss of three-point shooting that came with the departure of gritty combo guard Matthew Dellavedova.

Chris “Birdman” Andersen was signed as valuable big man depth and a favorite of James. If Tristan Thompson should go down, Birdman will be there to save the day. Thompson hasn’t missed a regular season game since his rookie year but he missed a couple of preseason games this year with a sprained left foot. It’s nice to have insurance for one of the best offensive rebounders in the game, if not the best, and one of the best passing big men as well.

Channing Frye still is a problem for opposing teams because he’s a flamethrower from three that stands at a lanky 6-foot-11. Defensively, he has a 7-foot-6 wingspan that allows him to be effective despite his lack of athleticism.

Then there’s “The Future” of the team. Jordan McRae, Kay Felder, Iman Shumpert and Cedi Osman are either growing within their current roles or on deck to replace Richard Jefferson and Dunleavy Jr. in a couple of years. As the Cavs develop these young players, they’ll have a quartet of perimeter players that can attack the paint, move the ball and shoot the three in the future. That will be valuable as James plays more power forward and Kevin Love plays more center.

One of the biggest reasons the Cavs, and the Big Three, are so successful are the specialists on the team.