Cleveland Cavaliers Waiting On Reinforcements From Miami Heat?

Could the Cleveland Cavaliers be waiting on reinforcements from the Miami Heat?

While watching the Cleveland Cavaliers play this season, it’s possible to both be enamored with how Tyronn Lue is using the Big Three and deplore just how much he has to play the Big Three with a bench full of three-point specialists that hardly get their own shot.

Without a veteran guard to run the second unit, the ball is usually put in LeBron James‘ hands. What’s more, with Kyrie Irving essentially playing shooting guard all game for the Cavs. While he’s attack mode there’s nobody to create easy shots for the Big Three outside of Iman Shumpert.

Shumpert has come back this season lighter, with a more consistent shot and with better decision-making. However, Shumpert still is turnover-prone; his ball-handling and decision-making abilities aren’t at a level that would make him a viable backup point guard.

In addition to the point guard conundrum, the Cleveland Cavaliers logjam at shooting guard. What’s more, there’s a Shumpert clone in DeAndre Liggins. These combined factors have made Shumpert expendable.

As of right now, Shumpert’s percentage of makes on three-point attempts (53.8 percent), finishing ability around the rim (converting 75.0 percent of his shots from 0-2 feet), steals per game (1.7) and PER (14.8) are the highest they’ve been in his career. If he continues to be an elite 3-and-D player, the level of talent the Cavs can acquire in a trade will reflect Shumpert’s value in the league.

Yet, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been in contact with Mario Chalmers all summer according to cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon and it seems inevitable he’ll sign with the champs when he fully recovers from a torn Achilles.

While Chalmers may come back slightly tentative after the injury, he’s the type of point guard that is successful because of his three-point shot and ability to find the open man in the halfcourt. That’s exactly the type of point guard the Cavs need right now. While he may ultimately have trouble guarding the smallest, quickest, most explosive and best ball-handling point guards due to his injuries, Chalmers is a big and strong veteran point guard with a long wingspan. His experience and physical stature will still make him a solid defender and his quick hands will still likely amount to a lot of steals.

Another issue regarding the Cavs is that their bench needs a player who can get their own.

Jordan McRae has endeared himself to both teammates and fans in his time in Cleveland. After a strong preseason, he was in line for rotation minutes as the team envisioned him as their Jamal Crawford.

Unfortunately, Mo Williams left the Cavs in a conundrum by not retiring as he announced he would. The Cavs are throwing McRae in trade talks just to make sure Williams leaves the team.

According to cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon, Williams isn’t even welcome at The Q.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Jrue Holiday Is An Ideal Trade target

Shumpert, Williams and McRae are players not long for Cleveland, in all likelihood. However, the chances the Cavs get a high-caliber player of any position with these three as the main chips is low unless a Cavs first round pick is involved. The Philadelphia 76ers managed to acquire Ersan Ilyasova for Jerami Grant, however, a deal like that is hard to come around.

Thankfully, the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t have general manager David Griffin. Griffin has made one big and necessary midseason trade in each of his first two seasons as general manager. Without him, their shot at acquiring a big-time player with their trade package would be a halfcourt heave.

As Griffin looks around the league, there are perimeter players who can create their own shot that may become available soon, if they aren’t already. Rudy Gay, Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday are all big-name players that are in the last years of the contracts with struggling teams trying to build around superstar big men.

Nothing helps a big man more than terrific perimeter defense, a point guard that can find them and a perimeter player that can consistently score from the outside. Shumpert, McRae and even ( the unofficially retired) Williams can provide that for teams.

Between Chalmers and a player like Gay, the Cavs will have solved all of their roster issues except one. So far this season, as well as last season, the Cavs have been getting destroyed by opposing teams using the pick-and-roll and exploiting Kevin Love’s lack of athleticism and the Cavs overall lack of rim-protection.

It just so happens that Chris Bosh, whose career in Miami is over according to Pat Riley, should become available around February when the team can waive him and earn a salary exemption. The Heat can avoid releasing him in time to let him be playoff eligible, which will be on March 23. However, according to the Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman, the NBA Players Union won’t allow any underhanded conniving on the part of Riley.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Chris Bosh Likely Won't Be Available Until February

Bosh suffers from recurring blot clots and subsequently has to play on blood thinners. It’s possible that a high level of activity on the court will put his health at risk. That doesn’t mean Bosh isn’t able to be effective, just that his production should come in a reduced role.

Any team can give Bosh that role, however, none are more suited to deliver Bosh a championship ring before he leaves the game he lives. The Los Angeles Clippers could be the best team in the NBA, however, they have to contend with the Golden State Warriors or the San Antonio Spurs in a seven-game series to earn a trip to the NBA Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers are the top of the Eastern Conference and no other team in the East has the top flight talent the Cavs have. Nor do the other teams have the best player in the world.

Bosh comes to the Cavs as one of the most reputable defenders in the league.

Bosh is light on his feet in addition to being a smart and lengthy defender. On the Cavs roster, Bosh would be the lone big man with those combined attributes. Bosh averaged 1.2 blocks per game in James’ final two seasons with the Miami Heat. He’s able to provide weakside rim-protection with his speed, communication on defense and defensive awareness. Although only 225 pounds, he can defend straight-up in the post with a 9-foot-1 standing reach, solid base and good timing on shot attempts.

At the end of the day, Bosh is no DeAndre Jordan but he can help anchor a defense.

With those three players, but more importantly James’ two former teammates, the Cavs can assuredly repeat as champions. The Cavs have already signed one of James’ former teammates to be an “enforcer”. All they’d have to now do is wait on their reinforcements.

"Projected Depth Chart:PG: Kyrie Irving, Mario Chalmers, Kay FelderSG: J.R. Smith, Mike Dunleavy Jr., DeAndre LigginsSF: LeBron James, Rudy Gay, Richard JeffersonPF: Kevin Love, Channing Frye, James JonesC: Tristan Thompson, Chris Bosh, Chris Andersen"

Looking at this depth chart, it’ll be hard to pin the Cavs as underdogs in NBA Finals series.

Do you think the Cleveland Cavaliers should focus on signing Mario Chalmers and Chris Bosh? Let us know in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.