Will the real J.R. Smith please stand up?

Will JR Smith’s return turn the Cavs January into an afterthought?

The wait for J.R. Smith to come back is on. Smith is probably one of the most versatile players on the roster. He can play good defense, he can handle the ball, and he can shoot. Between he and Kyle Korver, the Cavs have very good options at shooting guard and small forward to get LeBron James some rest. James has been playing 39.0 minutes per game in January in his 14th season. While it’s an astonishing accomplishment, it’s unsustainable and not the most intelligent move for the Cavs. The Cavs are steadily in first place without real competition considering how the rest of the top 4 teams the East have played against them.

If the Cavs want a tired LeBron for the playoffs, they should not change. But if the Cavs want another all-time Finals performance, then they need LeBron to rest. Getting J.R. back as soon as possible will get James that rest.

While James has been incredibly effective with this second unit, the Cavs should reconsider how they manage his minutes with that unit. Korver, Frye, and RJ are shooting 37.8 percent from 3-point range in January on a combined 11.9 attempts per game. Getting Smith back, who has a career average of 37.5 percent from deep, will give the Cavs have one of the deadliest shooting lineups around in their second unit.

The bench has been a sore spot lately, and the Cavs need to consider unleashing Irving with the second unit to dribble-drive and dish for open looks.

It’s difficult to blame someone like DeAndre Liggins (15.9 minutes per game), Kay Felder (8.9 minutes per game), or Jordan McRae (9.5 minutes per game) for the Cavs January woes. You also really can’t blame somebody like Richard Jefferson (19.6 minutes per game) or James Jones (9.0 minutes per game), who are both over 35 years old. The problem is that the Cavs are the wrong combination of old and young on the bench as the roster is constructed.

Re-enter Smith. He is not a spring chicken at 31 but he’s much more athletic than Korver, Dunleavy, Jefferson, and Jones. Smith has experience that Liggins, Felder, and McRae are lacking. Keeping Shumpert in the starting lineup when Smith returns, would also give the Cavs a better and deeper second unit.

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The problem is when our second unit faces an athletic, young second unit. Getting J.R. back, playing to his potential, will be the biggest midseason acquisition the Cavs make. The Cavs do not need to make a splash, they just need a healthy lineup and a good rotation. Adding Deron Williams is not the best move. He will need 18-25 minutes per game, which takes time away from guys who need minutes to be effective. If you think Jefferson would be effective at 8-10 minutes per game, or Frye’s should only play 12 minutes a game, think again. Frye is one the most effective big-man shooters in the game, and we need to have him on the court as much as possible considering his length. Should the Cavs acquire Williams to put him out there for 10-15 minutes a night?

To put it bluntly, the Cavs need a more balanced rotation, which starts with “adding” Smith. Instead of going after a big-name backup point guard like Williams, why not get a guy like Jarrett Jack, who requires less minutes? Smith’s return combined with acquiring a low-cost, low-minute back-up point guard should allow the Cavs to decrease LeBron’s minutes.

Ideally, looking back on this article in a month, we realize that Smith was the Cavs’ biggest midseason acquisition.

Do you think the most important player the Cleveland Cavaliers can “add” to their rotation is J.R. Smith? Let us know in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.