What Would Signing Deron Williams And Andrew Bogut Do For The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Championship Chances?
What will adding Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut do for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ championship chances?
It has been reported that Deron Williams is expected to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the veteran minimum. The Cavs are in need of a backup big and Andrew Bogut is available. Will these moves mean a championship for the team?
To answer that question we have to look at the pieces they already have. Their need for a backup point guard and the backup center position are the only gaping holes for the Cavs. However, since the Cavs aer expected to make a third consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, they have to be looking at the monster that the could be facing across the ring, in the Golden State Warriors.
The Cavs have to be happy with the fact that they already have a win under their belt against the Warriors this year. That will go a long way towards building their confidence as they head into a Finals series against what could be the most talented team ever assembled.
By adding Williams and Bogut, one thing that the Cavs will have is the best bench in the league. Channing Frye, Kyle Korver, Iman Shumpert (who will head to the bench by the playoffs as J.R. Smith returns), the elder Williams and Bogut could be all be starters elsewhere in the league. Richard Jefferson and Derrick Williams are forwards that attack the rim, play tough defense and make smart plays.
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This season, the Cavs have the shooting now to contend with the Warriors. However, unlike the Warriors, that shooting isn’t only present in the starting lineup with players like Korver, Shumpert and Frye coming off the bench.
Needless to say, outside of the contributions by the Big Three (LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in particular), the bench is what will win the championship for the Cavs.
Not signing Carmelo Anthony was a smart decision because now they have the pieces and role players that make the Cavs a super team. If they lost Kevin Love they would lose the rebounding and that’s an advantage they have over the Warriors in small lineups.
Bench points, three-point shooting and rebounding will be big factors in the NBA Finals and if the Cavs win two out of three (bench points and rebounding) then they will have what it takes to beat the Warriors although having the greatest player in the world also helps things.
The elder Williams is a three-time All-Star and was a lottery pick in 2005. With that type of talent backing up Irving, the Cavs will not lose a step. Bogut is an experienced center that can bang bodies with other big centers in the playoffs. If you factor in his playoff experience, then that’s another crucial piece to the benefits of signing Bogut.
Getting these players will give the Cleveland Cavaliers a quality second unit with the younger Williams and Jefferson operating as small -ball power forwards. The Cavs’ second team would look like this: the elder Williams at point guard; Shumpert at shooting guard; Korver at small forward; Jefferson or the younger Williams at power forward; and Bogut at center.
There are other big men that the Cavs are looking at like Larry Sanders, who they worked out. However, taking him could be a risk because the Cavs are trying to win now and Sanders might have problems with his conditioning after missing the last two seasons as he dealt with personal issues.
In any case, the smartest move that the Cavs made was not taking on Anthony’s contract and using the bit of money that they can spend to bolster their bench unit. It should pay dividends in the playoffs when their second unit is pumping in good minutes; a factor that should keep the Big Three fresh going through their playoff run.
The way their bench could be playing and the way the starters have been playing, the Cavs should itching to start the playoffs. As long as everybody is healthy then the potential for this team is unimaginable.
There is no ceiling for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Related Story: Deron Williams Signing With Cleveland Cavaliers On Monday
What do you think that signing Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut will do for the Cleveland Cavaliers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.