The Cleveland Cavaliers need to sign a point guard with remaining roster spot
The Cleveland Cavaliers need to sign a point guard.
By signing defensive-minded forward Okaro White for the remainder of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have shored up their frontcourt depth. However, they now need to focus on signing a point guard.
Cavs 2017-2018 Depth Chart: Hill, Calderon Hood, Clarkson, Korver James, Smith, Osman Green, Nance Jr., White Love, Thompson, Zizic
They’re now three-deep at both forward spots and at the center position.
The power forward spot has the most redundancy, as each player is better on the defensive end and limited in their ability to be an outside threat. Jeff Green, Larry Nance Jr. and Okaro White are all also great athletes.
The center position is versatile as there’s the stretch-5 who will also play power forward in Kevin Love, the undersized but mobile center Tristan Thompson and then there’s Ante Zizic, the throwback big man.
The small forward position features LeBron James, the primary playmaker who will play every position.
J.R. Smith, who will be behind him kn this depth chart, is a decent playmaker but a great athlete and three-point specialist. Cedi Osman is a rookie who has shown his ability to be a three-and-D specialist but handle the duties of a point-forward as well; you’ll find him playing all three perimeter positions.
The shooting guard spot features Rodney Hood, a playmaking wing who has done an admiral job on the defensive end. Behind him are Jordan Clarkson, a high-octane volume scorer, and Kyle Korver.
Korver is such a tremendous three-point threat and true professional that he’s now a de facto shooting coach for the Cavs. His gravity moves defenses in ways only James and Love can match on the perimeter and he can function as a playmaker as well.
The point guard position is the one that needs help though.
Though George Hill and Jose Calderon are two dependable veteran floor generals with a great shooting stroke, Hill is 31-years-old and recovering from an ankle sprain. 36-year-old Calderon’s durability shouldn’t be relied upon either though he’s been generally healthy this season.
Especially at a position that has had instability throughout the season but seems so pivotal to their ball-movement and team success, having great depth is important.
Playing nominal point guards, like Osman, might minimize the issue.
Nonetheless, the fact remains: part of what has allowed Hill (a 10-year NBA veteran) and Calderon (a 13-year NBA veteran) to be successful with the Cavs is their experience and veteran savvy.
To that point, there are three veteran guards who are available and can play the heady style that the Cavs thrive under that I would be considering if I was Cavs general manager Koby Altman or team owner Dan Gilbert:
Gary Neal, Brian Roberts and Deron Williams.
The 33-year-old Neal isn’t a high-volume facilitator but will opt to make the “right” play while showing the ability to score efficiently.
Roberts, an Ohio-native, is just a year younger and is a much more assertive distributor.
Both Neal and Roberts have seven years of NBA experience.
Williams, as many know, played terribly in the 2017 NBA Finals (he missed his first 11 field goal attempts of the series). However, his playoff performance was stellar up until that series and his career numbers will show you that he used to be one of the best point guards the league has seen.
His body doesn’t hold up like it used to but he’s still very intelligent, savvy and can knock down shots (historically).
Does Williams want to another shot at a ring, even if it doesn’t get him any playing time? I’m not sure but signing the 12-year vet gives him the chance to redeem himself.
In any case, while familiar names like Dahntay Jones have their appeal, the Cavs would be best off signing a player to fill a positional need with their last roster spot. As a result, the team would have reliable depth should Hill’s ankle injury linger or should Calderon sustain an injury in the postseason.