Cleveland Cavaliers: Frye’s professionalism is refreshing

In professional sports, everyone wants to be the best. And if you aren’t the best, you at least want to make an impact on a nightly basis. That’s why Channing Frye’s professionalism on the Cleveland Cavaliers is so refreshing.

Frye signed a one-year deal back with the Cleveland Cavaliers this offseason after being traded during last February’s overhaul. The veteran signed with the knowledge of LeBron James being gone and the thought process the organization had of going young this season. Yet, he still inked his name on the contract.

That says something about the character of Frye.

If you really start to think about it, there are cases to be made why Frye should be the most up-in-arms about his current playing time and role. He was a part of the 2016 NBA Championship squad and played a pretty pivotal role during that postseason, being the first big man off the bench in order to create mismatches on the perimeter. Frye saw minutes, usually a good amount of them, and made his impact matter. While guys like J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver have shrunk in their playoff roles before, Frye has been a consistent example for doing your job.

Just three years later, Frye is now primarily a voice of aide. He rarely gets playing time and he knows he doesn’t have much of a role on this team. Yet, he still roots hard every night for his teammates in battle and remains ready to play at all times. He’s helped served as a calming voice of sorts during all the early turmoil that’s happened this season. It’s quite refreshing.

That’s why nights like Wednesday night are so cool for Cavs fans to cherish.

During the final minutes of a blowout victory over the Charlotte Hornets, Frye’s number was called by head coach Larry Drew. The veteran made his way to the scorer’s table and the crowd let him hear their love once he entered the contest. Once he nailed his first three-pointer in The Q this season, the fans and his teammates showered the veteran with loud applause and cheering.

Frye only hit two three’s in what was mop-up duty. But that wasn’t important. The importance of that moment was the way the organization respected a fan-favorite, something Cleveland hasn’t always been the best at handling.

Frye acknowledged the support on Twitter, thanking the city for their undying support of him:

Sure, Frye’s only played in three games with one starting nod to his name this year. He’s only averaging 3.7 points per contest and 2.3 rebounds in a tiny sample size. But in his thirteenth NBA season, his role isn’t to impact the floor anymore.

Instead, his role is, as mentioned above, to bring a calmness to the locker room in an important time period for Cleveland. He’s expected to have the right things to say and be one of the easier guys to approach. And of course, we’re all here for Frye’s humor that has been well-documented in Cleveland. From his Road Trippin’ Podcast with former Cavaliers teammate Richard Jefferson to goofy post-game interviews, Channing always has us waiting on his next move.

The main goal of a team is to win games. But that doesn’t always happen and in today’s league, lengthy rebuilding projects are the name of the game for non-contenders. In times like this for the Cavaliers, it’s okay to embrace the guys that once got you to the promised land. For Smith, Korver, and some other veterans on the team, playing time is being embraced and shown support from the organization.

For Channing Frye, it’s simply being appreciated.