The Replacements: Cavs’ options for starters, rotation with players in COVID protocols

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the midst of an Omicron-induced tidal wave that is trying to threaten their momentum. Winners of six straight games, the 19-12 Cavs are as high as they have been since LeBron James took his talents to Malibu Beach.

The narrative around Cleveland or any team league-wide is being smothered by a worldwide COVID-19 outbreak. The Omicron variant is sweeping through the NBA, with over 100 players being placed in the league’s health and safety protocols in December alone. Per Adam Silver, 90 percent of those cases tested have been from the Omicron variant, and it has burned through a league population that is 97 percent vaccinated.

This isn’t the first time the Cavs have had to deal with the ramifications of COVID-19 this season, as Kevin Love and Lauri Markkanen both missed significant time in the league’s health and safety protocols earlier this year. Yet losing two players was nothing to what the Cavs are dealing with now.

The Cavs are being hit hard with COVID-19 spurred absences. Who will be available to start and play moving forward?

Last week Isaac Okoro entered the protocols, and two days later Evan Mobley joined him. The Cavs kept rolling, including a strong win over a short-handed Milwaukee Bucks team on Saturday. Then the wheels came off, with five players hitting the protocols on Sunday, leading to a last-minute postponement of the Cavs’ Sunday game against the Atlanta Hawks, themselves missing star point guard Trae Young.

Ed Davis was added to the protocols on Tuesday, billowing the list of unavailable players to eight: Okoro, Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Dylan Windler, Lamar Stevens, Davis, Denzel Valentine and RJ Nembhard. Add in Collin Sexton, out for the year with a knee injury, and nine of the Cavs’ 17 players (15-man roster plus two 2-way slots) unavailable, including three starters.

The Cavs are expected to play on Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics, with their eight remaining players bolstered by the hardship signings of Luke Kornet and Justin Anderson. It’s possible they add another player by Wednesday as well. These absences will be short-term, but the Cavs do have to survive until they get their players back.

Of the players we know of, who will step up to start and play minutes on Wednesday and beyond? Let’s predict the starters and then discuss the potential bench options behind them.

The Replacements: Predicting the Cavs’ starting lineup

Locks: Darius Garland, Lauri Markkanen

The one silver lining to the series of COVID-19 absences is that the Cavs’ emerging star ball-handler is still available. Darius Garland is in the midst of an All-Star-level campaign, and he will start and try to carry this team with so many of his teammates unavailable.

Lauri Markkanen is the other remaining starter, although with both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen missing he will likely slide to the 4. That’s a natural spot for the 7-foot marksman, and he has played frequently there alongside either Allen or Mobley. His floor-spacing will be vital for helping this offense stay afloat.

Possible options: Cedi Osman, Dead Wade, Kevin Love

Dean Wade is nearly a lock himself despite not being a full-time starter. The versatile combo forward has played wherever he was asked to play this season, sometimes starting at the 4 and other times filling a spot at the 3, 5 or even the 2. In other words, Wade’s defensive versatility to off-the-charts.

Cedi Osman would be an interesting choice to replace Isaac Okoro at the 2. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has prioritized defense at that spot since Collin Sexton went down, but Osman has been on fire this season, hitting 41 percent of his 3-point attempts. Defensively the Garland-Osman backcourt might struggle, but neither the Boston Celtics nor the Toronto Raptors are built to take advantage in the coming games. The shooting ability of the two will stretch opposing defenses in a way no other combination would.

Finally, the center position is the biggest question mark. Kevin Love is by far the most qualified option, but the Cavs have done everything possible to bring him off the bench this season. He has been excellent in that role, having a rebound season after multiple injury-plagued disappointments. With Ed Davis hitting the protocols he might have to start by default, but don’t be surprised if Luke Kornet starts off-the-street to preserve Love’s role coming off the bench, even if Love ultimately plays the most minutes at center of any Cavs player.

The Replacements: Predicting the Cavs’ bench choices

Bench: Ricky Rubio, Kevin Pangos, Justin Anderson, Luke Kornet, Tacko Fall

Ricky Rubio is the most likely of this group to start, as J.B. Bickerstaff has inserted him at the 2 before when the team’s list of available players was thin. If Cedi Osman gets the nod then Rubio will stay in his usual high-minute role off the bench, and he will almost certainly be in the closing lineup.

That’s where the drop-off comes. Bickerstaff has proven he likes to run a tight rotation, but with only six players available who have been in the rotation this season, he will be forced to dip into the very back of the roster. Kevin Pangos came into the season as a signing out of Europe and has the potential to be a reliable backup point guard, but the health and successful play of Darius Garland and Rubio has limited his minutes this season. Look for Rubio to play a lot of his minutes at the 2, with Pangos backing up Garland.

From there the Cavs have a two-way center in Tacko Fall and a pair of hardship signings who have yet to play a game with the team. Luke Kornet is the surest bet to play in a frontcourt hurting for bodies, and his stretch-big game is something of a “Kevin Love lite” that the Cavs can utilize in similar ways to their longtime big man.

Justin Anderson is the team’s only backup wing and has had his moments bouncing around the NBA as a journeyman wing. If Tacko Fall receives minutes it will be to fill in the gaps at center or to juice rebounding in certain situations. Finally, keep an eye out for any last-minute signings for an emergency option to join the team.

The options aren’t great for the Cavs, especially with three starters unavailable. The last losing stretch of the season for Cleveland coincided with multiple absences due to injury and illness. This time around the Cavs will face teams struggling with the same issues as them, as both the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors are facing COVID-19 absences as well.

J.B. Bickerstaff will likely keep his rotation tight to lean mostly on players he trusts, a natural tendency already that will only be exacerbated by the situation. Hopefully this group of “Replacements” can hold the line and keep the win streak alive until reinforcements arrive.