Bickerstaff’s Doghouse: Bad move by Cavs HC to not play these 2 guys
By John Suchan
Dean Wade
The most fascinating part to me at this point is the conversation about how Wade, not so much Osman, has lost his confidence and thus Bickerstaff had to make the move to putting Lamar Stevens into that slot as a bench forward that had been Wade’s for a good chunk of the season. However, that take is so far from the truth.
When I heard from one fan that Wade passed on taking a layup recently and thus, he’s become a terrible player, just makes no sense.
These NBA players are in the league for a reason and that’s because they are the best of the best. Just because a player misses a layup or makes a decision that you don’t understand doesn’t mean it was the wrong call. As for Wade, Bickerstaff started stripping him of his minutes significantly a few weeks ago and then has him now riding the bench the rest of the way this season it appears.
It’s certainly a fall from grace and is a very bizarre decision by the coach. When fans suggest a loss in confidence in the player because he’s not shooting the ball, in the case of Wade it had a lot more to do with time on the court or lack thereof. Of course, your confidence will be rattled when a coach does that to you at any level.
In the first nine games after Kevin Love left to go to the Miami Heat, Wade was averaging about 25 minutes a game and went 13-of-32 from three-point range, which was 40.6%. Then Bickerstaff started pulling back the minutes and he only averaged 12 minutes and he stopped shooting the ball and thus the unfair criticism.
While some of you will blame the player, this whole situation with Wade has far more to do with Bickerstaff’s decision. He’s the head coach and he can do what he wants but it will hurt his team in the end.
Wade’s calling card is his defense and that will be missed if Bickerstaff chooses to not play him anymore. Stevens is also a great defender but for a team to go far in the playoffs, you need good consistent team defense, and you won’t get that for the long haul if you leave Wade on the bench.