3 burning questions for the Cavs heading into the playoffs
By Ismail Sy
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had one of their best seasons in recent memory. They boast a top five offense and defense and lead the league in net rating. They ended their five-year postseason drought.
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has turned into a dungeon of terror for opposing teams, as the Cavs boast a sparkling 31-9 record at home. Donovan Mitchell has been every bit of the superstar the Cavs have hoped for. Evan Mobley has blossomed before our very eyes. Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen have continued their high level play. Guys like Isaac Okoro, Caris LeVert, and Lamar Stevens have been making an impact on both ends of the floor. The junkyard dogs have been out in full force in the Land this season.
It has been great to see this franchise turn things around the way they have. Now, the real work is about to begin.
In less than two weeks, the Cavaliers will be playing in the playoffs, where legacies are forged and seasons ended. Here are three burning questions for the Cavs as they embark on their playoff run.
Burning question No. 1: How tight will J.B. Bickerstaff keep his rotation?
As the regular season winds down, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been tightening his rotation to eight. For most nights, it has been eight, with Ricky Rubio, Caris LeVert, and a combination of Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens. However, due to the recent knee soreness that is hampering Isaac Okoro, Bickerstaff has had to improvise. He has moved Dean Wade back into the starting lineup, keeping LeVert in his sixth man role off the bench. The status of Okoro for the first round of the playoffs is unknown at this time, which puts Bickerstaff’s rotation in flux.
We know that Garland, Mitchell, Mobley, LeVert, and Allen will handle most of the minutes, but Bickerstaff needs to expand his rotation so that guys do not get tired down the stretch of important games. The Cavs have to gear up for a lot of close games and physical ones as well, and an expanded rotation will help with that.
The ideal bench rotation sans Okoro should be Rubio, LeVert, Stevens, and Osman. Bickerstaff has a plethora of options off the bench and a bunch of guys that can play meaningful minutes. In my opinion, he should expand the rotation to nine or 10. The question is will he?