It is rarely a bad thing to have too many options. Kenny Atkinson will surely know what that feels like with all the talented players on this Cleveland Cavaliers roster after the trade deadline. There is just one major catch that comes with that. Atkinson needs to mesh all the pieces together.
It was not too long ago since Brian Windhorst and his podcast partners were sitting there and questioning the rotations of the Cavaliers head coach following the second Oklahoma City Thunder loss. In Atkinson's defense, that comes with the territory after major trade deadline shake-ups.
The Cavaliers are trying their best to figure out what works best with James Harden, Keon Ellis, and Dennis Schroder in the mix. They will also be trying to reintegrate Max Strus in the near future. It won't be an easy task, but it is one that Atkinson sounds ready for.
"We'll have our full roster ... and then we have to make decisions. They're gonna be tough decisions to make," Atkinson said. "... Just rotation-wise, kind of [seeing] what that looks like. That's why they pay us the big bucks, right, as coaches to figure that out. ... It's a good problem to have."
Cavaliers have 19 games left to finalize their playoff rotations
With less than 20 matchups remaining on their schedule, the Cavaliers have a limited amount of time to figure out what works. In reality, too, you can never truly pin down every single little thing ahead of the NBA Playoffs.
Certain matchups will require an injection of a player who may have not initially been in the gameplan. Otherwise, it could also involve boosting the minutes of a guy who was further down the rotation. These things come up.
For the most part, though, Atkinson will want to know who his go-to guys are and to what capacity.
The good news is the Cavaliers coach will get the opportunity to have that figuring out process done against some truly horrid competition. Cleveland ranks towards the very top when it comes to easiest strengths of schedule left.
Two meetings against the Brooklyn Nets, two against the Indiana Pacers, one against the Sacramento Kings, and another against the Utah Jazz are just some examples of the giftwrapped matchups the Cavaliers will have down the stretch. There is no such thing as a guaranteed win in the NBA. However, some of these contests will definitely allow for a more leisured approach to experimentation.
For the Cavs, it is about figuring out how they can put their best contending foot forward. To his point, time for Atkinson to earn his keep.