Split the Cavaliers into two teams and you might still have two playoff teams

The head coach of the Purdue Boilermakers' men's basketball team, Matt Painter, was recently discussing an upcoming game against the Alabama Crimson Tide. He commented that their bench was so strong you could make a second Top-25 team out of it.

This made me think about the Cleveland Cavaliers. Obviously, their bench would not make the playoffs...but could you divide the Cavs into two teams and have both make the playoffs? Could you divide this 17-1 team into two teams that are good enough to make the dance?

The Cavaliers have been at their best this season (and last, to be honest - J.B. Bickerstaff could see the same thing) when the stars are divided up and shooters can play the 4 next to one of the bigs. Does Cleveland have enough depth to support two teams?

Obviously any team dividing into two pieces is going to be ridiculously thin; we'll assume for the sake of this exercise that each team can sign players out of the G League to fill out the rest of their roster.

Who should go with which team? And could both make the playoffs in a chaotic but certainly wide-open Eastern Conference? Let's take a look.

Team 1: The Cleveland Cavaliers

Ty Jerome, Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, Evan Mobley

Bench: Jaylon Tyson, Emoni Bates, Luke Travers, Tristan Thompson

Our first team gets to take the established All-NBA player of the group, Donovan Mitchell, to lead the way. He is an offensive titan, capable of scoring at all three levels and not afraid to take any shot on the menu. Kenny Atkinson has also tended to pair him with Evan Mobley, injecting maximum athleticism into the star pairing as a foundation to build lineups.

From that foundation, it makes sense to give this group the backup point guard in Ty Jerome, even if that means the offensive firepower of this group is incendiary. Jerome is having a breakout season and his elite shooting and excellent playmaking give this group a lot of punch.

Caris LeVert therefore becomes the glue to hold the group together at small forward, as he has vastly improved as a wing defender and is shooting an insane 45.8 percent from deep to start the season. He can take on the most difficult defensive assignment, allowing Jerome to slot in second and Mitchell to get the easier assignment.

Power forward is where this group is tested, as Georges Niang is a knockdown shooter who plays hard but is a real defensive liability. Mobley can certainly cover up a lot of mistakes hanging behind Niang, and the offensive spacing of this group would be awesome to watch. It’s not out of the question that this is one of the best offensive “teams” in the league.

The bench gets shaky, of course, but in Jaylon Tyson the Cavaliers get upside for a two-way forward to develop and potentially close in place of Niang down the line. Emoni Bates gives this team yet another shooter off the bench, and Tristan Thompson provides a reliable backup center, if not one with any upside whatsoever.

This team would need to plumb the G League ranks to add some help, especially in the backcourt. Someone like Malachi Flynn or Trey Burke (or both) would make a lot of sense to give some amount of direction to the bench. This group is undeniably top-heavy, but that top group is an incredible collection of offensive talent.

Verdict: Play-In Team

Team 2: The Cleveland Dragoons

Darius Garland, Max Strus, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, Jarrett Allen

Bench: Sam Merrill, Craig Porter Jr., JT Thor, Pete Nance

The Cleveland Dragoons get a very different collection of players to build out their roster. Darius Garland is the centerpiece on offense, with room to grow into the on-ball star he is becoming. He pairs up with Jarrett Allen, his pick-and-roll partner who will shore up the back line defensively and set bone-crushing screens for Garland to get open.

From there, this group gets both of the best 3-and-D players on the roster, with Max Strus and Dean Wade providing both spacing and defense. Then Isaac Okoro steps in at small forward as the primary on-ball defender. This team can reasonably switch 2-4 between Allen and Garland, giving this group a lot of defensive versatility. When you then factor in that everyone except Allen are now comfortable shooting 3-pointers, you get a really good two-way starting lineup.

The drawback is in shot creation, as Garland would need to be something of a heliocentric offensive star to make this team run. That’s not to say he cannot do that, but it would put a lot of burden on him. Some of that could be mitigated by playing with Craig Porter Jr. in the lineup, shifting Garland off-ball and putting pressure on defenses in a different way.

Sam Merrill off the bench is a real weapon for the Dragoons, as his movement shooting puts a lot of pressure on defenses, and he can pair with either Okoro or Strus on the wing. There is no fourth center on the roster, so instead this group adds forwards in Pete Nance and JT Thor and would likely play smallball units with Dean Wade at the 5.

The balance of this group is a strength; while the first “team” would be a top offense and a below-average defense, this group may be able to strike a balance as average on both ends. That may be enough to make it into the Play-In as well, and perhaps even rack up wins more consistently in the regular season than the first group, even if their playoff upside would be lower.

Verdict: Play-in Team

Would the Cavaliers be good enough as two teams to make the playoffs? No, probably not, but given their star power and depth it’s not unreasonable to think each team could individually make it into the Play-In Tournament given the weak bottom of the Eastern Conference.