For years, we have wondered about the Cleveland Cavaliers and their aversion to have big men on the roster. And it has raised it’s ugly head once again.
After winning the title in 2016, the franchise has seemed to ignore having traditional big people (read: rim protectors) on the roster.
And when they have signed these guys, such as Chris Andersen and Andrew Bogut, injuries have occurred, so neither player could make a real impact.
Since the middle of last season, that seems to have changed a bit, with GM Koby Altman trading for Andre Drummond, and then trading for Javale McGee before the 2020-21 campaign. That gave J.B. Bickerstaff four solid players at power forward and center. The two we mentioned as well as Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr.
Unfortunately, Love has pretty much been absent this season (he has basically played one game) with a calf injury and once again, Bickerstaff’s rotation has a big gaping hole.
Nance is kind of a swiss army knife, contributing some scoring, rebounding, and passing as well as being able to block shots (8.3 ppg, 7rpg, almost 5 assists), so the starting lineup is probably better defensively, but they lose Love’s outside shooting.
The problem is not having someone with Nance’s versatility off the bench. Dean Wade appears to be over matched and we believe we weigh more than Thon Maker, the coach’s first options to soak up the minutes at the #4 and #5 spots on the court.
So, Bickerstaff and the Cavs are back to having a shortage of big people. We think it is possible to play small for a limited amount of minutes in a game, but generally, you need players who can contest shots around the basket. Right now, the Cavs rank 13th in the league in blocked shots, a dramatic improvement from last year’s ranking of dead last.
And if Love were only going to miss a handful of games, it would simply be something the team would just have to battle through. But he’s going to be out a month, so we think Altman should be hunting for a replacement.
One name that comes to mind is John Henson, who was here a year ago before being dealt to Detroit in the Drummond transaction.
Henson is just 30 years old and can play both PF and C, and averaged 5.5 points and almost three rebounds in 15 minutes per game last season. He would have to be a better option on the court right now than what is on the roster right now.
Another option would be Dewayne Dedmon, now 31-years-old. He put up almost 6 points and 6 boards per night with the Kings and Hawks a year ago.
To be fair, we don’t know what kind of shape either player is in at the present time.
We understand the Cavaliers probably aren’t going to make the playoffs this season, but we know Bickerstaff wants to win as many games as he can, and in terms of big men, he has one arm tied behind his back.
Besides, the back end of the wine and gold roster is filled with developmental players who will get action in the G League when it starts play. It’s not like Altman would have to cut loose someone with all star potential.
If the franchise wants winning to be part of the learning process, then get some players with size who can stay on an NBA court for 8-10 minutes per game.
That would be the right thing to do for Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Isaac Okoro.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 