How to Improve the Cleveland Cavaliers' Rotation
The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to an Eastern Conference-best 7-1 start to the season, flashing both Finals-worthy offense and defense.
This is somewhat surprising; although the Cavs were expected to be good, they've played shorthanded to this point.
Starting point guard and All-Star Kyrie Irving has yet to step on the court while recovering from knee surgery. Iman Shumpert, the team's best perimeter defender, is on the mend from wrist surgery and hasn't played a minute, either.
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While free-agent pickup Mo Williams has performed beautifully as a spot starter until Irving's return, the entire backcourt will have to be reshuffled at some point. In the middle, coach David Blatt has to carefully monitor the workload on center Timofey Mozgov, who had knee surgery last summer. There's also the concern about getting enough time for Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao, who the Cavs have more than $220 million invested in.
While Blatt's rotation has been pretty clean thus far, changes will inevitably come with the return of injured stars.
Center
| Timofey Mozgov | Starter | 21.4 | 25.0 | |
| Anderson Varejao | Reserve | 9.0 | 10.0 | |
| Sasha Kaun | Reserve/Inactive | 3.5 | 0 |
Blatt has wisely kept Mozgov's minutes low to start the season in an effort to slowly build strength back in his knees.
That said, Mozgov is far too valuable to play just 20 minutes a night. The 7'1" Russian is Cleveland's best rim protector and can also run the floor on offense. He also recently knocked down his first three-pointer as a member of the Cavaliers (something that Blatt half-joked he's only allowed to keep doing if he makes them).
Against the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 8, Varejao recorded just his second DNP-CD (i.e., did not play-coach's decision) in the past 10 years. Now 33, he certainly shouldn't be playing anywhere close to starter's minutes, but Varejao does need to see the court. He's a good mid-range shooter, above-average defender and strong rebounder. The Cavs have been 22.8 points per 100 possessions better defensively with him in the game this year.
Kaun is this season's insurance policy. He won't get time unless one of the three big men in front of him have to miss a game, and that's OK.
Power Forward
| Kevin Love | Starter | 33.0 | 33.0 |
| Tristan Thompson | Sixth Man | 25.1 | 26.0 |
This position needs the least amount of tinkering.
Both Love (17.0 points, 12.6 rebounds) and Thompson (8.1 points, 10.0 rebounds) are getting the playing time necessary to be productive and make their respective presences felt.
It should come as no surprise what each brings to the table. Love has made a 16.8 point per 100 possession difference on offense, while Thompson improves Cleveland's defense by 12.3 points over the same stretch of time.
Love hasn't played as few as 33 minutes since the 2009-10 season. The Minnesota Timberwolves couldn't afford to keep him on the bench that long. The Cavaliers can.
Thompson hasn't missed a game in four years and can handle heavy playing time at either post position. Cleveland would be wise to increase his minutes to help lessen the burden on both Mozgov and Love.
Small Forward
| Player | Current/Ideal Role | Current Minutes | Ideal Minutes |
| LeBron James | Starter | 34.4 | 34.0 |
| Richard Jefferson | Reserve | 13.1 | 10.0 |
| James Jones | Reserve | 7.4 | 0-5.0 |
Blatt caught a lot of heat for forcing James into big minutes early on last season. Perhaps the pressure of winning immediately for a new NBA coach or the belief that James was invincible led to this decision. Whatever the reason, James' newly-turned 30-year-old body needed a rest halfway through the schedule.
Now, Blatt is being much more careful. His plan has James playing a career-low 34 minutes, something that could be trimmed even more with the return of Irving.
Jefferson (9.6 points, 52.2 3P%) is the best backup Cleveland has ever given James, and has already been a clear upgrade over Shawn Marion of last season. He's split a healthy amount of time between small forward and shooting guard due to the injuries to Shumpert and even Smith missing games. With a healthy backcourt and Jefferson bumped back to an exclusive small forward role, Jones may find it difficult to earn time.
Shooting Guard
| J.R. Smith | Starter | 23.0 | 24.0 |
| Iman Shumpert | Injured/Reserve | N/A | 23.0 |
| Richard Jefferson | Reserve | 12.0 | 0 (all at SF) |
| Jared Cunningham | Reserve/Inactive | 12.0 | 0 |
| Joe Harris | Reserve/Inactive | 3.5 | 0 |
Here's where the real shakeup begins.
The only question involving the starting lineup this summer was at shooting guard between Smith and Shumpert. While Smith earned the nod following a trade from the New York Knicks and into the first round of the playoffs, it was Shumpert that took over the job for the final three rounds.
Both have the talent to start, but ultimately Smith fits more seamlessly with the opening unit. He's the better three-point and catch-and-shoot option, keeping those much-needed driving lanes open for James and Irving. While Shumpert is the better defender, Smith proved last season that he can hold his own on that end when motivated. Both should receive north of 20 minutes a night, a number that could jump to 30-plus depending on the matchup.
While Cunningham and Harris have flashed potential, their playing time will be obsolete once Cleveland's backcourt is full-strength. Expect to see both in suits or playing for the D-League's Canton Charge then.
Point Guard
| Kyrie Irving | Injured/Starter | N/A | 33.0 |
| Mo Williams | Starter/Reserve | 31.1 | 18.0 |
| Matthew Dellavedova | Reserve | 26.4 | 5.0-10.0 |
The Cavs' two-man combo of Williams and Dellavedova has been even better than expected. Lineups featuring both are a plus-23.6 per 100 possessions, while also registering a plus-7.1 in assists and minus-3.1 in turnovers.
Even when Irving returns, Blatt has to find time for all three. Dellavedova has the highest on/off rating of any Cavalier through seven games (plus-24.6), higher than that of Love (plus-23.7) and James (plus-22.2).
Irving, like James and Love, should enjoy a lighter workload from last season. Thanks to the signing of Williams, Cleveland now has the offense-initiating backup guard they lacked in the playoffs following Irving's knee injury.
Conclusion
With a healthy roster, the Cavaliers' rotation would ideally look like the following:
| Kyrie Irving (34 minutes) | J.R. Smith (24 minutes) | LeBron James (34 minutes) | Kevin Love (33 minutes) | Timofey Mozgov (25 minutes) |
| Mo Williams (18 minutes) | Iman Shumpert (24 minutes) | Richard Jefferson (10 minutes) | Tristan Thompson (26 minutes) | Anderson Varejao (10 minutes) |
| Matthew Dellavedova (5-10 minutes) | James Jones (0-5 minutes) |
This means more rest for stars and bigger responsibilities for veterans and role players who are more than capable of handling it.
Cleveland's best depth comes at point guard, where all three floor generals can be interchanged at either backcourt spot.
For a team so decimated by injuries in the Finals last June, Blatt must spread time around and avoid piling too much responsibility on the shoulders of a few.
It will be far more important to possess a healthy roster, rather than a sparking record, come playoff time.
Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA for Bleacher Report since 2010. Follow him on Twitter, @CavsGregBR. Stats via Basketball-Reference.com. Stats are current as of the start of games Nov. 10.
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