Changing of the Guard: How Will Cavaliers Offset Loss of Delonte West?

Delonte West returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting lineup Thursday night.

Saturday, he’ll return to the bench.

The dizzying events of the last two days saw West take over at point guard when Mo Williams was diagnosed with a shoulder sprain, then have to step aside himself less than two hours later when he injured the index finger on his left hand.

It’s a disappointment for West and a potentially devastating blow for the Cavaliers, who have been the NBA’s best team over the past six weeks and confirmed their place among the league’s elite with a 93-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, their second victory over the defending champs this year.

Now they’re faced with the possibility of missing both Williams and West for a significant length of time. The jury is still out on West, who will have a full diagnosis when the swelling in his finger subsides in a few days.

Until then, Daniel Gibson will take over at the point. Gibson is in his fourth season and is one of the premier long-distance shooters in the game, currently connecting on better than 48 percent of his three-point attempts. 

But his small stature and dubious defense had left Gibson as the odd man out in Mike Brown's guard rotation this season. He’ll do a passable imitation for the time being, but isn’t the long-term answer.

Brown suggested that the Cavs may switch to a point guard by committee for now. However, knowing that Williams will be out four to six weeks, the Cavs will need to make a move if West is lost for an extended period.

A quick-fix would be to bring back Coby Karl, who was released Jan. 6 and has been lighting up the D-League for the Idaho Stampede. Karl signed with the Cavs during the offseason and has a semester of experience with Cleveland’s system.

He's not an accomplished NBA point guard, however, and would only be suitable if West’s absence is a brief one.

NBA veterans Antonio Daniels and Brevin Knight are free agents, but their phones haven’t been ringing off the hook. Both are in their mid-30s and would be backup material at best.

They also aren’t 10-day contract guys, and would likely only sign a contract for the rest of the season.

There are some other interesting prospects making noise in the D-League, including Dontell Jefferson of the Utah Flash, Mustafa Shakur of the Tulsa 66ers, and Cedric Jackson of the Erie BayHawks. Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside posted a great analysis of these and other D-Leaguers earlier today.

Every season has its bumps in the road, and the Cavaliers have encountered some big ones all at once.

When you have LeBron James—another option in the backcourt, by the way—you always have a chance. However, Cleveland's depth and maturity will be put to the test as they adjust to the loss of two key members of the rotation.

Title contenders handle such adjustments and keep on winning. How the Cavs handle this challenge will reveal much about their championship potential.