Assembling Cleveland Cavaliers' Ideal Playoff Rotation
With the Cleveland Cavaliers returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2010, head coach David Blatt will be getting his initial taste of the NBA postseason.
Among the many responsibilities for Blatt include his establishment of a reliable, consistent rotation. His player combinations this season have been somewhat questionable, often overusing guys at times or not playing them at all.
Blatt's dealt with LeBron James' two-week rest period and minor injuries to Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Shawn Marion and Matthew Dellavedova. The big midseason trades for Timofey Mozgov, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert also forced him to change things up.
Now with a healthy, talented and hungry roster, Blatt needs to iron out who will make up his best playoff rotation.
Starters
This will be an easy decision for Blatt.
Since Jan. 13, the Cavaliers have kept their starting lineup intact, save for some minor injury replacements.
The five-man unit of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Mozgov and Smith has simply been dominant, accumulating a record of 27-4. Mozgov is a bigger, better defender than Anderson Varejao at center, while Smith has morphed into the catch-and-shoot floor-spacer that since-traded Dion Waiters failed to become. Mixed in with the Big Three, the Cavaliers have possessed one of the league's best starting fives.
Cleveland's starting unit is outscoring its opponents by a whopping 21.5 points per 100 possessions. It also holds the advantage in rebounding (plus-2.5), assists (plus-3.5) and blocks (plus-0.3).
The Cavaliers attack teams in a number of ways, featuring players who excel both inside and out.
Cleveland can go inside to Mozgov (59.9 percent shooting from the field) for an easy bucket or spread the floor with its plethora of outside shooters. The Cavs often use Love as a stretch 4, creating driving lanes for James and Irving.
Led by Smith, the Cavs' starting unit loves the three-ball as well. They're leading opponents in three-point makes (plus-5.2), attempts (plus-11.5) and percentage (plus-.034) per 100 possessions.
All starters, save for Irving, are having a positive effect on the team's defense. Led by Mozgov (5.9 fewer points by opponents when in game), Cleveland has the size and strength to handle any postseason team it faces.
Mozgov leads the Cavaliers with 1.3 blocks per game and is quick enough to step out and deter a driving guard. James can guard multiple positions, and Smith is enjoying career-best numbers in steals (1.5) and blocks (0.4) since coming to Cleveland. Irving and Love have been average defensively this season but can be hidden thanks to the strong play of Mozgov in the post and Smith on the perimeter.
So, what changes come playoff time?
For one, Mozgov's minutes should see a bump. The 7'1" center is receiving just 25.5 ticks a night despite excelling on both sides of the ball. His presence has made a huge difference in the Cavaliers' league-best 31-7 record since Jan. 15.
Blatt coached Mozgov with the Russian national team and has had nothing but positive things to say about the 28-year-old big man, via Steve Aschburner of NBA.com: "Boy he's big—you can't teach that. Moz has been one of the key factors in us turning our season around. He fits in extremely well with the other guys—he understands what we want from him and what the other guys expect from him."
Despite his admiration, Blatt has often left Mozgov sitting on the bench during fourth quarters, choosing to go with backup center Tristan Thompson instead.
Nothing against Thompson, but Mozgov has had the greater impact on the Cavaliers this season. The Cavs are 12.4 points better per 100 possessions with Mozgov in the game. Only James (plus-15.0) has made a bigger difference when on the court.
Blatt needs to ride with "Govzilla" far more often, as they'll need his size and physicality in the playoffs.
Irving (36.9 minutes), James (36.3), Love (34.1) and Smith (32.1) are all close to where they should be time-wise. James' court time will undoubtedly go up, as he ultimately controls his own subbing habits.
Despite a few tweaks in playing time, the Cavaliers' starting unit appears ready to rock and roll in the postseason.
Reserves
While the starting five is a no-brainer, the Cavaliers' reserve group is still up in the air.
According to James, it's up to the bench to maintain the tempo of the game while not letting up on the defensive end. As James told SLAM's Brendan Bowers following an April 2 win over the Heat:
"Our main thing we want from our bench is to come in with a defensive mindset. Keep the tempo and play the game the right way. Any time we get scoring off the bench is huge for us, but it’s something we don’t bank on. Tonight, Shump was great as far as his scoring. Delly [Matthew Dellavedova] chipped in. Double T [Tristan Thompson] was a monster on the boards. We didn’t lose a step when those guys came in and that’s what it’s all about.
"
Blatt has flip-flopped guys all season and appears to only be set on the three players James mentioned following the win against Miami.
After all, Thompson, Shumpert and Dellavedova are the only reserves seeing consistent minutes this season. Others like Shawn Marion, Mike Miller, James Jones, Kendrick Perkins and Brendan Haywood have all been in and out of the rotation.
The first three are all playing valuable roles for the Cavs.
Thompson is one of the NBA's best offensive rebounders (3.4, tied for fifth). He sets solid screens, hustles at all times and has developed as a defender overall.
Shumpert has become the Cavaliers' best perimeter defender, holding opponents to a paltry 26.9 percent shooting from beyond 15 feet. Cleveland will potentially need him against guys like Dwyane Wade, Kyle Korver, John Wall or Kyle Lowry in the postseason.
Dellavedova helps to move the ball, play defense and is shooting 40.7 percent from deep, tied with Irving for tops on the Cavs. His 20 minutes a night could go down in the postseason if we see James take over more ball-handling duties.
The end-of-bench veterans are all clearly on the downside of their respective careers. All are in their 30s but bring some valuable playoff experience and knowledge to the Cavaliers.
Miller and Jones won two championships with James on the Miami Heat. Marion and Haywood helped the Dallas Mavericks take home a title in 2011. Perkins was the starting center on the 2008 Boston Celtics team that won it all.
All of that's great, but will it earn them minutes in the playoffs?
Blatt started Marion for 23 games earlier in the season as a defensive upgrade over Waiters. When spacing became an issue, he went with Miller as the starting shooting guard for 14 contests.
Jones, although typically a wing player throughout his career, has been used as an undersized power forward to help stretch the defense as of late.
Perkins has averaged just 7.1 minutes in 13 games since signing with Cleveland following a buyout with the Utah Jazz. Most of that time has come when the game's outcome has already been decided. Haywood hasn't stepped foot on the court since Feb. 26, although he's convinced the coaches are saving him to use as a secret weapon in the playoffs.
Blatt's usage of any of these veterans will be slim, but not ignored.
If Shumpert continues to struggle with his shot (5.6 points, 36.0 percent shooting in March), Miller or Jones could steal some minutes.
If the slender but athletic Thompson is being bullied inside, Blatt can turn to his muscle with Perkins.
Of course, for all defensive purposes, Marion is ready to help.
Cleveland's strength is still its starting five. The bench certainly brings some experience and specialized skills, but using it in big minutes would be a mistake.
Ideal Playoff Rotation
Overall, the Cavaliers are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the postseason.
Cleveland has avenged many early-season losses to opponents and only possesses a losing record against two of the 29 teams it has faced.
The Cavaliers have been the hottest team since mid-January, and with James leading the way, they should be poised for a deep playoff run.
Relying heavily on the starting five, here's how Blatt should spread out his postseason rotation.
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
| Irving (38) | Smith (34) | James (38) | Love (36) | Mozgov (32) |
| Dellavedova (10) | Shumpert (22) | Miller/Jones (5) | Thompson (20) | Perkins (5) |
| Marion (0) | Haywood (0) |
In this scenario, Mozgov would see the biggest bump in the playing time, with all four other starters getting a slight increase as well. Dellavedova sees his court time cut the most, given that James will be taking more control of the offense.
A shooter (Miller or Jones) and some muscle (Perkins) will be used sparingly, with Thompson and Shumpert continuing to play the largest roles off the bench.
Blatt can ensure the Cavaliers are at their best with an eight-man rotation, giving the starters all the playing time they can take.
Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA for Bleacher Report since 2010.
All stats provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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