Cleveland Cavaliers: How Their Bench Compares to Eastern Conference Contenders

Unlike other sports, success in basketball is often a result of quality productivity from a team’s bench. In professional baseball, rarely does a player that doesn’t start make his way into the game. In football, nearly every starter will be on the field for every snap.

Wins in basketball often result of key contributions from nonstarters. One of the main reasons for Cleveland’s success to date is the play of guys off of the bench.

Currently, the Cavaliers are 17-3 and in the midst of an eight-game winning streak. Their early season success is a product of the supporting cast on the bench. (Cleveland suffered its three losses on the road to likely-playoff teams Boston, New Orleans, and Detroit.)

With a quarter of the regular season complete, Cleveland is only two games behind Boston for first place in the Eastern Conference despite playing two less games. Even better, the Cavaliers are No. 1 in average point difference per game in the NBA and just one of two teams yet to lose at home.

Returning our focus to the Cleveland bench, let’s look at how each player is contributing to the success of the team and how they compare to other benches of contending teams at the top of the Eastern Conference. In order of average minutes played per game, the following is a brief summary of each bench player’s skills and his reasons for success this season.

G Daniel Gibson

In the past Gibson’s minutes were a result of his ability to make three-point shots. This season, however, Daniel is getting the most minutes off of the bench because of his efficiency as a ball handler and his continued progress as a perimeter defender.

Despite shooting just 29.4 percent from three-point range this season, Daniel remains an crucial part of the Cleveland rotation. And despite his struggles, Daniel needs to continue shooting regardless of his success rate because he is the type of offensive player that can get hot in a hurry.

Gibson commits less than one turnover per game (2.56 assist-to-turnover ratio), which is tremendous for a young guard that handles the ball as much as he does.

F Anderson Varejao

His development in past years has been a result of his hard work in the offseason. This season, Anderson has shown vast improvement in his mid-range jump shot and his ability to drive to the basket.

Friday versus the Pacers, he poured in 17 points on nine attempts with seven makes, many of which came from 15-foot set shots. This dimension combined with his high energy that he shows on defense makes Anderson a vital component in extending a Cavaliers playoff run.

G/F Wally Szczerbiak

Like Gibson, Wally needs to continue shooting despite his struggles (34.2 percent) beyond the arc this season. Szczerbiak is a rhythm shooter who operates well with time to shoot. Averaging 18.8 minutes per game, Szczerbiak rounds out coach Brown’s eight-man rotation and allows LeBron James to record fewer minutes.

Wally is a defensive liability, however. He lacks quickness on the perimeter, and his size prevents him from shutting down small guards. At some point this season, Szczberbiak is likely to be traded. His contract is too high for what he does for the team. And the trade can bring additional pieces to the Cavaliers’ championship puzzle.

G Sasha Pavlovic  

Pavlovic has faded in the Cavalier lineup with each passing season. Once a valued free agent, Pavlovic now earns just over nine minutes per game. Sasha plays well in blowouts during garbage time, but evidence of his improvement is absent.  

Pavlovic is still a good shooter, but because other components of his game are lackluster, coach Brown elects to limit his minutes. Expect Pavlovic to be packaged with Wally in that midseason trade.

F J.J. Hickson

Hickson is needed to step up in order for the Cavaliers to enjoy a lengthy playoff run. A playoff team’s fourth frontcourt player can often be the difference between advancing and elimination, especially in seven-game series.

J.J. is shooting 50 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the foul line. Despite not having gaudy statistics defensively, his contributions often are unnoticed by the box score. His athleticism and length will aid him in defending the best of the Eastern Conference power forwards in the playoffs.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Cleveland has sufficient playoff experience. Newcomers Mo Williams and Hickson should not have any difficulty acclimating to a playoff environment. The team is also becoming increasingly unselfish. Evidence suggests the Cavaliers are becoming a more complete team as opposed to a team with one superstar and a bunch of non-factors.

Strengths of Cleveland’s bench include experience, shooting, and unselfishness. Weaknesses on the bench include lack of depth, lack of shot blocking, and lack of athleticism aside from Gibson.

The addition of Williams by subtraction of Joe Smith left Cleveland somewhat bare in frontcourt bench depth. Smith was a decent offensive alternative to Zydrunas Ilgauskas, but Ben Wallace and Varejao are defensive specialists. Cleveland may be troubled if it is forced to have those two on the floor at the same time, especially if LeBron is on the bench.

As Cleveland looks poised to earn a playoff berth, let’s determine how its bench matches with the premier contenders in the Eastern Conference. The strengths and weaknesses of these units often offset any differences in talent or efficiency of starting lineups.

Against Boston

The Celtics are the best team defense in the NBA. Individually, the players are not exceptional, but their effort and communication is outstanding. Boston is better than Cleveland talent-wise when comparing both of their starting lineups and benches.

Shifting focus to the bench, Boston has veteran point guards Eddie House and Sam Cassell. Swingman Tony Allen is emerging in place of departed James Posey. In the post, Leon Powe is a major force under the basket while Glen Davis is a solid contributor.

In House, Cassell, and Allen, the Celtics have a backcourt advantage over the Cavaliers. Boston’s guards have more experience and are more consistent than Gibson, Szczerbiak, and Pavlovic.

In the frontcourt, Varejao is just as good as Powe and more valuable to his team. Hickson will need to elevate his game if Cleveland meets Boston because Davis has four playoff series under his belt while Hickson is just a rookie.

Cleveland forced Boston into seven games last season when they met in the playoffs. The difference this year is that the Cavaliers have Williams. Both teams have improved. Boston’s “Big Three” now know what it takes to win an NBA championship. If these two teams meet again this postseason, expect the series to be as good—if not better—than last season.

Against Orlando

Veteran point guard Anthony Johnson backs starter Jameer Nelson. Johnson started a few games this season while Nelson was injured. He’s played for seven teams including two separate stints with the same team. Also in the backcourt is sharpshooter J.J. Redick, rookie Courtney Lee, and sixth-year man Keith Bogans.

The Cavaliers match up with Orlando better than with Boston. Redick is essentially a clone of Szczerbiak but worse. Lee and Bogans bring athleticism but don’t possess the ability to light up the scoreboard like Gibson has shown in the playoffs.

In the frontcourt, Tony Battie and Adonal Foyle come off of the bench for the Magic. Both are solid veterans with Battie getting the majority of the minutes between the two. Overall, the Magic are decent defensive team but not near as good as Cleveland.

The Cavaliers would be favored in a postseason series versus Orlando. Cleveland has better players throughout its roster, and Orlando doesn’t benefit from the depth that Cleveland has.

Against Detroit

Division foe Detroit shook up its roster early in the season by swapping point guard Chauncey Billups for the Nuggets’ Allen Iverson. Though the Pistons have lost its swagger since the trade, they should have enough resiliency to make the postseason.

Detroit has one of the more intriguing benches in the NBA. Traditionally, the Pistons plug in their young players and force them to learn by giving them significant playing time. Thirteen players average over 10 minutes of action per game as opposed to just eight for Cleveland.

The organization is very hopeful about its future with Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo in the backcourt. Both are good athletes with knack for scoring, and each player is sound defensively.

In the frontcourt, meanwhile, any combination of forwards Jason Maxiell, Amir John, Kwame Brown, and Walter Hermann play and not to mention, Antonio McDyess is eligible to re-sign with the team Dec. 8.

Detroit has roughly 60 games to gel before the playoffs begin. This is enough time to correct its defensive woes and to determine how to utilize Iverson in the offense most effectively. With five great guards and a myriad of capable frontcourt players, Detroit will have the capacity to challenge Cleveland in a playoff series, assuming they improve on their shaky start. 

This playoff run should be interesting for Cleveland. They have the tools to make a push for the championship. This is only a matter of finding ways to improve and having the desire to make it happen.