Goodbye Kyrie Irving, Hello … Jae Crowder? Isaiah Thomas won’t be back until at least Christmas (hip injury), so the ultimate answer to the trade that rocked the Eastern Conference won’t be known until the season is nearly half over. But while the off-season additions of Thomas, Dwyane Wade, and Derrick Rose have a lot of star power—how are those changes going to translate on the court?
As long as LeBron James is playing, maybe it doesn’t matter—at least until the NBA Finals in June. LeBron has been the NBA’s best player, is the best, and will continue to be the best until it’s proven otherwise.
His body of work is too strong to doubt him, but championship teams need talent up and down the roster and on both sides of the court.
The Cavs backcourt has star power (for 2009)
With Isaiah Thomas out, Rose and Wade are going to start in the Cavs backcourt. Each player enters the season with a lot of questions. Both put up decent numbers (for bad teams) last year, but their games don't exactly fit the mold of a LeBron James' style offense. Both are ball dominant, non-shooting guards, whose defensive play leaves much to be desired. The two can score, and there is shooting off the bench to make up for their low 3-pt percentages, but ideally—what can the Cavs get from them?
Wade and James have chemistry from their time together in Miami.
The Cavs need Wade to regain his knack for backdoor cuts to the basket. If he can make teams pay for doubling James and turn up his defense when it matters, he does provide a potentially explosive element that could make a difference come playoff time. Derrick Rose wasn't brought in to start. When he signed, the Cavs still had Irving on the roster, and in theory is a placeholder until Thomas returns.
With the average NBA salary pushed to $6 million, Rose signed with the Cavs on a minimum, 1-year deal. The former MVP is still just 29-years old and needs the Cavs to revitalize his career. His upside probably means being an offensive spark plug off-the-bench whenever LeBron is sitting in the latter part of the year and post-season.
The Kevin Love center experiment
The Cavs don't have the overall talent of the Warriors, but they are legitimately 2-deep at every position. With a starting unit that includes Rose, Wade, and LeBron—the Cavs need spacing. The addition of Jae Crowder allows Lue to insert Kevin Love in as the starting center. It's a move that will open up the driving lanes but create a defensive liability in the paint. Tristan Thompson does give the Cavs' defense a boost, but he isn't an elite rim protector, and his limited offensive game leaves a lot to be desired. With Irving gone and Thomas out, Love will start off as the number two option on the Cavs. The potential offensive mismatch each night may inject some confidence in Love and put him in a position to be aggressive throughout the season.
The Kyrie trade also included the Brooklyn Nets' unprotected number one draft pick. If the Cavs do decide to go all-in this season, it's a card they left to play. With the trade value of NBA stars lower than it's ever been, the Cavs talent acquisition may not be over.
