After an exciting offseason, it is time for the Cleveland Cavaliers to figure out which players they will put in the starting lineup. Considering that Kyrie Irving is gone, the Cavaliers will need another point guard and it won't be Isaiah Thomas as he is injured. As for the shooting guard position, Dwyane Wade and J.R. Smith will be fighting for a starting spot, while Kevin Love may replace Tristan Thompson as a center.
The reigning Eastern Conference champions have made some big changes to the roster this offseason, so it will take them a while to find out their best lineups. There are a lot of new faces on the team, which means it will take some time until they build chemistry and play well together. However, head coach Tyronn Lue is willing to experiment with different lineups and see which one is the best.
Kevin Love as a center
Lue is considering starting Kevin Love at a center position next season. Last year, it was Tristan Thompson who was a starting center for the Cavaliers, and even though he did a solid job, Love might be a better option.
Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reported that Thompson was a starting center during the workouts, but the situation might be different when the season starts.
Love was told to be ready to play more as a center, and it seems he is willing to accept the challenge. Considering he is a power forward, moving to the center spot would mean that he'll have to slightly adjust his game. Both Thompson and Love are great options for the starting spot, but the Cavaliers would most likely benefit more from Love since he can stretch the floor.
"We did a lot of that last training camp, but as far as how the sets are put together right now throughout training camp I am seeing a pretty significant amount of time there," Love said.
He also added that there are a lot more lineups the Cavaliers can use, so the situation could easily change.
Jae Crowder replacing Love
Jae Crowder was acquired in the trade with the Boston Celtics and he will most likely replace Kevin Love at the power forward spot. While Crowder is a small forward, he is more than capable playing at the four. Beside him, Love would be a center and LeBron James would be at the three.
When it comes to backcourt players, Derrick Rose will most likely be a starting point guard. His backcourt partner is still unknown, but it seems that the Cavaliers are leaning toward giving J.R. Smith a starting spot over Dwyane Wade.