Cleveland Cavaliers look like a completely new team as they enter 2017/18 NBA season. While the Cavaliers fans expected their favorite team to make a few changes this summer and become a better team, they certainly didn't expect things to go in such an unpredictable way. No one thought that Kyrie Irving would leave the team, but his trade request made the Cavaliers completely rebuild themselves.
As Cleveland sent Irving to the Boston Celtics, they received Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder in return. Beside them, they also got Ante Zizic and a pair of draft picks.
While Thomas will mostly serve as Irving's replacement, Crowder's role on the team is still unknown. However, it seems that he will be put in the starting lineup, pushing Tristan Thompson on the bench.
Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson
Tristan Thompson has been a reliable center for the Cleveland Cavaliers for the past few years, but it seems that his time as a starter is coming to an end. According to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, head coach Tyronn Lue plans to make Kevin Love a starting center. This move would push Tristan Thompson to the bench as Jae Crowder would be a starting power forward. David Aldridge of TNT confirmed this report.
Source confirms report from @JasonLloydNBA that Cavs plan for now to start @kevinlove at C this year & bring @RealTristan13 off the bench.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) October 2, 2017
Even though Thompson is undersized, he's been doing his job very well as a center.
However, in the last NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, Thompson underperformed, and it was obvious that the Cavaliers have to change something in order to be more competitive and have a chance to beat the reigning NBA champions.
The lineup with Love and Crowder would give the Cavaliers a much better spacing. Beside these two players, LeBron James would start as a small forward and Derrick Rose would be a starting point guard until Isaiah Thomas returns.
However, there is another starting lineup dilemma Cleveland is dealing with, and this time it's about a starting shooting guard.
Shooting guard starter
Dwyane Wade was the latest addition to the Cavaliers' roster, but it seems that he may not be a starter. It appears that Tyronn Lue will put J.R. Smith in the starting lineup, having Wade come off the bench.
The 35-year-old shooting guard expected to be a starter on the Cavaliers, but he is fine with being Smith's backup. Considering that Wade is a bad three-point shooter, he will most likely be better off as a leader of the second unit. After 14 years of being a starter in the NBA, the veteran shooting guard might finally become a bench player.
