The Cavaliers made some noise in the off-season leading up to the 2014-2015 season with their acquisitions: LeBron, Kevin Love, Mike Miller, and Shawn Marion to name a few. They looked a lot different starting this season than they did to end last season. Having continued to make more moves during the season, this Cavaliers team looks even more different.
Last season, the Cavs had 21 players log stats. This season so far, they have 19. Only five of those 19 were on the roster for both. None of these numbers include Andrew Wiggins, the number one overall pick of the 2014 NBA draft who was traded to Minnesota as part of a package deal for Kevin Love.
Players who were in Cleveland last year but not this year: (16)
Luol Deng
Spencer Hawes
C.J Miles
Jarrett Jack
Andrew Bynum
Tyler Zeller
Earl Clark
Anthony Bennett
Alonzo Gee
Seth Curry
Carrick Felix
Henry Sims
Sergey Karasev
Shane Edwards
Scotty Hopson
Arinze Onuaku
Players who were in Cleveland last year and this year: (5)
Kyrie Irving
Tristan Thompson
Anderson Varejao
Matthew Dellavedova
Dion Waiters (now in Oklahoma City)
Players not in Cleveland last year but there this year: (14)
LeBron James
Kevin Love
J.R Smith
Timofey Mozgov
Shawn Marion
James Jones
Mike Miller
Joe Harris
A.J Price
Will Cherry
Brendan Haywood
Lou Amundson
Alex Kirk
Iman Shumpert
There have been some growing pains along the way. Love missed some time, LeBron was out for a couple of weeks, and Irving was injured as well. A new head coach and some in-season acquisitions add to the level of difficulty. Currently on a 5-game winning streak, here are some of the reasons that this team is in a great spot.
The Big Three
Obviously adding in two all-stars like LeBron James and Kevin Love to join Kyrie Irving will improve any team. On paper, this team immediately became a favorite. The issue for the Cavs with putting together the Big 3 was exactly the same as when James joined Bosh and Wade in Miami: meshing. They needed time to gel together as a team. Ray Allen said it took the Heat until March of that first year to gel. That was with three really good friends. Imagine having three new guys having to get on the same page.It was bound to take some time. They're still not completely there yet.
Timofey Mozgov
This is my new favorite player, I love the Russian 7-footer. Mozgov has not only been able to be that big body in the middle, defending the rim, and grabbing rebounds. He's has one of the best PER's on the team. Mozgov has had some really good games while bouncing around the Russian league and NBA. He played for their olympic team as well. Cleveland is always willing to enlist the help of foreign centers. With Mozgov as their best rim protector and still able to get up the floor, this gives the Cavs a lot of options offensively. LeBron has seemed to love the addition of this big man as well.
J.R Smith and Dion Waiters
I'm still not 100% sold on this move.At first, I felt like you were just trading headaches by getting rid of Waiters and adding J.R Smith. However, if anyone can put Smith in his place, it's LeBron. I don't think I'd take orders from Carmelo Anthony, either. Smith has the ability to spread the floor as a deep shooter, allowing penetration for LeBron and Kyrie. If J.R Smith can play his role of 3-point shooter and not give up too much defensively, while not being a cancer in the locker room, this will be a great trade.
I saw how good Waiters could be when he got into this league. His attitude hasn't been great, and he immediately clashed with Irving because apparently he thought he was better than him. When the Big 3 arrived and his role was going to be slightly diminished, rather than accept it, he was outspoken against it. That probably means it's time to go. I wanted to get more for him than Shumpert and Smith, but Shumpert is a good defensive player which is something the Cavs needed and Smith could prove to be a good addition. Getting rid of a player like Waiters is definitely addition through subtraction.
Tristan Thompson's Team Mentality
Someone who did accept more of a diminished role with the addition of the Big 3 is Tristan Thompson. Love took his starting spot which meant Thompson would come off the bench as Varejao started at center. When Varejao went down, I'm sure Thompson saw his minutes going up. But then the Cavs grab the 7'1" Mozgov who starts to play well and his role is still where it was before. He's one of the best offensive rebounders in the league (4th going into Sunday) and is an athletic 4 that can stretch the floor in transition. I'm currently watching him guard SG Dion Waiters. I didn't love this pick when we got him with our 4th pick, but I'm really liking him now.
Shawn Marion and Leadership
This is one of the more underrated moves not only for the Cavs but of any team this off-season. Not only did he have his best season last year, but he's one of three guys who had a significant role in winning an NBA championship. His leadership will definitely help in the locker room so that it's not only LeBron preaching what to do to win but Marion, too. Offensively he's turned into a set shooter which, with penetrators like LeBron and Kyrie, fits perfectly into the offense. Mike Miller will also provide some leadership, but Marion is a guy the Cavs can certainly look to come playoff time.
LeBron James
It all starts and ends with the greatest player on the planet. Being a Cavs fan in Utah, I got a lot of "are you happy that the Cavs got LeBron back?" I don't really know a great response, so I have to say "of course, it's always good to have the best player in the NBA on your team, right?" It hurt seeing LeBron leave, I didn't think he'd come back. Now that he's here, Cleveland always a shot at the championship. And make no mistake...he runs this team. Cleveland has a head coach and GM, but this is LeBron's team.
I think in time, the addition of Iman Shumpert will prove to be important, especially defensively and when the playoffs roll around. He's known as a defensive stopper, but as of late a lot of people have said that his defensive abilities are a little overrated. I think when you come from a disfunctional team like the Knicks where you're asked to do so much there, coming to a team like Cleveland where you're asked to be more of a role guy at first enhances your skills. Now you don't have to do this AND that, just do this. Specialize more. It's why Kawhi Leonard is the player that he is today. He started off as a defensive specialist. Not that I think Shumpert will be the next Leonard, but he can become a solid playoff rotation guy.
The Cavs may not get to the finals this year, and that's okay. The main objective this year is to get the roster set with the right group of guys. I believe that the Cavs made certain moves to get closer to that roster. They may be there now...J.R Smith will prove if he belongs or not. The great thing is that the east is weak and the Cavs are really good this year, good enough to win it all. Will they do it? It'll be fun to watch.
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