Point Four-ward: The Final Countdown (of the Regular Season)

As we enter the home stretch of the NBA season, the Cavs embark on their final 20 games, having clinched a third consecutive winning season with 42 wins after a three point barrage in Atlanta last Friday. But, while they had hoped to build continuity with new additions in Andrew Bogut and Deron Williams, the injury bug struck again in Cleveland with Bogut fracturing his left tibia not even a minute into his debut. The Cavs weren’t exactly expecting to lean on Bogut, nor was his addition guaranteed to suddenly make Cleveland the favorite over the Western Conference Champion in The Finals. However, losing him before they ever really got to see him in action is still a major gut punch for a team that had seemingly found the perfect backup big man.

1. Andrew Bogut, gone in almost 60 seconds

The final addition to the Cavaliers (for now anyway), at long last got on the floor in his first game in a wine & gold uniform against the Heat in Cleveland. He’d spent a week working to secure his buyout from the Sixers, getting waived, and dealing with visa issues (which prevented him from joining the team shootaround Monday). Sadly, all the waiting only ended in 58 seconds of play, as Bogut fractured his left tibia.

LeBron said he heard Bogut's leg break on the court when it happened

— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) March 7, 2017

With Bogut likely out for the remainder of the season, yet still occupying a valuable roster spot, the Cavs will likely be forced to waive him (and pay him) to pick up another player. There are some notable bigs who could possibly provide leadership, experience and some much needed minutes off the bench (especially with Kevin Love still out), yet none move the needle as much as a healthy Bogut would have.

Number of free agent big men playoff eligible: Mike Scott, Luis Scola, Jared Sullinger (who's met with Heat), and of course, Larry Sanders.

— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) March 7, 2017

None of these options truly get me excited.  Mike Scott wasn’t all that impressive against the Cavs in the playoffs as a member of the Atlanta Hawks.  Scola was last seen in the playoffs getting trampled under foot by the King (see below).  Sullinger was waived by the Raptors due to his chronic back issues. And, Larry Sanders is still largely an unknown, having not played for more than two seasons.  If forced to choose, I’d say the upside of potentially getting the best of Larry Sanders would probably be most intriguing, but a long shot at best.  The most important aspect of finding a replacement for Bogut (who himself was a replacement for “Birdman” Andersen), would be defense and rim protection.  Out of the guys mentioned above, none really scream that.  I’m not holding my breath, but the Cavs still could make another minor move.  Last year, they signed Dahntay Jones right before the playoff run, so they could still look at someone like him.

2. Deron Williams, handling the situation

The Cavs answered LeBron’s unsubtle request for a playmaker last week when they added a solid one in Deron Williams, who has shown dynamic abilities off the bench.  In his first game with Cleveland, Williams got thrown immediately into the action (with Kyrie Irving in foul trouble), playing 24 minutes, including the majority of the fourth quarter. With 18 assists through four games, D-Will has shown to be, at the very least, an upgrade over Kay Felder as a ball-handler and creator.

Ty Lue has already experimented with Williams in a multitude of ways. While expected to serve as a reserve player for Kyrie, one of the best ball handlers of all time, Deron has also been paired with Irving in the backcourt at times to give the Cavs a dynamic duo of combo guards.  Perhaps even more intriguing is when Lue has played LeBron, D-Will and Kyrie at the same time, giving the Cavs three creative playmakers who can generate great looks for the good guys. The early returns have somewhat been mixed, however, as the Cavs lost a close game to the Celtics, beat the Hawks by five after leading by 20+, and lost to the Heat sans LeBron and Kyrie.  How DWills’ role evolves will be a storyline to watch going forward.  Maybe he will be best as a secondary or tertiary ball-handler to Kyrie and/LeBron.  Or, maybe he will be best by running the bench squad and giving Irving and James some rest minutes.  Only time and tinkering will tell and, thankfully, the Cavs have 20 games to sort it out.

3. Derrick Williams, providing more than expected

When the Cavs signed Derrick Williams in early February, he seemed like an odd choice for the first free agent pick up by the team. Despite being young and athletic, he was more of a wing than a playmaker or a big.  With his debut offering a glimmer of hope, Williams has not turned back in his first month with the Cavs.  Once in the running to be drafted by the Cavaliers to ostensibly “replace” LeBron after the decision, the general feeling was that Derrick was coming to the Cavs to give LeBron longer breaks and perhaps reduce his minutes load.  Instead, Williams has thrived in his role as a member of the “jumbo” lineup, shooting 52% from the field (44% from deep) and averaging 9.6 ppg, in addition to giving LeBron some rest from time to time.

Derrick Williams earned two ten-day contracts and then finally (and maybe anti-climatically with the other signings), a rest of the season deal valued at $268,000.  Williams’s ultimate role in the playoffs will be mystery until we get there.  He has proven to be much better than anticipated, especially with his shooting and ability to defend multiple positions at an acceptable rate. However, in crunch playoff time, it may still be more likely that Lue will trust RJ, Korver, J.R. Smith, and Shumpert over Williams.  The three ball has been great for Williams in Cleveland, but can it be truly sustainable considering that Williams is a career sub-30% shooter from deep? Whether he maintains it or not, should hold the key to how much he can be relied upon in the post-season.

4. David Griffin, hay in the barn (almost)

David Griffin deserves executive of the year.

It’s pretty depressing to see when sometimes fans, media members, and even some of Griff’s peers fail to give him the appropriate credit for his savvy and creativity in constructing this roster. While some seem to want to give credit to LeBron for making the decisions behind the scenes, it is Griffin’s leadership, patience, and intelligence that has put the Cavaliers in a stronger than expected position to defend their title.  Instead of panicking at LeBron’s request through the media for a “playmaker,” and pulling a knee-jerk signing of a player like Mario Chalmers, Jarrett Jack, or Kirk Hinrich, Griffin took a longview. He saw the landscape of the teams and took a calculated risk in not tying up a roster spot, then was rewarded with a much better addition in Deron Williams.

Griffin has imprinted his own identity on this team.  His strong qualities and opinion has led to championship level results, and it’s a shame that he does not have a long term contract in place. Per Zach Lowe’s podcast, Griffin admitted that he had a “good” feeling that they would be able to find a candidate from the buyout market, but did not expect to get a player of the caliber of Deron Williams. But, just when he thought his work was done, he must now find a replacement for Bogut due to the tragic injury in his debut.  The hay is mostly in the barn, but Griff will likely look to haul in one more bail before it’s all said and done. Let the countdown begin.