Deep roster
These days, the Cavaliers remain dependent on their marquee names, and especially James. Then again, it’s more a function of their style under head coach Tyronn Lue than a reflection of their relative lack of talent. On the contrary, they boast of the dee
Fate can be funny at times, cruel in others. It was most certainly the latter yesterday with the Cavaliers, who saw the awaited debut of waiver-wire pickup Andrew Bogut stunted within a minute of his taking to the court due to a fracture in his left tibia. Granted, his absence is not of the Kevin Durant variety; there’s no comparison, to be sure, between the former teammates. Still, there can be no understating the impact of his sidelining moving forward; the wine and gold looked to have struck, well, gold with him, seeing as how he figured to provide them with much-needed toughness in the paint, not to mention the added bonus of information gleaned from his time with the rival Warriors.
True, there’s no telling how long Bogut will stay out at this point. All the same, it’s clear from the freak turn of events that his brittle body will be a question mark moving forward, even under ideal conditions. Which, from the point of view of the Cavaliers, is unfortunate; after all, he’s not just an eighth man slated to help more in practice than in actual matches. Considering how porous their defense is, they saw his arrival as an opportunity to better their showing on that end of the court, never mind if only in spates.
Not that the Cavaliers are fazed. They’ve seen their share of misfortunes to understand that success involves coping with the hand they’re dealt. There were no bowed heads when Mo Williams suddenly saw fit to go under the knife prior to the start of the season, or when Chris Andersen went down with a busted knee, and not from any contact, during a shootaround last December. They played on and, as if to prove their capacity to be at the best in the midst of pressure, went about ramping up scrutiny via top dog LeBron James’ public call for management to change their “top heavy” state.
These days, the Cavaliers remain dependent on their marquee names, and especially James. Then again, it’s more a function of their style under head coach Tyronn Lue than a reflection of their relative lack of talent. On the contrary, they boast of the deepest roster in the National Basketball Association following the acquisitions of Kyle Korver, Derrick Williams, Deron Williams, and, yes, Bogut. When vital cogs Kevin Love and J.R. Smith fully convalesce from injury, they potentially have a rotation that’s 10 deep, setting them up well for their title defense. It’s what keeps them competitive when one or two suddenly become unavailable. And, ultimately, it’s what will give them a fair chance to upend the superior Warriors or Spurs with the hardware on the line.