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Who Deserves the 2nd Unit Minutes in Cleveland?


The NBA Draft is close enough that you can start to feel the energy. Draft Day is Christmas for Cleveland fans, be it the Cavs or the Browns. Just the fact that they made a movie about it (and a good one, at that), is enough evidence. From Anthony Bennett to LeBron James, this town has seen it all.

This year, the Cavaliers have the opportunity to add a guy who may very well be the best basketball prospect to ever get drafted to Cleveland since The Chosen One. Word on the street is that Evan Mobley will be the one out of the top 3 in this year’s class to slip past both Detroit and Houston. Of course, things change and rumors can prove to be false, but let’s just roll with it.

Adding the hyper-versatile 7-footer to this team rounds out a 5-man young core that can feasibly stake a claim as one of the brightest in the business. There’s nothing conventional about it. 2 tiny guards. 2 tall bigs. Throw in the ball-of-clay between them that is Isaac Okoro, and it can be confusing to pin down exactly what you’re looking at.

But just because it doesn’t look familiar, doesn’t mean it can’t work. The NBA is a league won by committed talent. Cleveland’s young core is both committed and talented. The Lakers just won an NBA Title featuring Anthony Davis and JaVale McGee together in the starting lineup. Toronto won the year before with two 6’0” guards playing heavy minutes.

It can work. If the Cavs are able to make it to the regular season while resisting the urge to move on from any of Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley, or Jarrett Allen, then I think good things will follow. That quintet of players should be more than just the designated young core, they should also be the starting group that Cleveland rolls out from day 1.

There may be an argument to be made that other options on the bench will be more impactful from rip as Mobley makes the transition to the pros, but I don’t think it’s a valid argument towards benching him. At best, they would just be a stop-gap. That starting Power Forward slot is Mobley’s to be had in the long run. I think throwing him into the fire and developing the chemistry early on with his peers would be the best scenario for everyone involved.

Evan Mobley isn’t going to be like the other draftees that the Cavs have brought in these past few years. Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr, and Isaac Okoro all struggled mightily as they figured out how to play at the next level. Evan will still have his rough goings, but he’s easily the most NBA-ready prospect out of that group. As soon as he first steps onto the court, you’ll immediately feel his impact for the Cavaliers.

It’s not hard to figure out what the starting lineup should be for the team next season. What’s a bit more difficult is rounding out the rotation behind them. The Cavs are going to heavily rely on staggering. Garland/Sexton and Mobley/Allen are going to play a lot of minutes apart from each other so that they can both receive time at the 1 and the 5, respectively.

There’s some strenuous guidelines that need to be followed to fully maximize Cleveland’s potential. This isn’t going to be your stereotypical 1st unit and 2nd unit. There’s going to be a lot of intermixing of lineups. You want a backup big who can play with Mobley and Allen. You want a creator off-the-bench to pair with either half of Sexland, so that the team doesn’t suffer a severe lack of production when one of Sexton/Garland sits. You want capable wings to help fill the void that only Okoro occupies in the starting lineup.

Luckily, through the years, the Cavs have put together plenty of capable players that could make an argument for minutes on this roster. Unfortunately, a plague of injuries and uncharacteristically poor shooting numbers limited the bench from fully displaying what they could’ve done last year.

Outside of the aforementioned “core five”, there are 9 players who could all make a case to be included in the rotation. That’s not even including potential Free Agent signings or other additions via the draft, but for now we’ll focus on who Cleveland already has internally. Every one provides different benefits and shortcomings. It’s a good problem to have, but a tough decision nonetheless.


The Case for: Lamar Stevens

After going undrafted last offseason, the Cavs scooped up the 4-year senior on a 2-way deal. As injuries ravaged the team, Lamar got an oppurtunity to receive minutes and made the most of it. He ended up deservingly getting an extension to keep him in the Land long-term.

The Penn State alumnus got floor-time by being a defensive hound-dog. It’s probably not an overstatement to say he might be the best defensive player on the team at the moment. Offensively it’s a bit more rough. Lamar only shot 16% from 3 on low volume.

His energy was a clear boost to the team at certain moments of the season, but unless he makes strides with his jumper, chances are he should be considered more of a depth piece rather than a member of the rotation.

Verdict: 11th-12th man, occasional energy injection


The Case for: Taurean Prince

Brought over in the Jarrett Allen trade, Prince had a rollercoaster season with the Cavaliers. He was a dynamo off-the-bench for better or worse. Taurean put up a lot of shots, and was extremely streaky. His season ended a little early as he opted to have a surgery for a nagging injury of his.

The former Baylor Bear provides value in an area where Cleveland’s roster is critically lacking: off-the-dribble shot creation. They may not always be the best shots, but Prince can get himself his own looks. He also flashed some nice passing ability, which was a pleasure to see.

Taurean’s expiring contract will likely be discussed in trade talks this season, but for as long as he stays a Cavalier, I’d expect him to be a lock to get playing time as the 1st wing with the 2nd unit.

Verdict: Rotation member mainstay


The Case for: Isaiah Hartenstein

The only player picked up by the Cavs at the trade deadline last year, Harty gained some fans by locking down the backup center position and displaying some interesting facilitation abilities. He also showed his trademark hustle and activity, which often got himself in foul trouble with prior teams, but he managed to limit that to an extent in Cleveland.

Hartenstein is widely expected to decline his $1.8M Player Option this offseason, and despite some rumors that floated around saying he might return to Europe, odds are he re-ups with the Cavs on a slightly larger and longer deal. Only 23 years old, he fits the timeline here.

However, the frontcourt depth for the Cavaliers hurts his chances at landing a consistent gig in the rotation. He’s likely to settle in behind Mobley/Allen, then whoever’s left of the Love/Nance/Wade cluster. Regardless, it makes sense for JB Bickerstaff to go with small-ball bigs in the 2nd unit, rather than true 5s like Isaiah, so that Mobley and Allen can both spend ample time at the pivot.

Verdict: Depth Big-man


The Case for: Larry Nance Jr

You can’t really make a case against Larry. Despite being older than the rest of the young core, he still is comfortably in his prime. His all-around game helps make up for the shortcomings of his peers. Not to mention, he’s probably the leading voice among the players on the team, and a fantastic individual.

The only scenario where Nance doesn’t return as a contributor off-the-bench is if Cleveland opts to trade him. Which is a real possibility, and one that I think should be explored. Koby Altman has stated before that trading Nance is tough to do, considering the excellent connection he has made with the city of Cleveland. But he’s easily the team’s best trade asset (outside of the young core).

If the right trade offer comes along, such as a high draft pick or jumbo creator, it should be strongly considered. Obviously, selling him for chump change is not the way to go.

Verdict: 6th-man, barring trade


The Case for: Kevin Love

This is just really not a fun situation to talk about. Love has turned into arguably the worst contract in the league. After an injury-riddled season, he finally proclaimed to be healthy upon his arrival with Team USA.

He did not look healthy. He did not look good. He looked like the worst player on the team, not helping dissuade any of the backlash bestowed upon him when his name was selected. He’s had multiple on-court “tantrums” with the Cavaliers. Nobody wants to trade for him.

It’s a miracle he’s still here, considering the trade rumors that have constantly been attached  to him since stepping foot in Ohio. That should no longer be the case. It’s time for both sides to move on. At full health, he still makes this team better, but we may never see that Kevin Love again. It’s better to give the minutes to younger guys who are willing to give it 100% and strive to improve their respective games.

Verdict: Buyout


The Case for: Dylan Windler

I’m going to continue to proclaim that Dylan Windler has a very vivid role in the NBA and on this team. The key is staying healthy (the man deserves a full year with no issues) and confidence. The Cavs need a gunner from deep and Windler can be that guy, or at least be it better than Cedi Osman.

An oppurtunistic passer, defender, and rebounder, too, he can be a rock-solid all-around guy. At times last season, he appeared too timid. He struggled a bit with his shot and coming back from injuries, only to suffer another season-ending one.

If Windler can get back to 100%, which it seems like he is at the moment, I’d like to see him get his fair share of minutes, unless a free agent comes in and knocks him out.

Verdict: Back-end of the rotation


The Case for: Damyean Dotson

Dotson had a strong showing towards the beginning of last-season when he was literally the only guard left on the roster, with Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Matthew Dellavedova, and Kevin Porter Jr. Unfortunately, like a lot of Cleveland’s roster, he suffered serious shooting regression as the season bore on.

At 27 years old, he’s not exactly considered young anymore, but he’s still a useful 3&D guard with the abilty to attack closeouts, be a secondary creator, and pull-up off-the-dribble. With his contract being non-guaranteed, he’s at risk for being waived if the team comes across enough better options in Free Agency or trades, but otherwise, he likely sticks around.

Verdict: 11th-12th man


The Case for: Cedi Osman

What a nightmare of a season for Cedi. Didn’t take long for him to go from beloved to despised among Cavs fans. He never got into a rhythm this season. His shots weren’t falling and whenever he tried to make up for it, he ended up compounding the issue rather than making up for it.

I still believe he has it in him to make an impact on this team. Towards the end of the season, the Turkish wing started to look more like himself. Osman has some legitimate upside as a jumbo ball-handler. That was always an intriguing part of his game, but we really saw it come into fruition last season, despite getting barried underneath his shooting woes.

He’s never going to change from being an inconsistent player, but I think the odds are slim that we see him be consistently that bad next season. What his role will be next year, depends on who the Cavs add in Free Agency.

Verdict: Backup Point/Depth Wing


The Case for: Dean Wade

Consider me a Dean Wade disciple. There’s a lot of reasons why I’m fine with biting the bullet and letting Kevin Love walk, but Wade’s one of the main reasons. He’s got the size, the touch, the gunner’s mentality, the hustle, and the positional IQ. Sneaky athletic, too.

If Love sticks around in Cleveland for next season, he likely pushes Wade out of the rotation. I definitely think the Kansas State product’s deserving of a defined role with the team. After being unleashed in his sophomore NBA season, he certainly displayed enough NBA qualities for him to stick on the floor.

Verdict: Solidified Rotation member


Final 2nd Unit Lineup:

PG~ Cedi Osman
SG~ Dylan Windler
SF~ Taurean Prince
PF~ Dean Wade
C~ Larry Nance Jr

3rd-String Guard: Damyean Dotson
3rd-String Wing: Lamar Stevens
3rd String Big: Isaiah Hartenstein

Bought out: Kevin Love
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