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J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert are headed to Cleveland.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers' supposed easy transition to title contender after acquiring LeBron James and Kevin Love in the offseason has not gone according to plan. Granted, a 19-15 record gets you a respectable 5th seed in the Eastern Conference, but the Cavs are after much more. Cleveland's new 'Big Three' has not exactly gelled and looked cohesive on the court, when they have all been out there, during the first half of this season. Rookie Head Coach David Blatt appears to have already lost the locker room and has been one of the more heavily scrutinized rookie head coaches in recent memory. It seems as though James has taken on more of a coaching role than Blatt, and the players are aware. A loss to the lottery bound Philadelphia 76ers several days ago prompted Cavs GM David Griffin to make some wholesale changes in the biggest trade of the NBA season, involving the New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Cavs shipped controversial guard Dion Waiters to the Thunder to play alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and the Knicks sent Iman Shumpert and the unpredictable J.R. Smith to Cleveland. Those are the meat and potatoes of this trade, as the Cavs also received protected draft picks from OKC and the Knicks received big men Lou Amundson and Alex Kirk from Cleveland, Lance Thomas from OKC and a 2019 2nd round pick from the Cavs. This deal was a cap space clearer for New York, as they plan to waive all of the players "acquired" in this mega-deal. The larger impact for the short term lies with Cleveland and Oklahoma City, as they hope the added pieces will result in second half surges and consequent title hopes. Looking at the Cavaliers, they unloaded an expensive, roller coaster ride of a guard in Dion Waiters who hasn't shown the defensive capabilities needed to thrive in Cleveland, along with inconsistent shooting. Griffin posed the question to James about playing alongside Smith before the Cavs pulled the trigger on the trade, and James agreed it would be a good move. It will be interesting to see if Smith can reign in his shot selection and hectic play to actually be a positive offensive impact player for the Cavs, because that is exactly what they need. They are in need of a hot three point shooter who can provide a spark off the bench, and Smith, when in the right frame of mind, is exactly that. With James nursing back and knee ailments and currently in the midst of a two-week rehab process, and Shumpert needing a few more weeks to recover from his dislocated shoulder last month, the Cavs will not be able to begin this mold until the end of January. With Kyrie Irving also hampered by a back injury, Smith may be thrust into a bigger short term role then he probably anticipated. Shumpert is less of an enigma then Smith, since he is less offensively gifted, as he will provide lock down perimeter defense on the wings and be able to contend with speedy point and shooting guards. As a rotational defender who can occasionally put up 15 points on a given night, the Cavs acquired a big piece to their championship aspirations with Shumpert. Coach Blatt will have his hands full with the personalities that are sitting in his locker room, and it is his responsibility to best manage them on and off the court. He seems to already be on a short leash, so if this subpar play continues from Cleveland, he may be out of a job much sooner then anticipated. But, if he can find the right balance and floor combinations, then he may be a big key to turning the Cavs from middling in the playoff race to holding the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June. However this plays out, it will surely be entertaining to watch as the Cavs juggle all of these talented pieces they have in place. The only question now is will we be watching a smooth ride or a train wreck.
