The Cleveland Cavaliers’ backcourt rotation will get shuffled around once again on Wednesday when they head to Brooklyn to face the Nets. Already without Isaiah Thomas and, most recently, Derrick Rose, the Cavs will sit another veteran guard in Brooklyn as Dwyane Wade battles a left knee contusion.
Wade had his best game of the early season on Tuesday night against his former team the Chicago Bulls, scoring 11 points in 18 minutes, along with four assists and three rebounds in his first game coming off the bench. However, at some point in the game, Wade banged his knee and will be unable to go on Wednesday for the Cavs.
This is especially unfortunate, considering Cavs coach Tyronn Lue sat Wade down the stretch against the Bulls specifically to help him stay rested enough to play on the back-to-back. Lue told reporters after the game he wanted Wade to be fresh enough to play in Brooklyn on Wednesday, which is why he had him on the bench in the fourth quarter.
(via Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon)
“I didn’t want to overplay him tonight because we have a back-to-back tomorrow,” Lue told reporters. “Once we got the lead and he asked to come out in that third quarter when he got a little winded I tried to keep him on the bench as long as I could. Knowing we have a back-to-back tomorrow, gotta keep him fresh.”
The Cavs will now have to lean more heavily on Kyle Korver and Iman Shumpert off the bench, and one would expect Jose Calderon, who did not play on Tuesday night, to return to the rotation. LeBron James served as the Cavs’ point guard officially (as opposed to his usual unofficial role at that position this season) on Tuesday and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him back at the one against the Nets, who will likely be without D’Angelo Russell, listed as doubtful with a knee sprain.
As the oldest team in the NBA, this is one of the fears the Cavs have to have, especially with their backcourt, as little nagging injuries can keep players out and cause constant lineup shuffling which makes it difficult for players to settle into a role or rhythm.
