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Cleveland Cavaliers: What Austin Daye Can Bring To The Cavs

By Jamyson Frierson

Oct 18, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Austin Daye (23) reacts after a shot against the Miami Heat during the second half at AT&T Center. The Heat won 111-108 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Austin Daye (23) reacts after a shot against the Miami Heat during the second half at AT&T Center. The Heat won 111-108 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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Well, the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t receive good news on Wednesday. Iman Shumpert will miss three months with a right wrist injury he suffered “several days” before training camp begun. So even before the season starts, the ” next man up” mentality that was used in the playoffs will be put into effect.

It just makes the J.R. Smith re-signing even more vital as he will likely take over the starting shooting guard duties. With Kyrie Irving potentially not coming back until after Christmas, the combination of Mo Williams (14.2 PPG) and Smith (12.1 PPG)  will have to step up and replace the 29.7 points a game Kyrie and Shumpert averaged last season.

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Mo should be able to handle the offensive end of things, but Smith is going to have to somehow emulate the defensive prowess that Shumpert brought. Matthew Dellavedova will help with this as well.

So how does this make any sense pertaining to Austin Daye?

Daye signed a one-year deal with the Cavaliers a few weeks ago. However, it is not guaranteed if he doesn’t make the team. But with the recent injury to Shumpert, and thin depth at the shooting guard and small forward position, I think it is highly likely that Daye makes the final roster. The reason I believe he makes the Cavs is based on numerous factors.

Richard Jefferson was signed to give LeBron James the needed rest he gets at the beginning and end of quarters. However, with the injury to Shumpert, Jefferson will likely play some minutes at shooting guard, which he has done throughout his career.

Jun 11, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the fourth quarter in game four of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 11, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the fourth quarter in game four of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

That would leave James Jones and Joe Harris (if he makes the final roster) as the backups to LeBron. At this point in his career, Jones is one-dimensional and can only spot up for three-point shots, and Harris still could be a year or two away from being a consistent contributor within the rotation.

That leaves Daye. Not only would he be able to give LeBron rest, but he would also be able to give Kevin Love and Anderson Varejao breaks — especially with the uncertainty of how long Tristan Thompson will hold out.

While Andy is the “Mr. Everything” of the team, and Love spreads the offense out, Daye would be a matchup nightmare for opposing power forwards. Most big men don’t like to go outside of the post to play defense.

This would allow Daye to shoot from the outside and beat his man to the basket with penetration or through a good pick-and-roll with his length and versatility. If David Blatt goes to a long and athletic lineup ( Smith, Jefferson, Jones, James, Daye), he would give Timofey Mozgov and Sasha Kaun rest. He could cause headaches to opposing defenses if Blatt is creative and strategic with his offense. Daye has only averaged 5.2 points per game for his career, but with the right development, the possibilities could be endless.

At 6’11”, 200 pounds, he has decent ball-handling skills for a player that tall, and he has the capability to penetrate inside for the easy baskets with his length. He doesn’t put up great rebounding numbers, but at his height, they will just come naturally to him.

Some fans might not like the fact that he’s played on four different teams since being drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 2009 with the 15th overall pick. I feel like he never has gotten a true chance to prove himself anywhere he has went. His best season was in 2010 when he played in a career high 72 games and started in 16 of them. He averaged 7.5 points in 20.1 minutes per game and had a 30.1 three-point percentage.

Since then, the most games he’s played was 34 with the San Antonio Spurs last season. I’ve always viewed Giannis Antetokounmpo as a comparison of what Daye could potentially turn into if he improves his overall game.

If he makes the team, the first thing he should do is seek out LeBron. Cavs fans saw how he improved Tristan’s game last season and turned him into an impact player. The numbers weren’t great, but he did all of the little things that aren’t shown on the stat sheets and it helped. A little motivation from the best player in the NBA can mean alot to a player and bring out the best in them. It should be an interesting preseason and hopefully the Cavs see the difference Daye could potentially make.

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