Should The Cleveland Cavaliers Trade For Lance Stephenson?
With Iman Shumpert being injury-prone, should the Cleveland Cavaliers consider trading for Lance Stephenson?
No apology was needed as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics Tuesday night.
There were only two storylines that mattered coming into the game: Jae Crowder demanding that J.R. Smith apologize for backhanding him in the face in Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs last season, and the return of Kevin Love to Boston after suffering a shoulder injury due to Kelly Olynyk.
Well, Smith didn’t apologize to Crowder, and Olynyk couldn’t hold Love, who finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. While the game was in hand by the fourth quarter, it took a turn for the worst when Iman Shumpert left the game with a strained right groin and didn’t return. He will miss Thursday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Shumpert had missed the last two months recovering from right wrist surgery. He made his debut last Friday against the Orlando Magic and immediately made an impact on the game. He finished with 14 points and brought the defensive intensity that the Cavaliers have been lacking this season.
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On Tuesday, he struggled against Avery Bradley, but made every shot for him tough and was physical with him all game long until the injury. The irony about this recent injury is that Shumpert strained the left groin during last year’s NBA Finals and he missed numerous games.
Unfortunately, that has been the story of Shumpert’s career. When he was originally traded from the New York Knicks last season, he missed games due to recovering from shoulder surgery. He seems to be gaining the dubious distinction of being injury prone.
He is valuable to the Cavaliers, but it is becoming harder for the team to be able to depend on him throughout the season. It might be too soon for some people, but I think that general manager David Griffin should explore potential trades in acquiring a similar shooting guard as Shumpert.
The first player that comes to my mind is Lance Stephenson. He is not having a great start with the Los Angeles Clippers and is stuck in a logjam with Jamal Crawford and J.J. Redick. But he could possibly be motivated coming into a new situation knowing that he would play and potentially start.
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He is known to have a few character issues, but nothing too severe where they are of any concern. Heck, Shumpert was busy making rap videos and creating one of the theme songs for the Cavaliers as he was recovering. Some could also think that Born Ready’s history with LeBron James could be an issue but at this point, I think James wants players that want to win and could care less about issues from the past.
Stephenson would bring attitude, defensive intensity and would be a decent offensive option if he were acquired. He’s only averaging 4.8 points per game, but that would go up with his role on the Cavaliers. He might not have the speed of Shumpert, but he would have the ability to change the pace of the game.
Now who would the Cavs trade in order to get Stephenson? Smith would be the most logical option. He is a free agent after this season, and could give the Clippers another three-point shooting threat besides J.J. Redick.
Realistically however, they would want either Matthew Dellavedova or Mo Williams. Dellavedova would make the most sense for them since they are missing a backup point guard willing to play consistent defense. Bringing back Williams could be of interest to them because of his veteran experience and willingness to help out a team in any way.
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If Shumpert only misses the game on Thursday and comes back and maintains good health through the All-Star break, then maybe the Cavaliers will be content and stay the course. However, during the offseason, the Cavaliers were involved in rumors to trade for Joe Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets. Could they have seen this coming? Possibly. But now Shumpert must find a way to stay on the court and maintain good health.