Cavaliers Rumors: Mario Chalmers A Backup Plan At Point Guard
Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors: Backup point guard is a spot the Cavaliers could look to upgrade in the coming months; could Mario Chalmers fill that role?
Cleveland Cavaliers rumors have been quiet to begin the season as they are rolling in the early going. The Cavaliers have a record of 13-2, tops in the Eastern Conference. Only the Golden State Warriors have a better record at 15-2.
The two teams look to be on a collision course for the NBA Finals for a third consecutive year to settle the score, with each team winning once in the past two finals.
There isn’t much, if anything, to dislike about the Cavaliers team. They are loaded and led by LeBron James. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Tristan Thompson all returned in a supporting role.
The Cavaliers look stronger than they did last season, which is bad news for the rest of the Eastern Conference and NBA.
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But, if there was one area the Cavaliers could use an upgrade it is on their bench, specifically at point guard. Irving is a top flight point guard, but the Cavaliers have little behind him for their second unit.
In recent seasons, the Cavaliers had Matthew Dellavedova backing up Irving. He was a solid option off the bench with the ability to fill many roles.
He could start if Irving was ever sidelined, give minutes as the backup point guard or even play alongside Irving in the backcourt depending on matchups.
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But, Dellavedova signed a free agent deal with the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason. The Cavaliers lost their tough-nosed backup point guard and were unable to replace him.
The Cavaliers were hoping that Mo Williams could help fill the void, but he surprisingly retired before the season. Rookie second-round pick Kay Felder suffered a setback a concussion earlier in the season and has been behind the eight-ball.
He has excellent athleticism to make up for his diminutive size, but he has been unable to crack the Cavalier rotation.
Instead, the Cavaliers have been using Jordan McRae for some backup point guard minutes. James runs the offense some, as does Smith and Shumpert whenever Irving is not on the court. But, the Cavaliers could use a veteran to add to the group to back up Irving.
Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com believes that the Cavaliers are in the market for a veteran point guard.
They will look on the trade market for the next couple of weeks seeing if a deal materializes; he believes that is part of the reason that McRae has been receiving minutes so that the team can showcase him for a trade.
As we know, trades do not always materialize. If the Cavaliers are unable to find a deal that suits them, one player to keep an eye on is Mario Chalmers. Vardon believes there could be a chance that Chalmers is who the Cavaliers target, but one a few conditions.
First and foremost, Chalmers has to prove that he is healthy. He is recovering from a torn Achilles he suffered last season and was met with a cold market.
But, he is close to returning to the court, as The Associated Press reported that Chalmers was targeting a clearance for full basketball activity recently.
That is the first step for Chalmers signing with any team. But, if he wants to sign with the Cavaliers, he will have to accept the league minimum, or close to it. The Cavaliers are already over the salary cap so there isn’t much maneuvering that they can do with free agents.
Should the Cavaliers fail in their attempts to trade for a veteran point guard, Chalmers fits the mold of the player they should target. He has plenty of postseason experience from his time with the Miami Heat when he was teammates with James.
He would bring a veteran presence to a team looking to make yet another deep run in the postseason. Three-point shooting and defense are two things Chalmers excels at, attributes any team could use that wants to make a postseason run.
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Once Chalmers is cleared for basketball activity and shows he can help a team on the court his market should heat up. The Cavaliers are not the only team in need of a veteran guard, so they could face competition for his services.