Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired sharpshooter Kyle Korver, the team is still in dire need of a backup point guard.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a backcourt issue ever since they traded Matthew Dellavedova to the Milwaukee Bucks during free agency over the summer. The point guard position only rests in the hands of Kyrie Irving, and that is a huge problem.
And that problem that the Cavaliers have avoided has finally hit them in the face. Before scoring 32 points in a win over the Brooklyn Nets, Kyrie Irving missed three consecutive games due to a hamstring injury. In instances such as those, the point guard position is basically left uncertain.
The only backup that the Cavaliers have for Kyrie Irving is rookie Kay Felder. Felder, who is still learning his role with the team, is not enough to fully handle the responsibility of the point guard position. This discrepancy has left LeBron James, J.R. Smith (who is still out due to a thumb injury), Iman Shumpert and Jordan McRae to assume the point guard position in certain games.
LeBron James has recently spoken about his team’s need for a point guard. According to the Akron-Beacon Journal, James says that his team still have some unfinished business after acquiring Kyle Korver:
"“We still got a couple more things we need to do”, James said. “We got to get a point guard. It’s my last time saying it. We need a point guard. I think that’s the next step. You look at our league, most teams have three point guards. We only have two with Ky and our rook in Kay (Felder).“I think just having that security blanket. Every NFL team has three quarterbacks. Having that security blanket in case of a (Derek) Carr. We’ll see what happens, but we’re happy with our team right now.”"
That scenario — only having two point guards — has been the unfortunate story for the Cavaliers this season. And, so far, it has worked for them. But the situation in which it becomes a huge issue is bound to happen for the Cavaliers. What if Kyrie Irving’s hamstring injury becomes a bigger problem? That would leave Cleveland’s backcourt totally unprotected.
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As James mentioned, the Cavaliers need a solid backup point guard as a security blanket, for those “just in case this happens” situations. If the Cavaliers wish to defend their title for The Land, seeking a backup point guard should be their top priority.
The NBA season is almost at its halfway mark, and it is time for teams to start considering ways to make their rosters stronger and more efficient.
Acquiring Kyle Korver from the Atlanta Hawks was a step in the right direction for the organization, but it does little to hide the fact that the team is in desperate need of a backup point guard. It only adds another player who will be occasionally forced to cover the role of a point guard.
Next: NBA Trade Grades: Cavaliers Add Kyle Korver
Once the Cavaliers acquire a point guard, their roster will be stacked and ready to compete for another championship.