CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Cavs got as good of news as they could hope for after Lauri Markkanen went down in a heap Saturday night.
Markkanen avoided serious injury and suffered a sprained right ankle in the second quarter of their 94-87 win over Oklahoma City when he landed awkwardly after contesting a shot near the rim.
“We’re going to evaluate him but he’s going to miss a few games for sure,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said prior to Monday night’s game against the New York Knicks.
Dean Wade started Monday night with Markkanen out.
“He’s obviously not seven feet tall but he’s got good size and can do some of the same things that Lauri can do,” Bickerstaff said. “He can switch multiple positions. He can space the floor and knock down shots spot we’re confident we got guys that can fil that spot.”
While the Cavs aim to stick to their main identity, Bickerstaff admitted that they’ll have to be flexible due to injuries.
“We’ll have to play a little bit different at times,” Bickerstaff said. “The style we play and the system we play shouldn’t change much.”
Clearly Wade is not Markkanen, but Bickerstaff believes he can still help fill the void.
“He’s really good defensively,” Bickerstaff said. “He can contain smaller guys, keep them in front of him. He can guard bigger guys and switch. He brings energy, he plays hard and offensively he makes shots.”
Cleveland lost Rick Rubio and Collin Sexton for the season to significant knee injuries causing Bickerstaff to adjust on the fly. He’ll have to do it again, albeit temporarily.
“You have to ask some guys to do more but what you have to figure out is what they are best at. “We can’t ask Jarrett to turn into Ricky when Ricky goes out and things like that. We’ve got to find guys that have that skillset in their game and then ask them to do just a little bit more. Cedi make more plays, Dylan make more plays, obviously Brandon has been really good for us. That’s what we kinda have to figure out is how we can find more in the guys that we have.”
Better approach – Bickerstaff let his team have it following their win over the Thunder that saw them turn the ball over 23 times and shoot 22% from beyond the arc Saturday.
The message appears to have been received according to the head coach.
“We believe in these guys,” Bickerstaff said. “We’re going to have blips. We are a young basketball team with young guys in positions of leadership and large roles on both sides of the ball so you’re going to have those blips but what our guys have always done is they’ve always responded.”
All Love – Kevin Love has been healthy, he’s bought in to the young Cavs, and Bickerstaff has noticed.
“It’s great to see him playing with that passion and committing to the group the way he is and the spirit that he’s bringing,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s had, since I’ve been here, a rough stretch with injuries and things like that and being in and out. For him to be back and be a part of something and feel like he’s a part of something greater than himself, that’s why we do what we do and why we play team sports.”
Love, who was limited to 25 and 39 games the previous two seasons because of injuries and at times struggled with Cleveland’s rebuilding process, has given up a starting role to be the sixth or sometimes seventh man off the bench for Bickerstaff.
“He made the ultimate sacrifice – from a basketball, probably, first ballot Hall of Famer to basically pass the torch to a rookie,” Bickerstaff said. “That’s not easy to do. Not only did he do it, he did it without hangover. He didn’t hold on to it the next day or weeks or walk around pouting and being an energy vampire. He accepted the role and then tried to be the best at it and help the team as best he could. Those are the guys that deserve our respect because it’s not easy.”
Rondo returns – Guard Rajon Rondo was back on the floor Monday night after missing the previous six games due to a right hamstring injury.
Allen ill – The Cavs were without center Jarrett Allen Monday night. Allen was sidelined with a non-COVID related illness the team said.
Ed Davis started in Allen’s place against New York.