CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – It is expected that in the coming days the Cavaliers will add veteran swingman Danny Green to fill out their roster.
While it appears the two sides are close to an agreement, there are some hoops that need to be jumped through first before head coach J.B.
Bickerstaff and the organization can officially add him to their bench.
“Hypothetically? It could mean a lot,” Bickerstaff said when asked about the possibility to add a veteran of Green’s experience would mean. “Someone who, again, is about the team and who just wants to fit in and be a part of the group you know, can use that experience. And you listen to those guys, guys who have been to the mountaintop and won championships and played in those type of games but then, you know, obviously have the ability to put that guy on the floor who's still capable of making shots and guarding his position which we know in the playoffs as a premium.”
League rules prohibit Bickerstaff or the Cavs from discussing the impending addition of Green to their roster until his buyout with Houston becomes official and he clears waivers.
Green was traded to Houston from Memphis prior to the deadline last week. Ober 14 season, Green has averaged 12.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and made 39.9% percent of his career 3-pointers over 14 seasons with the Cavs, Spurs, Raptors, Lakers, Sixers and Grizzlies.
So where would Green, a three-time NBA champion who began his career in Cleveland back in 2009, fit within the rotation should he sign with the Cavs?
“I think what we're going through now and in that conversation would be we're trending in a really good direction,” Bickerstaff said. “We have to figure the balance between continuing with the group that has started to head that way and then how you mix in a piece that could possibly help you down the road. But we will be very ginger with that because we do not want to disrupt the rhythm of what these guys are finding right now.”
Going streaking – Cleveland entered Monday night’s game riding a six-game win streak, the second-longest of the season trailing their 8-0 start to begin the campaign.
“I think it's the consistency that we're playing with for 48 minutes,” Bickerstaff said. “We talked about that before. It's like, how do we put total games together without having the lapses that we've had in certain games and then having to dig our way out or building a lead and then losing it and then having to figure out a way to adjust from there. I think our guys are setting a tone in the first quarter and just riding that wave for 48 minutes.”
It's taken some time but it appears things are finally falling into place.
The Cavs lead the NBA in defensive rating and continue to allow the fewest points per game this season at 105.9 while holding opponents below 100 points a league-leading 19 times.
“It's an understanding and a trust of what we're trying to do,” Bickerstaff said. “I mean, when you're playing with new players and new teammates, you have to understand their strengths and their weaknesses, and then you have to figure out how do you put your teammates in position of strength?
“That's what we've been talking about since the beginning of the year is the only way you find that is you go through the league once and you see how everybody guards each player and then you find out he's comfortable here versus this, how do I put the ball in his hands in that spot? And without playing together, you just don't get that. And obviously the beginning of the year injuries and things like that, it was a little choppy as far as gaining that continuity. But I think what you've seen is stretch of games where we've had guys together learning each other, figuring each other out and seeing what they're all capable of.”
Helping hand – Fueling Cleveland’s win streak is their ball movement.
The Cavs have at least 30 assists in their last eight games.
“Yeah, we're really just sharing the ball very well,” Evan Mobley said. “It opens up a lot of offense for us and people are just making the right plays right now.”
Bickerstaff feels they’ve done a better job jumping on teams early in games and Mobley agreed.
“I feel like we've been consistently coming out very aggressive to start games and I feel like that's really helped us down the stretch so we're not in as many close games and stuff like that,” Mobley said.
The Cavs lead the NBA with 26 double digit victories this season.
Love out – In recent weeks Bickerstaff has tightened the rotation to eight or nine leaving Kevin Love out of the mix – for now.
While Love isn’t a regular, the Cavs plan to count on him down the stretch, and even the playoffs.
“We know at some point in time during the season, everybody's going to be an important piece of what we're doing,” Bickerstaff said. “I think we've seen that from the beginning of the season till now. We still believe he's capable of helping us in big moments because he has that experience and has been through those pressures.
“So it's not something that we want to completely go away from and not give him opportunities to play and catch a rhythm and still feel a part of it. Because I do think there's going to be times where we really need him because again, he's another one of those guys who's been through those moments and seen those types of things that we're going to need hopefully down the stretch here.”
Tough loss – Bickerstaff was in no mood to talk about the Eagles 38-35 loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl XLII prior to tip off.
When a reporter playfully offered condolences, Bickerstaff responded “Wow. And now you want me to answer your question?”
When the next reporter went to ask a question, Bickerstaff cut them off and playfully warned them, “You got something smart ass to say about the Eagles?”
Bickerstaff let it be known he was not happy with the officials calling a holding penalty that gave Kansas City a first down and set up the game winning field goal.
“No, I can kill those guys, but he may have a brother or somebody in the NBA, so I'll be careful,” Bickerstaff said.
