CLEVELAND, Ohio – Andre Drummond’s days with the Cavs are numbered.
When and how he will depart remains to be seen, but what is becoming clear is that the sooner it happens, the better.
“There are distractions there, clearly,” Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff acknowledged following practice Wednesday afternoon.
The Cavs made the decision not to play Drummond until they find a trade for him, a decision that was arrived at by also consulting with Drummond’s camp.
Bickerstaff was asked to respond to Draymond Green’s comments earlier this week blasting the Cavs and league for the double standard with which it treats players who want out of a situation and how organizations choose to move on from players.
“To watch Andre Drummond ... come out in street clothes because a team is going to trade him, it’s bull s***,” Green said. “Because when James Harden asked for a trade and essentially dogged it — I don’t think no one’s gonna fight that James was dogging it his last days in Houston — but he was castrated for wanting to go to a different team, and everybody destroyed that man.
"Yet a team can come out and say, ’Oh, we want to trade a guy,' and then that guy is to go sit and if he doesn’t stay professional, then he’s a cancer and he’s not good in someone’s locker room and he’s the issue.
“As a player, you’re the worst person in the world when you want a different situation,” Green said. “But a team can say they’re trading you, and that man is to stay in shape, he is to stay professional, and if not his career is on the line. At some point, this league has to protect the players from embarrassment like that.”
Bickerstaff took the high road Wednesday.
“Our league and the guys that are in our league take their opportunities to speak their voices and I feel like everybody has their right to their opinion,” Bickerstaff said. “So, nobody’s opinion should be muted.
“Obviously, there’s conversations that we’ve had with our guys as far as this process goes that everybody’s not privy to, but again, guys have a right to speak their voice and organizations have to do what’s best for the organization.”
Drummond did not practice with the team Wednesday and it appears he will not be on the floor in any official capacity – game or practice – with the club going forward.
“That’s still my guy,” guard Collin Sexton said. “He’s still part of the team regardless of his situation. When we were losing the other day, he was still getting on us like he was if he was out there so he’s still our brother and he’s still with us and we’re still going to continue to support him.”
Sexton avoided taking sides in the situation.
“I’m just focused on the season,” Sexton said. “That’s still our guy. I don’t know anything that’s going on in between him and the front office. But I just know that if Andre steps on that court tomorrow with us, we’re gonna go out there and battle with him.”
Bickerstaff admitted the situation is challenging for everyone involved.
“This is not an easy situation for Dre,” Bickerstaff said. “Anybody who says it is would be dishonest. The only thing we can do and what we will continue to do is allow him all of the resources to have at his disposal. If he needs the facility, if he needs the coaching staff, whatever he needs we’re willing to provide because we need to do what’s best for him as well.
“It goes back to how we treat each other, period, as human beings and not just pieces on a puzzle board.”
As for concerns over those distractions and the negative affect they could have, Bickerstaff believes the situation won’t tear the team apart.
“I wouldn’t expect them to be OK with it, because they like him,” Bickerstaff said. “They enjoy having him around and they enjoy being teammates with him and building that relationship that they already have.
“I’d be hard pressed [to believe] that they agree or like it, but I do think they see the business side of it and understand what that is about and it’s not always easy. It is difficult. These guys have a really good relationship with Dre. I have a really good relationship with Dre so it’s not one of those things that’s easy. It is uncomfortable.”