Cleveland Cavaliers Trade and Roster Rumors: Cavaliers Need to Shore Up Their Defense
With LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love leading the charge, the Cleveland Cavaliers dispatched every Eastern Conference team that stood between them and another trip to the National Basketball Association (NBA) finals. The wins seem effortless and they look unstoppable at times. But the next team they will meet are just as good as they are.
For the third straight year, the Cavaliers will meet the Golden State Warriors in the finals are going to have their hands full in this series. The Cavaliers' offense has been great so far in the playoffs, but they do have one glaring weakness — their defense.
The Cavaliers allowed 108 points per 100 possessions in the regular season, which puts them at 22nd in the league in defensive rating. They got much better in the playoffs by allowing only 104.6 per 100 possessions, but they will have to face a Warriors team with Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in the finals. The Cavaliers can't expect James to do everything on the court.
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They also have to work on their interior defense. James is the only player on the roster averaging more than one block per game in the playoffs and that's not a good sign. Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson are pretty good rebounders, but they are not known for their defense.
Win or lose, the Cavaliers will have to improve their defense this offseason. They need to add someone who can guard the opposing team's best perimeter player on a regular basis. J.R. Smith can't do that, and Iman Shumpert is not a lockdown defender no matter what people say. If he is, the team shouldn't have any problems on defense.
They also need someone who can anchor the interior defense. Walter Tavares is still unproven, but he seems like a good option.
In any case, the Cavaliers can't possibly ask James to fill all the holes on defense if they want to keep him fresh for the playoffs next season.
