Cleveland Cavaliers Will Start J.R. Smith at Shooting Guard and Move Dwyane Wade to the Bench
It has only been a week since the start of the season, but Dwyane Wade has already decided that it would be for the best if he comes off the bench for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"I just decided, earlier than later, just to get to the unit where I'd be more comfortable in and can probably be better with this team in that lineup. Why wait? Three games in, why wait? Wanted to get in there with those guys," Wade said after practice on Monday, via ESPN.
The 12-time All-Star made the request over the weekend and Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue said they have actually talked about the possibility of bringing him off the bench before the start of the season. But since Wade has always been a starter his entire career, they wanted to see how well he would do in the starting lineup first before they made the decision to put him on the second unit.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Well, Lue didn't have to broach the subject later on this season because Wade has volunteered to play in a backup role.
"He came to me and said, 'You know what, Coach? What you said was right. I'd be able to be featured more in the second unit and be able to handle the ball more, so let's make that move and make that adjustment,'" Lue said, according to ESPN.
The Cavaliers head coach also confirmed that this is a permanent move, which means J.R. Smith doesn't have to worry about moving back to the bench.
Wade knew he had to make sacrifices when he joined the Cavaliers last month after he secured a buyout with the Chicago Bulls. And it's good to see that he's capable of putting his ego aside for the good of the team.
Wade is averaging 5.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 23.7 minutes per game this season.
