On Saturday, the NBA’s defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers announced their acquisition of marksman Kyle Korver from the Atlanta Hawks. Korver was swapped for Mike Dunleavy, Mo Williams, cash considerations, and a future first-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
The deal for Korver has created quite a bit of buzz around the NBA. Bringing a sharpshooter like Korver into the ranks of an already deadly three-point shooting team will certainly make things more difficult for opposing sides. The Cavaliers already had loads of viable options on the wing for Kyrie Irving and LeBron James to dish outlet passes to, so the acquisition of a sharpshooter like Korver should indeed worry other teams.
Stan Van Gundy, Head Coach of the Detroit Pistons, weighed in on Cleveland’s increased threat from the perimeter with Korver on the floor in a recent article from Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press.
“You’re going to spend a lot of time with them having Kyrie and LeBron out there penetrating and Kevin Love, Channing Frye or either Korver or J.R. Smith on the perimeter,” Van Gundy said. “It’s not easy to guard.”
“It just gives Cleveland another weapon and when you’re playing with a guy like LeBron, who’s probably the best passer in the league, and Kyrie Irving, who draws a lot of attention, they want to put as much shooting out there as they can.”
The Cavs, who are carrying a 28-9 record, are currently sat atop the Eastern Conference standings. Van Gundy and his Pistons will have two more opportunities to play against the Cavaliers in the regular season (March 9 and March 14). It seems Van Gundy is already formulating his game plan.