The Cleveland Cavaliers look to finally do something that will address their recent slide, and J.R. Smith may be at the center of it.
Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue will reportedly make changes to the lineup, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Smith, who is usually a starter in that lineup, could turn out to be a thing of the past, per McMenamin.
Smith, who balked at his demotion earlier in the season when Dwyane Wade began the year as the starting shooting guard, told ESPN that he would hold no ill feelings and would accept a bench role now if it would help the team. He acknowledged that he isn’t playing up to his standards and wants the team to play better.
The Cavaliers lost against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, despite LeBron James reaching the 30,000-point mark for his career during that game. After the loss, Lue came out with the news about shifting the lineup.
“I’m gonna make a change,” Lue said after a 114-102 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday marked the Cavs’ 10th defeat in 13 games since Christmas Day.
The Cavaliers needed to do something to shake up the team into changing their current trajectory. With the losses, poor defense and recent drama, a lineup change could be just what the team needs to refocus itself and turn things around.
If a lineup change doesn’t light a fire under the Cavaliers after a team meeting and a subsequent loss, maybe nothing will.
