The Cleveland Cavaliers’ rejuvenation operation has been running in full go ever since general manager Koby Altman and the front office pulled three consecutive aggressive moves at the trade deadline, taking the oldest roster in the league and infusing a good dose of young blood in the veins of The Land.
The likes of Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., George Hill, and Rodney Hood have brought a much-needed set of spry legs, giving this core the longed end-to-end speed and exuberance to become the hunters, not the hunted, according to head coach Tyronn Lue.
“I think we’ve got to get back to being the hunters and not the hunted,” Lue said, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “These young guys we have, able to shoot, drive or pass it, adds a different element to our team. They’re playing free, having fun.”
Lue has seen this experiment work more avidly than expected, as their young pieces have made themselves right at home after donning their new jerseys.
“I thought that we’ve got guys that can shoot, dribble and pass, and they can make plays,” Lue said. “It’s changed our team, and we’re a lot faster. Now I think we’ve got a chance to switch a lot of things with our size and our length. We can switch stuff defensively.
“I thought it would be a process; it’s still going to be a process. But the first two games I didn’t think they would not be decent. But they exceeded my expectations.”
The Cavs are picking up steam with a four-game streak going early into the All-Star break but still remain five games back of the Boston Celtics for second place and six games off the leader Toronto Raptors.
