The Cavaliers entered the trade deadline with glaring problems on their roster and exited with a completely new team.In two seperate deals, they turned Isaiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, Channing Frye, Jae Crowder, Iman Shumpert and their first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft into George Hill, Rodney Hood, Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson. They then traded Dwyane Wade back to the Heat in a third deal in return for a "."MORE: The Cavaliers had the oldest roster in the NBA prior to their dealings on Thursday and clearly wanted to get younger heading into the playoffs. While it is risky to part ways with two starters and four rotational players for four completely new players when there are only 29 games remaining in the regular season, the Cavs should be in better position to compete this season and beyond as long as LeBron James chooses to stay in Cleveland.To understand why, lets take a closer look at what each players brings to the table for the Cavaliers.George HillHill figures to replace Thomas as the point guard in the starting lineup, which will have a profound impact on Clevelands offense. Whereas Thomas usage rate with the Cavaliers this season was 28.1
Antonio Hamilton Jersey percent, Hills usage rate with the Kings was 17.0 percent. Hes only ever had a usage rate above 20.0 percent twice in his career, and one of those seasons was when he had to take on more playmaking responsibility following Paul Georges injury with Team USA.MORE: Hill can make plays with the ball in his hands he ranked in the 91.6 percentile with with the Jazz last season but his ability to play off-ball will be a huge a set to the Cavaliers.In 43 games with the Kings this season, Hill converted 47.1 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3-pointers and 39.8 percent of his midrange pull-ups. He had similar splits when he was with the Jazz last season, knocking down 39.7 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers and 44.5 percent on midrange pull-ups.Considering those shots represented around half of his shot attempts over the last two seasons, it bodes well for his fit with LeBron James, who functions as the point guard on offense for the Cavaliers. It also helps that Hill has spent most of his career playing alongside an All-Star in the backcourt, such as Paul George in Indiana and Gordon Hayward in Utah. It should make for a much smoother transition than the one we just witne sed with Thomas.The biggest concerns with Hill arethat he has dealt with a number of injuries in the past, and hes in the first year of a three-year contract worth $57 million. Its a big commitment to a 31-year-old who is in the midst of
Maxx Williams Jersey one of the worst seasons of his career, although moving on from the Kings could be what he needs to return to last seasons form.Rodney HoodHoods talent has never come into question. Hes a silky smooth scorer who can get hot and fill up the pointscolumn on any given night. He hasnt, however, progre sed quite as much as expected over the last two seasons, due in large part to an unfortunate run of injuries.Nonethele s, Hood gives the Cavaliers another perimeter player who can space the floor for and provide some playmaking as the lead ball handler when needed. Not only has Hood made of his catch-and-shoot 3-pointers over the last four seasons, he ranks in the 80.1 percentile with this season.DEVENEY: While hes scoring le s and le s at the rim only of his shot attempts have come within three feet
Arizona Cardinals Home Office of the basket this season, down from last season he is comfortable pulling up from midrange and the perimeter, and his 6-7 frame helps him get his shot off against most defenders.Hood will have plenty of motivation to show out, too. Playing well for the Cavs, who have an opportunity to make another run to theNBA Finals with this roster, would set him up nicely for restricted free agency in the offseason.Larry Nance Jr.Nance is the type of player who can make a differenceon a Cavaliers team that lacks high-level athletes capable of impacting the game on both ends of the floor. He has some glaring weakne ses in his game, but he knows his limitations on offense and provides some much-needed versatility to one of the worst defensive teams in the league.Almost all of Nances scoring comes around the basket. Of the 152 shots he has made this season, 123 have come in the restricted area. He has experimented as a shooter from midrange over the last two seasons, but hes made of those opportunities this season.LEROUX:He isnt a threat from the perimeter, either, having made a total of 12 3-pointers in his NBA career thus far. It means he has been (and likelyalways will be) at his best operating as a center on offense, where he can use his
Rondale Moore Jersey athleticism to provide some vertical spacing at the rim for his teammates.For example, putting Nance in pick-and-rolls with James while some combination of Hill, Hood, Clarkson, Kevin Love, J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver space the floor around them will be incredibly difficult for opposing teams to stop.Those lineups should be decent defensively as well, as Nance can switch onto at least three positions and provide some resistance in the paint as a rim protector.Jordan ClarksonClarkson brings a scorer's mentality off the bench for the Cavs. Hes currently averaging 14.5 points and 3.3 a sists in 23.7 minutes per game on 44.8 percent shooting from the field and 32.4 percent shooting from the perimeter. The only bench player outscoring him this season is Lou Williams, who is averaging 23.3 points and 5.3 a sists in 32.5 minutes per game for the Clippers.Clarkson isnt the most efficient scorer in the league, but he can get his shot off in a variety of ways, and he is capable of playing both guard positions. Now that Thomas, Rose and Wade are no longer on the
Colt McCoy Jersey roster, Clarkson will likely take over as the backup point guard and slide over to shooting guard depending on the matchups and how well hes playing on a given night.Out of the four players the Cavs acquired at the trade deadline, Clarkson might be in for the toughest adjustment because hes used to having the ball in his hands. (Clarkson had the highest usage rate on the Lakers this season at 27.5 percent. For context, thats as high as Kemba Walkers and Mike Conleys usage rate). The Cavs will give him opportunities to run the show as the leader of the second unit, but hell have to sacrifice some touches if hes going to survive next to James. Related Articles NBA trade deadline winners and losers: Cavs transform roster, Tyreke Evans (sadly) stays put
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