Cavs Unload and Recoil?

Wow! The trade deadline has created a lot of controversy and areas of opportunity for a lot of teams around the NBA, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have taken the I made all the drama that's been going on in the Cavs locker room, nothing could represent the notion that things were headed nowhere fast like the trading of almost the entire team. The Cavs have moved on, trading X Boston Celtics star, Isaiah Thomas to the Los Angeles Lakers. Dwyane Wade has been traded back to his old stomping grounds at Miami. Iman Shumpert is on his way to Sacramento to play for the Kings. The Utah Jazz have also acquired Jae Crowder and a injury returning Derrick Rose. Now , the question is, did the Cavs win in their flurry of mid-season moves before the All-Star break?

With all the drama that has come to season for the Cavs organization this is either make or break. The Cavs up until the deadline, had only 7 wins since Christmas. Isaiah Thomas had definitely been a story up into the deadline because of all the drama that he seemed to perpetuate himself. One could look at the games that have been played since and see that the chemistry just has not been there. It’s been an uphill climb him since he came back from the injury, but it doesn’t take an expert to see that his game just does not fit this presence of this Cavaliers team. As harsh as it may sound, Thomas has been a matchup nightmare for the Cavaliers as he can not guard most of the elite point guards of the NBA. Because of the constant sound bites and lack of success, he was traded to the Lakers for a young athletic power forward in Larry Nance Jr and Jordan Clarkson who is having his best season yet averaging 15 points a game.

Also the Cavs have acquired George Hill who is a former champion of the San Antonio Spurs and a veteran in the game who still produces at a very high level. This move could prove to bring some experience to to the backcourt of a team that has had one of the more stagnant offenses in the NBA. It doesn’t end there as the Cavs have also traded away Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose in a three-team trade to get Rodney Hood, who has great shooting ability along with great length and is able to cover multiple positions. D-rose left the team earlier this year with some internal issues, but returned only to put up mediocre numbers and Jae Crowder has been a pushover on defense, wow even though he has hit some big shots does not move well within the Cavs offense. Iman Shumpert has won a championship with the Cavs, but you can only be speculation does that his trade was carried out to facilitate the three team trade.

There is but one trade that has set things right on both ends, one could say. Dwyane Wade, Jame's best friend, is returning back to the Miami Heat where he served for 13 years winning a championship in 2006. It’s purely amazing that such a player as Wade could be coming off the bench for the Cavs, but that just shows how much of a team player and leader he is. The initial thought of Flash and King James on the court together is simply baffling, but that does not negate the fact that the team just isn’t winning. In many games this season the Cavs have given up, and the shooting guard Legend has been in for those final seconds of a game to close so it was only right for him to go where he was appreciated the most. In the course of the trade Cleveland has acquired a second round draft pick in 2020 which could come in handy with all of the surrounding talked about James potential leaving the organization for another team this summer.

The King has stated that he will not be leaving the team amidst the trade deadline, but one has to raise one eyebrow and looking into how stars move today. The Cavs have stocked up to make a run in the playoffs even though the team has looked far short of a Eastern Conference Championship contender. It’s not hard to believe that the team before, could have easily been defeated buy some of the talent that the East now possesses, but this new array of talent that has come to the Cavaliers organization might be a turning point. All of the drama that entered into this locker room has proven detrimental, but all of the players that the drama surrounding are gone. So there is but one question, will this team be the real deal?