Cleveland Cavaliers lose Chris Andersen, need more toughness
The Cleveland Cavaliers just lost center Chris Andersen to an ACL tear in today’s practice session. Andersen was brought in for leadership in the locker room this year, and he is close with LeBron James.
This one may not be a big loss on paper for the Cavs, but it is a blow to a team that is lacking in roster numbers for big men. With only three real bigs, this is an injury that will get General Manager David Griffin on the phones.
Per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, it is likely that the Cavs will try to unload Andersen somewhere. There’s not much they’re going to get for the 38-year old banger, however.
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What is glaring is not the loss of Andersen; it’s the lack of depth the Cavs have when it comes to defending the paint. The current Cavs rotation needs help in the area of rim protection, and not having “Birdman” in there hurts.
That said, Griffin has been a shrewd operator in acquiring talent throughout his tenure as the GM. He will get something done to get that guaranteed Andersen contract off the books, and that will likely happen sooner rather than later.
The Cavs need more toughness in their frontline rotation. They currently rank 13th in the NBA in points per game allowed in the paint.
That’s not exactly reason to panic, especially when you can virtually outscore everyone in the Eastern Conference. Nonetheless, Andersen is a guy who gives you grit and leadership, which is something that is not shown in the stat sheet.
Considering Birdman has found a niche in the NBA, somehow, someway. Around the league, he is well respected for his team-first attitude and willingness to do the dirty work.
Quite frankly, this team has been missing that a bit with Matthew Dellavedova now on the Milwaukee Bucks. With Andersen now out of the equation, it’ll be interesting to see who on the club takes more of a grinder role on the second unit.
DeAndre Liggins has done a nice job as a spark in that way so far. All in all, it’s up to LeBron James to keep this team focused as the season goes along, so the injuries don’t keep piling up.
