In the midst of a disastrous stretch that has seen them lose 11 of their past 15 games, we are expecting some dramatic changes for the Cleveland Cavaliers leading up to the trade deadline.
But head coach Tyronn Lue isn’t waiting for the front office to pull off a trade. Instead, he’s already ready to make a change himself. Lue confirmed on Thursday that the team will bench Jae Crowder, inserting Tristan Thompson in the lineup in his stead.
Ty Lue confirms Tristan Thompson will replace Jae Crowder in the starting lineup.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 25, 2018
Acquired from Boston in the Kyrie Irving trade, Crowder is one of the primary reasons that Cleveland boasts the second-worst defense in the NBA this season. The team is yielding an effective field goal percentage of 52 points higher when he’s on the court this season. For his part, Thompson had in the past been considered one of the best defensive bigs in the game.
This might not be the move to get Cleveland out of its funk, but it should at least help on the defensive end of the court.