With his Cleveland Cavaliers team struggling mightily on the defensive end and the large part of the abuse coming at the expense of his reserve unit, head coach Byron Scott still plans on sticking to his deep rotation, preferring his players focus on their individual efforts.
At Thursday afternoon’s practice, Scott admitted that while he has considered shortening his rotation, which has typically seen at least 10 men play crucial minutes in any given contest, going to an eight-man rotation would be a “last resort.” Stating that he still has a few “buttons to push,” it appears that Scott would prefer his team play up to their potential on the defensive end, including but not limited to communication and on-ball defense. He has not ruled out more moves involving the Cavaliers’ starting lineup, allowing for higher quality players coming off of the bench.
During the Cavaliers’ six-game road trip, the starting unit shot 48 percent from the floor and had a point differential of +63; reserves shot 34 percent from the floor and had a collective point differential of -228. 1
Following their most recent loss, Scott stated that only Anderson Varejao, Daniel Gibson and Alonzo Gee showed the passion and competitiveness needed on the defensive end. Despite recently concluding a six-game road trip, Scott had select players in on Wednesday for a closed door practice with the full team joining for a full practice focused on defensive and conditioning.
[Related: Byron Scott questions Cavs’ passion and competitiveness in latest loss]
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