Living Without Ben Wallace (but With Joe Smith)
Written By: Andrew | Category: Cleveland Cavaliers | Comments: 17
As the Cleveland Cavaliers continue their quest to secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference this year, they will have to learn how to play without Ben Wallace on the court. Just as we took a look at what the Cavaliers might have to expect while playing without Delonte West earlier this year, so too will we take a glimpse at how the loss of Ben Wallace might impact the team.
Just as with addicts, where the first step to getting help is to admit you have a problem, you could also say the first step for the Cavaliers is to admit that without Ben Wallace, you do have a certain problem. It would be a mistake to look at Wallace’s 3 points, 6.6 boards, and 1.4 blocks per game, along with his 12.21 PER, and to assume that the Cavaliers won’t miss him while he’s out.
The easiest way to measure what his absence might mean is to simply compare the numbers. Since the Cavaliers acquired Ben Wallace last season at the trade deadline, their defensive numbers have been decidedly worse in games without him than in those in which he has played.
In games with Ben Wallace in the lineup, the Cavaliers have a .720 win pct (54-21), and give up just 90.97 ppg. Prior to Friday’s game against the depleted Spurs, Ben Wallace had missed 8 games, and in those 8 games the Cavs were just 4-4 and gave up an alarming 97.38 ppg. If you include the 97-86 win over San Antonio, the Cavs are 5-4 and give up 96.11 ppg without Wallace. Overall, missing Ben Wallace has accounted for more than 5 points per game on the defensive end. Not an insurmountable total by any means, but enough to show that some adjustments will need to be made.
Now that the bad news is out of the way, there is some good news. First and foremost, it should certainly be noted that 3 of those 4 loses came last season when Wallace was still adapting to the team and the team was still adjusting to the new guys and adapting to life without Drew Gooden. The lone game the Cavs lost this year without Ben was the Bulls game January 15th, the game where Z was hurt, Lorenzen Wright started, and Delonte West went down with the fractured wrist in the first half. In that game, the Cavs still managed to play well enough to force overtime on the road before their lack of depth finally caught up to them and the Bulls secured the win.
If you count last night’s game against the Hawks, Ben Wallace has now missed 5 games this season, and the Cavaliers are 4-1 in those games and are giving up just 87.6 ppg, which is actually 3 points fewer than they give up with him. So obviously the Cavs have learned how to play better defense without him this year as compared to last season, but don’t let those numbers confuse you into thinking he doesn’t matter to the Cavs.
Those 5 games he’s missed this year have been against the Grizzlies, Bulls, Raptors, Spurs, and Hawks. The Raptors were without Chris Bosh, the Spurs were without Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan, and the Hawks were without Mike Bibby and Josh Smith for much of the 2nd half. The other team the Cavs beat, the Grizzlies, are one of the worst offensive teams in the NBA. So it’s not exactly like the Cavs have been too severely tested without Ben Wallace this season. That will change as the Cavs face teams like the Bucks, Celtics, Suns, Knicks, Magic, Blazers, and Mavericks this month. All those teams are capable of putting up big numbers on you if you’re not at your best on defense. It will be imperative that the Cavaliers play tough defense despite the absence of one of their best defenders.
There are a couple ways the Cavs can achieve this. First, when playing against smaller teams (or teams using smaller lineups), it would be nice to see Mike Brown break from his normal substitution patterns and counteract it with the smaller lineups the Cavs like to employ. It’s especially nice when Wally and LeBron can play at the same time with 2 guards in the backcourt, as it allows Wally and LeBron to become interchangeable at the 3 and 4, depending on which matchups are working best. The more mismatches the Cavs can get out of this lineup, the better. With LeBron’s defense, when you slide him to the 4, the Cavs are actually losing nothing defensively at the 4, it’s just the 3 that then becomes the defensive liability. This is less of a problem for the Cavs than a defensive mismatch at the 4, because of how effective the Cavs are at rotating help from the 4 and 5 when an opponent’s SF or SG is breaking down the defense. So I would expect to see more of LeBron at the 4 in the final month of the season, especially when teams use lineups making it easier for the Cavs to do so.
The second way they can overcome the loss of Ben Wallace would be for rookie JJ Hickson to start making the leap. In Daniel Gibson’s rookie year, it was about this time of the season that the light bulb went on for him and he began forcing more minutes for himself and began to become the valuable contributor that would be in the postseason that year. If Hickson ever wants to earn Mike Brown’s trust and become a part of the postseason rotation, now is the time. With Anderson Varejao moved up to the starting lineup, Hickson has been the first forward off the bench for the Cavaliers. As of now, the youngster is still struggling too often with concentration, particularly on the defensive end of the court. He is too easily abused by opposing forwards, especially quick and athletic big men who seem to be able to get around Hickson with ease. While it still seems like Hickson has a very bright future ahead of him in the NBA, for right now he’s just not getting the job done. When both Z and AV are on the bench, the Cavs are just giving up too much ground. More so than just for the playoffs, it’s important for Hickson to start playing more consistent basketball just to help the Cavs get the #1 seed in the East.
Finally, the 3rd way the Cavs can overcome the loss of Wallace is by picking up another veteran big man who can fill in right away and make an impact. This is something that appears about to happen. As Brian Windhorst of the Plain Dealer reported last night, Joe Smith has been bought out by the Oklahoma City Thunder and is expected to sign with the Cavaliers as soon as Wednesday. In all reality, this is about as perfect as a scenario as any of us could have drawn up (short of Amare coming here for just Wally and Hickson). Joe Smith is already familiar not only with the guys on this team but also with the coaching staff. The staff knows what they can get out of Smith, and Joe knows how to fit in with Mike Brown’s system. With the injury to Wallace creating a sense of urgency in the Cavaliers organization, Joe Smith was about the only person they could plug in immediately and not have to expect too long of an adjustment period.
With Joe Smith, the Cavaliers are getting a known quantity. Joe has never been the fastest guy, the most athletic guy, the strongest guy, the best player…..but what he has been is remarkably consistent and filled with intensity and maximum effort. He’s a more than capable defender and he has the size to go with it. In a pinch, he’s capable of scoring a much needed basket from the post, or of coming down with a key rebound. He provides the Cavaliers with stability and legitimacy.
Yesterday, the Cavaliers frontcourt looked barren and like a huge issue going forward. Assuming the Smith deal gets done (we would be wise not to count on anything until the ink has been put on paper and Joe is officially back with the Cavaliers), the Cavaliers will have some options. In the immediate future, they must decide whether to continue with Anderson Varejao in the starting lineup or if they should plug Smith into that role to get back to utilizing AV’s energy off the bench. My guess, though, is that the Cavs will keep AV in the starter’s role and bring Smith off the bench, at least to begin with. But now when both Z and AV are on the bench, the Cavs can either go small with Hickson at the 5 and LeBron at the 4, or they can put Smith in at the 5 and pair him with Hickson. Or else if Mike Brown wants to take Z out of the game before AV, he can take Z out, slide AV to the center spot, and insert Smith in at the 4. Finally the Cavaliers will have some much needed flexibility in their front court.
Once Ben Wallace returns for the playoffs, assuming he is able to quickly recover his conditioning and is still able to play his role defensively, the Cavaliers will be able to go back to Z and Ben in the starting lineup, with AV there to take Z’s place and Smith there to take Wallace’s spot. At that point, JJ Hickson becomes more of an insurance policy, but the good news is that he got so much playing time and experience throughout this season that he should be able to fill in at times when needed. It puts the Cavaliers in a p0sition they have really been in this year……a position of being able to mix and match lineups to better counteract what other teams are doing to the Cavs.
Losing Ben Wallace for the rest of the regular season (or at least most of it) is still a blow the Cavaliers wish they didn’t have to deal with, but if they can make some of the adjustments mentioned above, and if Joe Smith is able to give the Cavaliers the same quality of play he gave them last year, then perhaps the Cavaliers will be able to weather this loss and still hang on to secure home court throughout the playoffs (or at least throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs).
Author: AndrewSchnitkey
Andrew Schnitkey is a founding editor of WaitingForNextYear. Though he has written about every Cleveland franchise over the years, his primary focus is the Cavaliers and NBA basketball in general.Andrew Schnitkey has written 448 articles for Waiting for Next Year.
I love Joe Smith and think he would be a great addition to the team. However, Drew Gooden is also avalible and even though he is inconsistent at times I think he may be a better fit because he is a better rebounder and a more athletic player than Joe Smith. I know that the Spurs are after Gooden to, but I would not mind seeing him back in a cavs uniform.
I think I’m the biggest proponent of Joe Smith around here, and I really hope this deal gets done.
He was extremely solid in the playoffs last year, reliable offense and good on the boards.
Thanks for the detailed analysis, Rock. Keeping our fingers crossed for Smith.
From what I understand, the deal is as good as done. There’s only one team with enough cap space to claim Smith off waivers, and that’s Memphis (i.e., not going to happen). Beyond that, we’re in a position to offer Smith several million more than what the Spurs can offer (prorated share).
Drew is kind of hurt right now, bad groin, and I really don’t want to deal with any potential injuries to him. If he misses any significant time it would make signing him just about worthless
Good job…….Ben does all of the “dirty work” that doesn’t add up in the box score. He’s constantly battling for loose balls, boxing out, creating havoc with his presence and ability to man up, etc. He’s a great teammate and provides championship experience. We’ll look forward to getting Big Ben back in a month and utilizing Joe Smith in the role he’s suited-off the bench and hitting key shots and grabbing key rebounds. Both guys will server the CAVS well in their respective roles come playoff time.
Very good analysis, Rock–I enjoyed the read. Fingers crossed for Smith here, too.
So maybe someone can help me out here, If the Cavs have 2 roster spots ( hypothetically speaking ) and just the MLE available, can they not fill the last spot? I’m guessing Trey Johnson did not have his 10 day contract extended to make room for Smith, but would it have been impossible to consider waiving Wright to add someone like Horry?
@Randy…”. He’s constantly battling for loose balls, boxing out, creating havoc with his presence and ability to man up, etc. ”
Sounds a lot like what Andy does too…
Should Joe Smith start and we bring Andy off the bench to inject some of this life??
just throwin’ it out there…
Josh-no way Joe Smith starts. He’s being brought in for a role, and to provide depth. The chemistry on this team has been established, and you simply don’t put a 35 plus year old veteran with bad knees in your starting rotation. I love Joe Smith…..but cmon, let’s understand what his role will be. He’s a veteran who can come off the bench and PLAY (unlike Lorenzen Wright)-he’s athletic enough and can hit shots and rebound, in limited reserve minutes. It defintely makes the CAVS stronger and provides a matchup option off the bench.
You’re right…….Ben and Andy do some similar things defensively, but don’t count out Ben’s presence and experience. Right now the depth is a luxury, longer term Ben won’t be around as his contract is up next year.
Would love to have Smith back. JJ isn’t a bad option to bring in, but as shown last night, he’s only good in spurts. He came in and had 4 pts and 3 rebs in his first minute last night, but fell off from there. Joe Smith being here would reduce JJs minutes, hopefully making him more effective. JJ does damage when he can use his energy to make plays. Adding Smith allows Mike Brown to do just that, which will hopefuly make JJ and the team more effective.
Joe was pretty much an instant fan favorite last year for being seen as a low key down to earth guy that just played his butt off and basically fit right in with the squad. Someone mentioned it in another thread but this squad (assuming we get smith) is like last year’s squad with Damon Jones replaced by Mo Williams, good stuff!
Along the lines of adding depth, with Gibson in his recent funk how long til Pavlovic is back? he was on the upside of his up and down performance when he went out, would also be nice to see another perimeter defender that can help take the load off West.
So when do the Browns add a Joe Smith? It only makes sense…
i dont think drew gooden would be a good addition to our cav’s roster for 4 reasons.
1)he’s inconsistent.
2)his defense is questionable
3)the injury issue
4) (the most important in my opinion) i think he could mess up the chemistry especially that James and him dont seem to be on good terms (cf the deshawn stevenson story)
People are forgetting the most obvious benefit that singing Joe Smith would bring: he is the anti-KG. A huge problem for the Cavs in years past (and this year) has been a 4 or 5 who has length and agility (enough) and can challenge the Sheed-KG type forwards who like to sit in pick-n-pop situations and hit from the outside. The sheed-KG breed can also play the occasional post and throw a line drive in over a defender because there is the threat they pull a quick spin around you and you have to stay low in the defensive stance. This keeps you from contesting that shot which both of them shoot from way above their heads.
When Boston doesn’t have that offensive outlet, their offense can really suffer, provided you have a strong, athletic presence on Pierce (check).
Drew would get eaten alive because he did not have the length to contest and when he would anticipate the turn and fade, they would spin right around him. Andy has the quickness to move with KG but not the length to bother his jumper. Z has the length but obviously not the quickness. Joe is aging, but is quick enough to keep up with a tender-knee KG, and has a very long wing-span that will allow him to bother 3-4 jumpers a game. We all know how KG-just-past-the-elbow jumpers can be a dagger late in fourth quarters. Don’t be surprised to see Joe Smith to be out on that floor with either Andy or Z late in fourths if we manage to get Boston in the playoffs (hopefully in the East finals!).
Regarding RandyOSU’s comment, for the record, Joe Smith is 33 years old, not 35. He turns 34 on July 26th.
I too have pondered whether or not Drew would be a better fit. We all know what to expect from him as a starter: 10 – 15 points, 8 – 10 rebounds, and shaky defense. With Ben out for the remainder of the season, I think that Drew would be a solid starter. He’d be a fifth option, but he’s athletic enough to make somewhat of a difference on offense. Teams can’t ignore him like they’d ignore Andy or Ben, either. But once Ben comes back, you’d obviously move Drew to the bench… and then what? I can’t really see him succeeding as a substitute. He never really seemed to give the game his full attention as a starter… imagine what coming off the bench would do.
Joe Smith, on the other hand, would be a perfect bench player. He actually has decent post moves, a solid mid range J, and is lanky enough to contest most shots. We wouldn’t be asking him to head-to-head against KG or Pau Gasol; that’d most likely be up to Ben or Andy. He’d thrive coming off the bench, which is what we’d ultimately need him for in the playoffs. I’m all for the move, and, assuming none of our other starters get hurt, think it’d make us the favorite to win the East.