Cleveland Cavaliers: Kevin Durant’s Injury Is No Saving Grace
Make no mistake, Kevin Durant’s injury is no saving grace for the Cleveland Cavaliers
Despite the news that the Golden State Warriors will be without Kevin Durant for the foreseeable future, this is not the Cleveland Cavaliers’ saving grace.
First off, let me break down the injury.
The sprained MCL was probably the best case scenario for Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors. If he misses four weeks, Durant will likely return with about 7-8 games left in the regular season. Again, this is assuming no setbacks.
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Not only will be be back for the playoffs, but he’ll return with enough time in the regular season to get back in the swing of things.
Taking a step back from Durant’s injury, let’s talk about what this all means for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Yes, the Cavs added Andrew Bogut and Deron Williams. Though, it should be noted that the Cavs are currently missing J.R. Smith and Kevin Love, which neither have an exact timetable to return.
So, what position would you rather be in exactly (lol)?
Now let us also talk about people saying the Warriors aren’t as deep since they acquired KD, so they are really screwed for the next weeks.
The Warriors acquired Durant but lost Leandro Barbosa, Festus Ezeli, Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes and Marreese Speights in free agency, yes. However, after signing Durant, they also brought in David West, JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia and Matt Barnes (rumored), So I don’t exactly see where this depth problem is stemming from.
Chemistry might not be on the same level as it was last season, but depth is certainly not a huge issue.
https://twitter.com/ByNickGonzalez/status/836989668533075968
In fairness, when both (Cavs and Warriors) benches are completely healthy, Cleveland still might get the edge because of scoring, but the starting unit is what really separates both teams.
If both of these teams played today and started a 7 game set with these currently available players, the Warriors would still be heavy favorites.
The KD injury can also be a blessing in disguise for the Dubs. Not only did they acquire a solid role player in Matt Barnes in the process, but now the bench will play more to possibly avoid another injury scare and to replace Durant’s minutes.
More players who were not previously involved will become so. This sets them up to get their stars rest in blowout playoff games and late in the season.
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It will be interesting to see how everything plays out, especially in the regular season where both teams are now in danger of losing the No. 1 seed.