Conspiracy theorists who believe Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue only started Dwyane Wade at the beginning of the season to prove that he should come off the bench are about to be vindicated.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Lowe Post podcast, ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst told Zach Lowe that Lue was thrown off by Wade’s arrival and didn’t want him in the starting lineup to begin with (h/t HoopsHype):
: Dwyane Wade signed, and – not [because of] anything Dwyane did but – that arrival threw five or six people out of whack, including Ty Lue. I’m not saying he would admit to this publicly, but he didn’t wanna start Dwyane… He [just] knew that he had to because it was the right thing for the chemistry of the team. He ended up starting five different lineups the first seven games. And it displaced JR Smith – who pouted – and he’s playing terribly.
Is it crazy that this isn’t crazy?
Most knew the situation wouldn’t end well—not when Wade wasn’t starting as the point guard. He needs the ball in his hands. Playing him beside both LeBron James and Derrick Rose is begging for offensive imbalance, even if you give one of them the quick hook.
Not surprisingly, the two different starting fives that included Wade were a disaster. On the season, those combinations have thus far been outscored by at least 20 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com. So, yeah, we can feel Lue’s concern on this one.
Fortunately for Cleveland’s head coach, Wade is now coming off the bench. Unfortunately for him, this resolved issue turned out to be the least of the Cavaliers’ troubles. They’re now 3-5, losers of four straight and forced to continue tinkering with their lineup combinations as they navigate injuries and overlapping talent.
