Healthy again, Cavs need to have Dean Wade back in the fold

The Cleveland Cavaliers have won six of their past eight games, and with the club healthier again, they’re finding their groove. They had lost both games in their back-to-back to the Utah Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday and Monday, but that Utah one was a one-point loss, and since, the Cavs have won their last two contests.

The Chicago Bulls were depleted in that Wednesday game; the Cavs took care of business at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday from start to finish though, and as we noted, with the squad getting healthy, they’re in good shape. The schedule opens up largely from here, too, and for Cleveland to be 15-12 at this juncture is no small thing.

That said, I would like to see the Wine and Gold and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff find ways to get one Cavalier, in particular, back more in upcoming games.

That Cavs player is rotational forward Dean Wade, and I would expect that to be the case, also.

Cavs: Healthy again, Wade needs to be back in the fold.

Wade had missed six games due to a calf injury, and then was back for the last five or so minutes of Cleveland’s blowout victory over the shorthanded Bulls on Wednesday. The injury didn’t seem to be serious, fortunately.

And based on what Wade’s former grade and high school coach Kurt Fairchild said to our own John Suchan, who recently interviewed Fairchild and Wade’s parents about Dean’s roots, it appears the Cavaliers just wanted to be overly cautious with Wade.

Looking past those absences for Wade, with him seemingly healthy again, and at least moving well in that short stretch on Wednesday, he needs to be back in for a few rotational stretches again from here, I believe. Wade should’ve had more than 10 minutes on Friday, particularly with that game being one the Cavs cruised in.

As the aforementioned Suchan touched on, Wade is not a player that’s going to be a crucial offensive focal point when he’s in; even still, Wade moves very well without the ball, is a viable catch-and-shoot presence, and he finishes at a high level.

With the Cavaliers/Bickerstaff wanting to keep with their going big strategy, Wade was starting at the de facto 3 in Lauri Markkanen‘s COVID-19 health and safety protocols absence earlier on, and while not nearly the offensive presence of Markkanen, Wade is a solid defender.

He’s viable against wings and some 4s on-ball, and occasionally, can hold his own in switchout situations against opposing guards, which in a few stretches per game, as a smart off-ball offensive player, could help the Cavs.

Taking that into account, and Wade at least hitting 36.6 percent of his three-point attempts last season, I’d like to see him get some rotational play in upcoming games with him again healthy. That could help Cleveland’s defense throughout games in some non-Markkanen minutes.

Here and there, I could foresee Cleveland having Cedi Osman play as a 2 in spurts, with Wade as a rotational 3, or have Isaac Okoro still at the 2 with Darius Garland or Ricky Rubio at the 1, and have Osman/Wade at the 3/4. Having Kevin Love as a stretch 5 in spurts could be fine, I’d think, especially with how he’s found his rhythm as a shooter, and with how he’s provided a meaningful post player in spurts throughout games.

However, circling back, if the Cavaliers want Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley at the 5 in there regardless, having Wade just getting a few stretches per game for Markkanen at the 3, or having Wade with Markkanen in there at the 4 could provide meaningful energy.

What I’m getting at is, even with Wade having shot just 32.1 percent from three so far this season in 18 appearances, he has had 11 starts under his belt, and Wade has established chemistry with other key Cavs. In his appearances, although him having 20.7 minutes per contest was due to the Cavs previously being shorthanded and won’t be the case typically, he’s clearly a player that plays well off key offensive threats, and he should again be a regular rotational contributor.

To me, from a depth standpoint, and to help the Cavaliers bigs out stay fresher throughout games, with him healthy, Wade should be back in the fold for Cleveland.

Even if it’s 12-15 minutes, he can make a difference for Cleveland, and he’s a more than capable situational defensive piece to have; he’s more viable offensively than Lamar Stevens, in relation to rotational 3 minutes. Those two at times could be on the floor together, though.

And as a side note, with Dylan Windler recently on assignment with the Cavs G-League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge, and with Windler being up-and-down still, the Cavaliers should give Wade some opportunities to further prove himself. I’d imagine they will in meaningful times, too.