As the Cavs trim the roster to 15, signs point towards DeAndre Liggins and Kay Felder serving as backup point guard options.
The 6-foot-6 Liggins is valued for his defense and versatility. He was named D-League Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and 2016.
The problem is that it was the D-League and he has little NBA experience (56 games between 2011-2013) and most recently only played one NBA game in 2014.
Rookie Kay Felder showed flashes in the Summer League and preseason, but for the 5-foot-9 second round draft pick from Oakland University to undergo a smooth transition to the NBA would be unexpected.
However, Felder’s work ethic and history of proving people wrong all point to the possibility that if anyone can make that leap, he’s the guy.
Felder will miss the season opener, as he is in the NBA concussion protocol, but should not be sidelined much longer than the first game.
Given the lack of NBA experience, the most likely scenarios when Irving is on the bench would involve Iman Shumpert or LeBron James handling the ball.
To expect Felder and/or Liggins to play more than 15 minutes a game seems unlikely early in the season, but perhaps they can work their way up as time goes on.
If there are as many opportunities for “garbage time” as the Cavs could theoretically see in the season, those situations may get Felder, Liggins and even Jordan McRae, valuable playing time at point guard.
It’s not an ideal situation and if the experiment does not go as well as hoped by January, the Cavs could be looking to sign free-agent Mario Chalmers, who will be able to return to the court from an achilles injury by then.
The possibility of a mid-season trade always exists and the Cavs have been in discussions to acquire a point guard, but as of Oct. 25, it appears difficult for Cleveland to find a partner.
No teams are going to help the Cavs out of generosity and with the new landscape of the NBA, almost every team has realistic chances to reach the playoffs, even if it’s just as a seventh or eighth seed.
This issue will be one of the storylines to watch early in the season, but perhaps Felder can put the concerns to rest by January.
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