Cavaliers to be without four players for opener

The Cavs will be shorthanded for their season opener against the Charlotte Hornets.

When the Cleveland Cavaliers take the court against the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday night they will be without the services of four players. Matthew Dellavedova, Kevin Love, Kevin Porter Jr., and Dante Exum will miss the first game of the season.

Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff will have to be a little bit creative with his rotations. This includes a strategy that many have wanted the team to employ for quite some time, staggering Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. The fit between those two was fairly questionable last season which led to speculation about whether they can be on the court at the same time.With Sexton as the “backup” point guard, it will allow Bickerstaff to explore options with his wings and big men.

Damyean Dotson, Dylan Windler, Issac Okoro, Cedi Osman, Larry Nance Jr., Dean Wade, Andre Drummond, JaVale McGee, and Thon Maker should give the Cavs a variety of different looks. Whether or not they are actually productive is a different story entirely. The Cavaliers are better off with the aforementioned players missing the game in the lineup. Although this does give the team a chance to get a better look at their depth in real game action. Best case scenario the Cavs win the game. Worst case scenario is that they get an extended look at their bench.