Say what you want about the Cleveland Cavaliers, but you can’t say they don’t have backup plans. Days after losing Andrew Bogut 58 seconds into his Cavaliers career, the Eastern Conference leaders brought in former Milwaukee Bucks forward Larry Sanders to take his roster spot. Last night, Sanders appeared in his first NBA game in over two years, appearing in the final minutes of a blowout win over the Detroit Pistons and drawing a positive ovation from the home crowd.
Just in terms of risk and potential reward, it’s difficult to fault Cleveland for taking a chance. At his peak, Sanders was one of the toughest defenders in the league, and could contribute offensively as well, averaging 6.5 points and 5.8 rebounds during his career with the Milwaukee Bucks. Although he’s been out of the game, Sanders is just 28 years old and seems to have rediscovered a love for the game that he simply did not have during his last few seasons in Milwaukee.
“I had things I had to handle as a man, as a father, as a husband,” he admitted. “And, you know, now that I’ve developed certain things and grown, I feel confident. I feel that I can simultaneously handle basketball and my life, my personal life. And I’m truly thankful for the Cavs and LeBron [James] for believing in me and giving me this chance.”
Despite last night’s cameo appearance, Sanders likely won’t play much in the regular season. In fact, head coach Tyronn Lue had to send the ball boy out to get GM David Griffin’s permission to even bring him into the game. According to reports that emerged after the signing was official, Sanders could spend much of the regular season with the Cavaliers’ D-League team in order to get himself back into NBA shape.
This could end up being for the best for both parties, as Sanders clearly needs to reacquaint himself with the game mentally and physically – and the Cavaliers would rather not have him figuring things out during games they actually need to win. Certainly nothing in Wednesday’s performance, where he picked up two fouls and missed his only shot attempt in the game’s final two minutes, suggested Sanders would be able to contribute right away.
For this reason, Cleveland’s decision to sign Sanders was a very different one from the decision to sign Bogut after he was waived by the Philadelphia 76ers when they received him from Dallas at the trade deadline. Had Bogut remained healthy, the Cavaliers expected him to immediately improve the team. With Sanders, the Cavaliers are well aware that they are picking up a reclamation project.
Before yesterday, Sanders had not played in a NBA game since late 2014, when the Bucks placed him on the inactive roster for unspecified reasons. While he was inactive, the league suspended Sanders, who tested positive for marijuana for the second time in his career. Soon afterwards, Sanders, who was in the second year of a four-year, $44m contract. made the shock decision to leave the NBA to concentrate on his mental health. The Bucks bought out his contract on 21 February 2015 and Sanders went into treatment for depression and anxiety. It seemed likely at the time that it would be the last we would see of him.
But earlier this year, a seemingly renewed Sanders announced that he was returning to the league and the Cavaliers, apparently, were the first team to seriously consider signing him. In many ways, it’s a perfect fit for both sides. There’s something about playing for LeBron James’s teams that tends to work out for misfit players – just ask Chris Anderson or JR Smith. It probably doesn’t hurt when the reward for falling in line with James seems to be an automatic bid to the NBA finals. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, would benefit greatly from Sanders finding his defensive form. Sanders has averaged just under two blocks a game in his career, he can provide a definite boost for what is currently Cleveland’s biggest weakness.
Now, the obvious downside here is the sheer quantity of “ifs” in this equation: if Sanders can play at a NBA level again, if his off-field issues don’t return, if the Cavaliers can fit him into their system by the time the playoffs start, and so on and so on. Sanders is not the sure thing that Bogut would have been had he not broken his leg.
All of this is assuming that the Cavaliers even expect Sanders to help them much at all this season. Reportedly, their contract with Sanders includes an option for next season and they could be looking at Sanders as a fit for future Cavaliers teams, not necessarily this current one. Griffin himself admitted as much when announcing the signing: “Larry was somebody we would have brought in even with Andrew, because he’s somebody we look at as more of a long-term play.”
It’s tempting to imagine a best-case scenario where a healthy and happy Sanders completes an improbable comeback by helping his team win a championship immediately after rejoining the league (although Bucks fans might find that prospect a little difficult to take). While that would make a great story, right now the absolute last thing that Sanders needs is these kinds of expectations. The truth is, the fact that has apparently reached a place where he feels like he can play professional basketball again is a heartening development on its own. Welcome back, Larry.
