MIAMI _ It won't be long before the Cavaliers are one man short of basketball's version of a hockey second line.
And unlike last season, that could be the case even as they advance in the playoffs.
J.R. Smith and Kevin Love should return from injury this month, Smith perhaps in about a week. Big man Andrew Bogut joined the team on Monday. Kyle Korver, Deron Williams and Derrick Williams have been added since Jan. 7.
Armed with perhaps the deepest roster in Cavs history, coach Tyronn Lue admitted Friday that he will be able to use nine in the postseason.
Last May and June that was not the case. Channing Frye averaged 10.9 points in the Eastern Conference semifinals and finals against Atlanta and Toronto, then played 33 minutes and scored two points in the Finals. Matthew Dellavedova and Timofey Mozgov were hardly needed. By the time the Cavs captured Cleveland's first championship in 52 years, Lue was playing with seven _ LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Love, Smith, Richard Jefferson and Iman Shumpert.
In the Finals, those seven played 89.6 percent of the available minutes. Dellavedova led the bottom seven with 46 total minutes.
The Cavs now have three players _ Korver, Deron Williams and Bogut _ who were starters with other teams at the beginning of the 2016-17 season coming off the bench. Derrick Williams started 11 of his 25 games with the Miami Heat.
Lue lauded the roster assembled by general manager David Griffin, especially with limited financial resources, but knows deciding what to do with it will be "tricky." Aside from James and Irving, who fit with any lineup Lue puts on the court, Lue must maximize his players' strengths and figure out who works best with whom.
He can go big or go small, emphasize athleticism or send out five of the best 3-point shooters in the league.
He has so many puzzle pieces to work with that at the moment it appears daunting.
"Griff's done a tremendous job. ... He just always seems to work his magic when we need it. Now it's my job to make sure I put everybody in the best possible [situation] to be successful," Lue said before Friday's game against the Hawks.
"I don't know how I'm going to use all of these people. It's going to be a process, but it's a great process to have when we've got great players. Now we have a roster of 12 guys that should be playing. That's always a good thing."
Lue has two advantages over some in this position.
He has one of the best basketball minds in the game in James to help him, along with an experienced staff.
And the Cavs have created a culture in which all are willing to put aside their egos and sacrifice statistics and playing time for a chance at another championship.
Before he faced the Hawks on Friday for the first time since he was traded, Korver admitted his relatively low standing on the Cavs' totem pole of stars.
"I don't know where I'm at in the pecking order here, fifth, sixth, seventh, somewhere in there," he said.
When Korver's comment was relayed to James Jones, who has been to six consecutive Finals with James, Jones said, "The only mandate for this team is when your opportunities are there, you're prepared and ready to take advantage of them, which every guy on this team has done."
That might not work for some established, big-name players. But as he looked to fill specific needs, Griffin had to be mindful of the character of player required to make such sacrifices.
As the Cavs go all-in to repeat, they are also preparing for the unexpected, like Kelly Olynyk's yank on Love's shoulder in Game 4 of their first-round series against the Celtics in 2015 or Irving's fractured kneecap in Game 1 of the 2015 Finals.
"You never know what can happen," Lue said. "And now you've always got those guys on the bench that are ready to play. They are veteran guys [who have] been in big positions and are capable of making good plays in the playoffs. That's always a luxury to have."
Below the surface, it seems that building a nine-deep team for the playoffs has also strengthened the Cavs' bond.
When it was pointed out to Jones how unusual it seems that the Cavs have three perennial NBA starters now coming off the bench, Jones said, "You're going off the assumption that guys won't embrace their roles. We understood we're measured by winning, that's the most important thing. Whether guys start or they come off the bench, they seem to fit right in and accept their roles and excel in it because it's not personal.
"That's a challenge. If you ask any guy in here, would you rather be an extremely strong, deep team and make a push for a championship, you ask them would they be willing to sacrifice and change how they've played up to this point, they'd all say yes.
"At the end of the day when you hoist that trophy, nobody remembers anything besides what you did to get there and the fact that you're a champion."
