Is It Still Delly Time?
Under fire most of this year, Aussie product Matthew Dellavedova has shown he deserves a back up position behind Kyrie Irving. Posting 4.5 PPG and 3.0 APG this season, he’s just about mirrored what he posted in his rookie campaign. Dellavedova, an undrafted rookie last year, wasn’t set to extremely high expectations in being a back up for a sub-par ball club. Thus, the faithful rallied around the scrappy guard because of his 110% effort every night.
It all changed at the start of this season.
Hit with pressure right off the bat, Dellavedova was slated to be the go-to option off the bench for Irving. Known to be an up and down success story on the Cavaliers this year, Delly’s position of point guard is still one of the most glaring area the Cavaliers could improve at before the trade deadline (Feb. 19 3:30 p.m.).
As of late, rumors have been swirling about bringing back one of LeBron James’ old running mates, Mo Williams. Williams was a fan favorite when he played for the Cavaliers from 2008-2011, especially during the fallout year after James left for Miami. Williams is known to have stuck around through the good and the bad. Many fans wouldn’t mind having the journeyman, averaging 12.6 PPG and 6.4 APG this season, back on the team. However, with that arrival this would definitely spell the end of Delly’s minutes. Reports state that the trade would be Mo Williams to Cleveland for veteran center Brendan Haywood and a 2015 2nd round draft pick.
With all these rumors concerning the acquisition of a better back up point guard, Delly has immensely improved his scoring and overall play. In his latest game against the 76ers, Delly posted 12 points off the bench. Those 12 points were the most from Cavaliers reserves that night. In a game against the Timberwolves on Saturday, Delly posted 10 points. Once again, his scoring was the highest for the Wine and Gold backups in Minnesota. Both performances show that he is still the answer for the back up position behind Kyrie Irving.
Although Dellavedova is not fighting for his job every night, he must continue to put up good enough numbers on a daily basis or the fear of losing his job could set in. If Delly’s production dwindles, and Cavaliers can not find a replacement for Delly before the deadline, look for the front office to aggressively search for a replacement through free agency.
For now, let the Aussie play!
