Credit: Cavs Nation

Cleveland Will Feel Smith’s Absence; Don’t Plan on Signing a New Guard, Though

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue says the team isn’t seeking to trade for a player to fill the missing spot at the shooting guard position due to JR Smith’s injury.

The 31-year-old Smith fractured his right thumb and will have to go under the knife, announced the Cavaliers on Wednesday. A timeline for Smith’s comeback will be established once the surgery is done.

“As of right now, no we haven’t,” said Lue about signing another guard to fill Smith’s spot. ”It just happened yesterday, and I had a chance to talk to [Cavaliers general manager David Griffin] a little bit before I came in here, but we haven’t discussed it yet. I mean, we’re a good team, still. We’re 20-6, so I mean, it’s no excuses.”

JR Smith—Cleveland’s sharpshooter— has played 28.9 minutes per game this season while averaging 8.6 points, 1.2 assists along with 2.1 rebounds. Smith has sniped 36.2% of his shots from three-point range for Cleveland.

”We’re going to miss J.R. [Smith], his effort on defense, his tough shot making,” Lue admitted. ”But it’s no excuses for us. It’s next man up and we’ve got to be ready to play. We’ve got to do it by committee. I think our guys are ready to step up to the challenge.”