LDN - Sports

Preview: Bulls at Cavaliers

[October 24, 2017] Dwyane Wade's time in the starting lineup is over by his own request as the Cleveland Cavaliers prepare to host the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. Wade averaged 5.7 points while starting his first three games with the club before approaching coach Tyronn Lue about fitting in better if he were on the second unit.

Lue proposed the possibility of a backup role to Wade during the preseason but decided to try him as a starter and it quickly became clear a switch was needed. "I know he'd been a starter his whole career, so we wanted to try to start him and give him that nod," Lue told reporters on Monday. "He came to me and said, 'You know what, Coach? What you said was right. I'd be able to be featured more in the second unit and be able to handle the ball more, so let's make that move and make that adjustment.'" Wade was a member of the Bulls last season when Chicago swept four games from the Cavaliers but Chicago is in transition mode after dealing All-Star forward Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves during the offseason. The Bulls are shorthanded with shooting guard Zach LaVine (knee) still recovering from surgery from his time in Minnesota and forwards Nikola Mirotic (concussion, facial fractures) and Bobby Portis (suspension for punching Mirotic) sidelined.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBATV, NBCSN Chicago, FSN Ohio (Cleveland)

ABOUT THE BULLS (0-2): LaVine tore the ACL in his left knee in early February and was the prime piece acquired in the deal that Butler to the Timberwolves. The 22-year-old is a couple weeks away from taking part in contact drills and coach Fred Hoiberg is relishing the opportunity to add a leading scoring option for his team after LaVine averaged a career-best 18.9 points in 47 games last season. "Probably in the next two weeks I would say he'll start doing a little bit of contact," Hoiberg told reporters. "Probably three weeks he'll be back to full contact, if everything stays on schedule. But he's in a really good place. He's staying very engaged with everything."

[to top of second column]

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (2-1): J.R. Smith will be moved back into the starting shooting guard role due to the move involving Wade and that should make both players more comfortable. Smith was just 8-of-24 off the bench while Wade was only 7-of-25 before seeing the time to become a backup was now. "I came here for one reason," Wade told reporters. "I didn't come here to shoot 20 shots or average 20 points. I came here to be a part of winning and to bring what I can to this team, and I want to do that. I feel that my best opportunity to do that is in that unit, so it just came down to that."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Bulls have won the past five meetings and seven of the last eight.

2. Cleveland PG Derrick Rose (ankle) will miss his second straight game and veteran Jose Calderon will again start in his place.

3. Chicago rookie F Lauri Markkanen is averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds after his first two NBA games.

PREDICTION: Cavaliers 112, Bulls 98

Back to top