Cavaliers Star Lands Controversial Take That Will Raise Eyebrows

The Cleveland Cavaliers just swept the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, and they didn't even have Darius Garland over the last two games of the series.

Here's the thing, though: the Cavaliers were even more dominant in Garland's absence, winning Games 3 and 4 by an average of 46 points.

Should that change the way we look at Garland?

Josh Cornelissen of King James Gospel seems to think so and outlines why he feels Cleveland is actually better without Garland, providing some stats to back it up.

He notes that the Cavs' net rating was actually superior sans Garland during the regular season, noting that the team's defense was noticeably better when he wasn't on the floor. He also mentions the fact that Ty Jerome did a phenomenal job as the third guard and that there wasn't much of an offensive dropoff when he replaced Garland.

"It's impossible to look at those numbers, coming from a season when Darius Garland was a deserving All-Star, should be on an All-NBA team (but probably just misses out) and played extremely well, and not conclude that the Cavaliers are better without him on the court," Cornelissen wrote.

Now, to be clear, Cornelissen isn't saying that Cleveland should dump Garland, but that the Cavs may be better off minimizing his role.

"Finally, the Cavaliers might just be better if Darius Garland was in a smaller role," he added. "If the team increased the minutes for Ty Jerome and decreased the minutes for Garland, all of the data other than "status" in the league suggests that the team would perform at a higher level."

Cornelissen isn't sure that Cleveland should take such drastic measures, especially after Garland helped the team win 64 games this season. However, it may be something the Cavs need to consider against the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs.

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