Luol Deng Is Ready To Save Cleveland’s Lost Season

Twenty-two thousand, eight hundred and eighty-two minutes. For nearly ten years Luol Deng filled the small forward position for the Chicago Bulls, blossoming into a premier two-way All-Star along the way. Derrick Rose may be the clear face of the franchise, but Deng was the heart and soul. Before Rose it was Deng, who back when Scott Skiles was roaming the sidelines, brought the Bulls back to the Promised Land of the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. It was Deng who developed into the secondary scoring threat that Carlos Boozer failed to become. It was Deng who kept the Bulls afloat while Rose rehabbed his torn ACL (while Deng suffered and battled through numerous injuries himself, including nearly dying from a mistreated spinal tap). It was Deng who played a seemingly endless amount of minutes (37 or more minutes per game in each season since 2009-2010; twice leading the league in minutes per game, both in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013), becoming Tom Thibodeau‘s most reliable AND favorite player. Now, at age 28 and after 22,882 minutes, it is Deng who finds himself playing against the Chicago Bulls.

Last night, Luol Deng and the Cavaliers lost a hotly contested matchup to the Chicago Bulls, 98-87, due in part to Taj Gibson and D.J. Augustin going off for a combined 53 points. For his part, Deng had 11 points on 2-for-11 shooting from the field.

“I’ve never been through something like that before,” Deng said. “It was strange… but it’s the Cavs versus the Bulls, it’s not about me.”

Deng said he didn’t feel like he was forcing things.

“I missed shots, I’m not happy with my performance, but they are a good defensive team,” he said. “In terms of me, I could have played better.

“I think we have guys that are going to have a great career. A lot of times out there, there is a lot of individual effort, we have to find a way to do it together.”

It feels cliché to call him the Bulls former glue guy, but somehow that’s the name that was most often thrown around. Does Deng do the little things — run hard, hustle for loose balls, play gritty defense, and provide a mature veteran voice in the locker room? Absolutely. But he is much more than a role player; he is a capable second or third scoring option, a valuable wing defender, and most importantly a professional.

In his nine and a half years in Chicago, Deng never once finished first on the team in total points, yet he finished his Bulls career fourth on their all-time scoring list. Take a look at the record books and you’ll see his name pop up all over the place: he occupies spots in the top ten in games played (fifth), minutes played (fourth), total rebounds (eighth), blocks (tenth), and steals (fifth). For his career, Deng averages 16.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.0 SPG in 35.9 MPG. Those numbers don’t scream All-Star, but they do put him in the upper echelon group of small forwards. Take his numbers from this season (18.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.4 APG): those numbers place him sixth, eighth, and seventh in their respected categories. The only other small forwards with averages that high in each category? Paul George, Kevin Durant and…. LeBron James.

Neither the fastest nor the strongest forward in the league, Deng’s game has never been focused on athleticism, nor is he a lights-out shooter. No, according to coaches, scouts and players alike, what Deng does better than any other player is moving without the ball. He knows where to be at the exact moment he needs to be there. He makes the right decision when the ball is in his hands; he worries about wins, not his statistics. It’s that stability that has made Deng one of the league’s most valuable assets.

Both coaches for and against have praised his incredible professionalism and work ethic. Joe Mantegna, Deng’s high school coach once said Deng’s work ethic is what sets him a part from other players, “…But he so far surpasses most of these guys in work ethic. He’ll outwork everyone. His work ethic is incredible.”

With Derrick Rose out yet another year with yet another knee injury, the title-chasing Bulls front office made the executive decision to rebuild on the fly, which meant selling Deng away for what amounts to three future draft picks (one of which has a chance to be a first rounder, if the Kings can avoid a bottom 12 finish anytime before 2017). With a Carlos Boozer amnesty possibly looming this offseason (as well as Charlotte’s first-round pick this season, top-10 protected), the Bulls could have a lot of new faces next year. In the meantime, they have to deal with the aftermath of trading away their veteran leader. So far, under the former Coach of the Year Thibodeau, the Bulls are playing surprisingly well, playing together and competing hard, (much to the credit of Joakim Noah and the transformed D.J. Augustin, who are averaging 15.4 PPG, 15.4 RPG, and 5.0 APG and 16.3 PPG and 6.1 APG respectively since Deng’s departure) going 5-3 and scoring 8.6 more points per game. But did you really expect anything less from such a well-coached, veteran-led team? They probably will make the playoffs in the awful Eastern Conference (currently fifth). In the long term, trading Deng allowed them to recoup some future assets.

While the Cavaliers have gone only 3-4 since the trade, Deng fills a king-sized crater of a need at small forward, one that has been filled by the likes of Luke Walton, Alonzo Gee, C.J. Miles and Earl Clark since the departure of LeBron James. But Deng’s value for the Cavs at small forward may be dwarfed by his impact off the court.

Keep reading to hear what’ll happen the rest of the way with Cleveland and Deng…

Star point guard Kyrie Irving is only 21 years old, forward Tristan Thompson is 22, and shooting guard Dion Waiters (who’s been knocked for his immature behavior since his days at Syracuse) is just 22. All three players represent the future core of the Cavaliers, a core reportedly involved in a heated argument earlier in the year during a players only meeting. Deng instantly fills the leadership void for a team that’s at risk of quitting on coach Mike Brown (who is in just his first year in his second stint as head man of the Cavs). The former All-Defensive Second Team selection should bring his intense Thibs-taught defense to a Cavaliers team that gives up the eighth-most points per game to opponents.

Deng surprisingly admitted over the Cavs’ road trip that it was defense, not offense, he was struggling to adjust to, saying, “I’m putting the team in bad situations.” An example from Monday’s game: Early in the first quarter, Deng and C.J. Miles had a miscommunication that resulted in Mike Dunleavy spotting up for an open three. Those types of plays will gradually disappear as Deng builds chemistry with his teammates.

Offensively, Deng has already provided the Cavaliers the scoring counterpart that Kyrie Irving has never had. Per NBA.com, the once stagnant offense (which, prior to Deng, averaged 95.5 PPG) has averaged 103.8 PPG as of Monday. The Cavs are shooting a higher percentage from both inside and outside the arc, with more assists and less turnovers. His addition has allowed Cleveland to play less Kyrie Irving hero ball (Kyrie has 3,091 touches on the year, more than LeBron James): Irving has scored 19.1 PPG in six games with Deng, but has scored 21, 23 and 26 in the last three.

Deng, meanwhile, has been on a tear after Mike Brown eliminated his minutes restriction: in six games, Deng is averaging 18.7 PPG, and has scored 27, 25, 18 and 20 in the four games post-restriction, and is making an incredible 50 percent of his three-pointers. Offensively, his ability to work without the ball in his hands (a problem that has plagued the Dion Waiters-Kyrie Irving backcourt) has been a major upgrade for the Cleveland offense. Playing next to Irving, Deng plays more of a facilitator role, picking his spots, getting teammates involved.

He also adds a new flavor to the Cavs’ bland offensive sets. Mike Brown has added a pick-and-roll play with Deng as the screener (similar to the Rondo-Pierce set the Celtics used to run), from which Deng either fakes the screen and flashes to the wing for an isolation/open three, or Irving proceeds to the hoop.

Things change when Irving is off the floor. Deng becomes the centerpiece of the offense, attacking early and often. In Deng, the Cavs now have a player capable of carrying the offense while Irving rests. The starting unit of Irving, Miles, Deng, Thompson and Varejao has been on a tear, shooting 50.3 percent from inside the arc and 50 percent from three. The Cavaliers offense has a positive point differential (plus-3.7) for once! The once dead offense is showing signs of life (cut to an image of owner Dan Gilbert screaming it’s ALIVEE at Mike Brown). It’s only a matter of time before the unit meshes defensively, and from then on we can see this team’s true potential.

“Guys got to get used to me,” Deng said. “I got to get used to some of guys; you know, know what I like to do, I have to understand what they like to do.”

Which leads to the final issue: Deng’s future. At the end of the year, Deng, who is making $14,275,000 this year, will be a free agent. Two of Deng’s closest counterparts signed major contracts this past offseason, which should give us an estimation of Deng’s next contract. Josh Smith signed a four-year, $54 million deal and Andre Iguodala signed a four-year, $48 million deal. With news coming out of a reported three-year, $30 million contract being offered (and declined) prior to being traded, how much is Deng worth in an open market? How much is a team like Cleveland, a team with the necessary cap space, but also with obvious hopes of a James return this summer, willing to spend? If Deng can lead a Cleveland team desperate for a taste of the playoffs, will the front office finally move on from their love-affair with James, or is Deng simply a half-year rental, ready to move on to greener pastures? Will Gilbert finally move on from the past and his delusions of grandeur and rebuild a Cleveland team without thoughts of LeBron James crossing his mind?

In 22,822 minutes, Luol Deng helped transform the Chicago Bulls. If all goes well, he’ll be doing the same thing in Cleveland.

Will Deng help get Cleveland into the playoffs?

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