Upon the arrival of star shooting guard Dwyane Wade, longtime starter J.R. Smith expressed dismay with being placed on the bench behind an aging Wade. After a few games, Wade benched himself to improve chemistry with a sulky Smith, and to better fit the team.

But Wade is one of the most dominant shooting guards of all time and a guaranteed hall of famer, so why the bench? With an injury riddled Cavs team starting the season, the starting lineup changes every night. However one man stays there- Lebron James. With Lebron running the starting lineup with other dominant scorers like Kevin Love, J.R., Derrick Rose and then Isaiah Thomas when he returns, there just isn’t enough basketball to go around. Dwayne Wade can lead the Cavaliers bench (already thought to be one of the best in the league when healthy) as if it is a starting lineup. And Dwyane Wade accepts this “lesser” role for two reasons: 1.) He knows how to win, and 2.) he knows how to play with star teammates. After being dominant on the Heat with  so many all time great players ranging from (not all at the same time) an old Shaquille O’Neal, an old Ray Allen, a prime Lebron James, a prime Chris Bosh, and the list goes on, Wade learned how to alter his game to fit each team he played with. As an excellent teammate wanting to win, Wade also learned not to allow team chemistry to head in a bad direction. J.R. Smith let it known that he was unhappy on the bench with an old Wade starting over him. Smith’s play went down, his attitude on the sidelines was noticeably quieter, and Wade noticed. Wade put the team first, put winning first, and moved himself to the bench unit.

In conclusion, not only does this fit Wade perfectly, it sets the Cavs head and shoulders above every other NBA team because now they have a starting lineup coming off the bench led by one of the most prolific shooting guards in our era.