Eric Snow is starting to warm up to staying in his warm-ups.The Cavaliers' veteran captain handled his move to the bench in favor of Daniel Gibson like a professional, offering nothing but support even if breaking his run of 139 consecutive starts hurt on the inside. Now, used to the idea, he is starting to find himself in favor of it.
He's been quietly, but convincingly, effective in his new role off the bench. The Cavs have been responding well with him in the game, even if it is somewhat hidden. In Sunday's victory over the Lakers, Snow scored just four points, but had an impact on the game.
After Larry Hughes got in foul trouble, Snow defended Kobe Bryant for nearly 15 minutes in the first half and held him to just six points. In that span, the Cavs outscored the Lakers by 15 points. Snow also ended up with six assists and no turnovers. In the seven games since leaving the starting lineup, Snow has 31 assists against just five turnovers and has the highest plus/minus rating on the Cavs' team.
``I think I may be better suited to what I am doing right now,'' Snow said. ``I know my minutes are more limited and I'm able to give more energy and I don't have to worry about getting in foul trouble.''
Snow also said that being able to play with Sasha Pavlovic, Donyell Marshall and Anderson Varejao with the second unit has also helped because they are more catch-and-shoot players than the guys who start. That allows him to set them up better.
``His leadership skills, especially when he's in, have been off the charts for us,'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. ``That is something we should all feel good about.''
Having Snow play with the second unit has really solidified the Cavs bench play. I know there's still more to do but these moves have worked. Hopefully this will shut the crazies up for awhile.
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