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Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye are famously candid on their Road Trippin’ podcast, and Jefferson took that up a notch on Friday’s episode with J.R. Smith.
In a discussion about Smith moving to the bench, Jefferson, whose spot on the Cavaliers is looking shakier by the day, poked fun at his current situation:
"Everybody has to sacrifice." - Frye
— Carter Rodríguez (@Carter_Shade) October 13, 2017
"I'm about to sacrifice my way out of here." - RJ
"Oh, god, come on. Too soon, too soon!" - Frye
This couldn’t possibly be a more Richard Jefferson way to handle the situation. RJ has been a consummated pro and an amazing locker room presence for the Cavaliers, but the additions of Jae Crowder, Jeff Green, Cedi Osman and Dwyane Wade to the wing rotation has left his spot on the team tenuous.
Ultimately, it’s an odd decision to keep Jose Calderon, who was signed on the first day of free agency, when it appears that the Cavaliers are leaning towards keeping Kay Felder around on a two-way contract. Calderon doesn’t figure to be a part of this team’s rotation now, and especially doesn’t when Isaiah Thomas returns from a hip injury. If not for continuity’s sake, it makes sense to give Richard Jefferson the James Jones Memorial 15th Roster Spot™.
As of now, the Cavaliers appear to believe in Calderon’s cumulative ability to help the team more than Jefferson’s on and off the court. We’ll see if they’re ultimately proven right, or if it matters at all.
Until then, we’d better savor these Road Trippin’ pods with the Cavaliers. We might not be getting too many more.