Tyronn Lue told Channing Frye he was sorry for removing him from the Cavs’ rotation

So far in the Cavs’ preseason play, Channing Frye has barely seen the floor. And that isn’t likely to change moving forward.

According to cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon, coach Tyronn Lue told Frye he was “sorry” for removing him from the Cavs’ rotation. Frye, a staple of the Cavs’ rotation last year, has been bumped out due to the Cavs’ being deeper and Lue looking to use more versatile lineups.

“I was like man I'm sorry,” Lue said Sunday after the Cavs’ preseason loss to the Wizards, per cleveland.com. “[Frye] said, 'listen, I'm very excited about our team, not too many opportunities to get to play on a team like this.'“

Lue also said that Frye said “[If] I have to wear a suit all season for us to win, that's what I'll do. Don't worry about me, I'm going to continue to keep working. If you need me I'll be ready.” He also said that that’s the kind of veteran you want, per cleveland.com.

Frye’s role reduction isn’t too much of a surprise. While his ability to stretch the floor from the center position has value, he’s a liability on defense. While the Cavs could still use him in the regular season, he isn’t going to be a part of lineups that help Cleveland beat the Warriors.

But Frye still has value in the locker room, so it’s good to see that he is ok with the move and that the team doesn’t seem interested in moving him. Since arriving in Cleveland, he’s been key to helping the Cavs bond. Keeping him to do that, with the option to dust him off every now and then, is a good use of Frye at this point at this career.