PHILADELPHIA -- Jose Calderon will be a part of the Cavaliers' rotation in the playoffs, running backup point guard so Jordan Clarkson can play off the ball, coach Tyronn Lue said.

Incidentally, Calderon won't play tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers because of a lingering left hamstring issue. Rookie Cedi Osman will make his second straight start tonight.

Big picture, his play this season and the Cavs' success with him out there has forced Lue to find a spot for the 36-year-old point guard.

"He's been great for us all year," Lue said. "I think just a steady point guard, can shoot the basketball, can run pick and roll. He's not a bad defender either at that age. He's played well for us. When he's on the floor, good things happen, so when the playoffs come we've got to try to find a way to get him on the floor."

The Cavs are 23-9 when Calderon starts this season and 28-11 when he plays at least 10 minutes. He's averaging a modest 4.6 points per game (he had a season-high 19 on Tuesday against the Raptors), but he's shooting .473 from 3-point range.

The Cavs didn't play Calderon real minutes until November when they felt they had to, and he was steady. He's been beyond that with most opportunities he's received in March and April, but several coaches had suggested Calderon would go back to the third team once everyone was healthy.

But, as Lue mentioned and the Cavs' record indicates, things go well more than they don't when Calderon is out there.

If Lue goes through with this and squeezes Calderon into the rotation, it means JR Smith's time in the playoffs could be reduced.

On Thursday, Lue said Jeff Green would start in the playoffs, which means either Larry Nance Jr. or Tristan Thompson would be out of the rotation. Lue typically likes to use a nine-man rotation. If he sticks to that and Calderon plays, Smith sits.

George Hill, the Cavs' starting point guard come playoff time, is out again with a sprained ankle, but Lue said he's hopeful Hill would play in one of the two remaining games against the Knicks.

As for Clarkson and Calderon, Lue said the need to play Clarkson off the ball had "a lot" to do with deciding to play Calderon in the playoffs. Clarkson is second in the NBA in bench scoring at 14.0 ppg.

"We need Jordan to score the basketball, so we need someone to run the plays to get him the ball on the side we want to get him to, and then run pick and roll, or whatever we want to run for him," Lue said. "He plays a lot better when he has a point guard beside him."