CLEVELAND, Ohio - It's not really a silver lining, the Cavs would not have preferred this, but a result of J.R. Smith's two-game suspension is that Iman Shumpert will finally fulfill the role intended for him when Cleveland traded for the two players on Jan. 5.

When the Cavaliers face the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference semifinal on Monday at The Q, Shumpert will most likely be starting opposite Kyrie Irving in Cleveland's backcourt.

That was the original plan when general manager David Griffin traded Dion Waiters as part of a three-team deal to get Shumpert and Smith from the New York Knicks, before fate and Smith took over.

Shumpert was brought in to dramatically improve Cleveland's defense. What happened instead was Smith flourished in a spread-out, scoring-happy offense with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love.

With Love gone for the season and Smith out two games for punching Boston's Jae Crowder on Sunday, the Cavs, at least for the short term, may try to go back to the original plan.

"The idea when we began the process of acquiring them was that Shumpert would start and that we would use J.R. as a scoring punch off the bench," Griffin told the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

"Now I think what's going to happen is you may see him start these games J.R.'s out," Griffin said. "I don't think that will change what happens to J.R. in Game 3 but who knows if we play particularly well."

It was a dislocated shoulder (and other injuries) Love suffered Sunday against the Celtics that caused him to have season-ending surgery on Wednesday. It was against those same Celtics, on Dec. 12, when Shumpert suffered a dislocated shoulder that delayed his debut with the Cavs.

Shumpert needed another 18 days of rehabilitation before he could play for Cleveland, leaving the door open for Smith to change the course of both their seasons.

During those first three weeks with the Cavs, Smith averaged 15.3 points per game and shot 40 percent from long range. Cleveland envisioned him providing a shooting spark off the bench, but were stunned by how well he fit into the starting lineup and how much easier he made it for the Cavs to spread the floor against opposing defenses.

Smith remained a starter after Shumpert returned and averaged 12.7 ppg for the Cavs, shooting 39 percent from three-point land. Cleveland's defense improved after the trades (starting center Timofey Mozgov was acquired Jan. 7), but the Cavs still finished the season ranked 18th in the NBA in defensive efficiency.

The Cavs finished the year with the third-highest offense in basketball, scoring 111.1 points per 100 possessions.

Shumpert's increased role in the upcoming series against the Bulls is representative of the situation in which the Cavs find themselves - having to play differently without Love and Smith.

Shumpert, a 6-5, athletic defender who averaged 7.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals for Cleveland during the regular-season, has never averaged more than 9.5 points in a season. Love could be replaced by James Jones (a shooter), Tristan Thompson (a traditional post player), or by a combination of options.

However Blatt chooses to replace Love will determine what the Cavs need from Shumpert.

"I think what excites me about Shump and what excites the coaching staff about Shump is just his versatility defensively," Griffin said. "When he plays with the starting unit, maybe we'll lean a little bit more on the defensive side to get us going first."

Shumpert, who is 24 and a restricted free agent at the end of the season, has not been made available to speak to the media this week. On Thursday, Irving said Shumpert is "not short of confidence, which is why I love him."

When James spoke of Shumpert Wednesday, he said Shumpert's "focus is to come down and guard and wreak havoc defensively," and "what we get from him as far as points is extra credit for our team."

An example of Shumpert's versatility: the Cavs feel he can match up defensively with Bulls point guard Derrick Rose and backup Aaron Brooks; with Chicago's shooting guard Jimmy Butler; and small forward Mike Dunleavy.

But when they had to turn to Shumpert Sunday to play for Smith (ejected in the third quarter), he responded with a 15-point, 10-rebound effort. That's what Blatt believes Shumpert can deliver when he's asked to do so.

"Look, he's a guy that can score the ball," Blatt said. "It's not that he's not capable of that. We put him in a little bit different of a role, but he's shown during his time with the Knicks that he can score the ball and certainly in college that he can do that, as he did in Game 4 against Boston. He'll be ready to give us what he needs to."