<font color=""Red"">Andre Miller Anyone?</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Fans have been writing the Cavaliers must get Kevin Garnett. Or Allen Iverson. Or some other big-name star. Want to know who would make the Cavaliers a big-time contender in the Eastern Conference? If you've followed the Cavs for a few years, you'll know his name, and you should remember him fondly ... Andre Miller. It's no secret the Cavs can use an upgrade at point guard, but only if it's the right point guard. It has to be someone who doesn't want to dominate the ball, someone not hung up on scoring or being the star. He must be able to score enough to demand defensive attention, able to share the ball and not an embarrassment on defense. That's Miller. The Cavs won't talk about Miller, because he's under contract for three more years (about $28 million) with the Denver Nuggets. But General Manager Danny Ferry and Miller were teammates with the Cavs in 1999-2000, and it's no secret that Ferry has long admired Miller's game. Miller is 30. He has been in the NBA for seven years, and missed only three games! He's a sturdy 6-foot-2, 200 pounds. He's coming off a season where he averaged 13.7 points, 8.2 assists and shot 46 percent. Those are nearly identical to his career numbers: 14.2 points, 7.5 assists, 45 percent shooting. The question is if the Cavs could make a deal with the Denver Nuggets for Miller.</div> <font color=""red"">Nuggets Interested in Gooden?</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Nuggets supposedly have an interest in Drew Gooden, who is a restricted free agent. The Cavs will not allow Gooden to leave and receive nothing in return, even if it means matching a high offer from another team. They believe Gooden is a solid big man who will always have market value, especially since the 6-10 forward is only 24.</div> <font color=""red"">Snow to Denver?</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Denver would probably want a point guard in return. Coach George Karl supposedly is a fan of Eric Snow, but Snow has three years and $20 million left on his contract. Obviously, he would not trade Miller for Snow straight up. And adding Gooden creates a salary-cap mess, as he'll probably secure a deal starting at least at $6 million annually.</div> <font color=""red"">Nene?</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Denver was wiped out in the first round of the playoffs. The Nuggets have Carmelo Anthony, and they want to build a team around him that contends. Odds are that the Nuggets will do something dramatic this summer; why not with the Cavs? If the Cavs use Gooden in a sign-and-trade deal, they need to find another big man. One possibility is Nene of the Nuggets, a restricted free agent who played only one game because of a knee injury. At one point, he was considered a strong prospect. In his first two seasons, he averaged 11 points, 6.3 rebounds and looked like he would keep improving. At 6-11, 270 pounds, he has the size the Cavs need. The key would be his health. He missed 27 games in his third season, and 81out of 82 games last year. But when you look at the landscape of Gooden, Snow, Miller, Nene and perhaps some other players - there might be room to make a trade if both teams get creative.</div> <font color=""red"">Jamaal Magloire a Possibility?</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I've mentioned Jamaal Magloire before as a possibility for the Cavs. He averaged slightly more than nine points and nine rebounds for the Milwaukee Bucks. He played in all 82 games, and is a defensive power forward/center. He has one year and $8 million left on his deal. The Bucks would trade him for a more athletic power forward. This could lead to a deal for Gooden.</div> <font color=""red"">Nazr Mohammed a Possibility?</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Another player of this type is Nazr Mohammed, an unrestricted free agent from the San Antonio Spurs. Ferry played and worked for the Spurs before coming to the Cavs, and knows Mohammed well. It's a safe guess that Mohammed is a player the Cavs will consider if they end up moving Gooden.</div> <font color=""red"">Drew Gooden</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Gooden is a restricted free agent, meaning the Cavs can (and probably will) match any offer he receives. They can sign him and trade him. The Cavs won't let Gooden leave unless they have another viable big man. They want four guys to handle the center and power forward positions. They have Zydrunas Ilgauskas at center. Donyell Marshall is a natural power forward, but he can play some center. Anderson Varejao is the third big man - and impressed in the playoffs. The Cavs see Marshall and Ilgauskas as big men who can score, Varejao as a defensive specialist whose offense is growing. They'd like another defensive big man in the mix.</div> <font color=""red"">Varejao's Weakness</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">One NBA coach told me that Varejao's biggest weakness isn't his offense, which is emerging. It's his low-post defense. He reaches too much and doesn't have a lot of lower body strength. He tries to draw charges and flops a lot. This can be improved with work in the weight room and experience.</div> <font color=""red"">Reggie Evans?</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">An unrestricted free agent at power forward is Reggie Evans, one of my favorites. In 20 minutes per game, he averaged 7.5 rebounds this season for the Nuggets and Seattle SuperSonics. He doesn't score (4.1 points), and at 6-foot-8, he has trouble defending some bigger players inside. But he loves to rebound, doesn't care about scoring and would fit if the Cavs come up empty in their hunt for some other big men.</div> <font color=""red"">Diop?</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">In case you missed it, DeSagana Diop had a big game when the Dallas Mavericks beat the Phoenix Suns in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, scoring seven points and grabbing nine rebounds. He was a force on defense. He's playing the kind of defensive-focused game the Cavs hoped he would in his four years here. If you think about it, Diop would have just been coming out of college after four years last summer. With the Cavs, he was a raw kid, only in the U.S. for two years and about 50 pounds overweight. He was handed more than $4 million, and just wasn't really motivated to learn. When he became a free agent, he lost those 50 pounds, and went to Dallas, where he was told not to shoot - just rebound and block shots. Diop averaged 2.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per game in the regular season. Heading into Saturday's game, Diop is averaging 3.0 points, 5.7 rebounds in the playoffs. He is a factor on the boards, and it's because he's matured and grown up. You never know when (or if) a player like Diop will figure it out. Give him credit for doing so.</div> <font color=""red"">Speedy Claxton?</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">An unrestricted guard to consider is Speedy Claxton, who is 28 and averaged 12.3 points and 4.8 rebounds for the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets this season. He's an iffy outside shooter, but is quick and can penetrate to the basket.</div> <font color=""red"">Murray to Bobcats?</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Flip Murray is an unrestricted free agent, and it's doubtful he'll return. His priority (in addition to a big contract) is to start. I've heard for more than a month that he could end up with the Charlotte Bobcats.</div> link: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...ts/14735581.htm here is a mother load of cleveland news for all the fans here. if this doesnt spark discussion, nothing will.
I hope Ron Murray does end up going to either the Bobcats or the Magic. If given the opportunity to be a primary scorer he is still capable of being a consistent 20 point a game scoring threat. His last 2 years in Seattle he really was criticized for going after his game and I saw some reluctance for him to do that while he was in Cleveland. He is a rhythm player who needs to get many offensive touches to get into that rhythm. I'm hoping that his best basketball is still ahead of him b/c in '03-'04 he was as talented of a combination guard that there was in this league. He has just dropped off significantly since then and I hope that he can regain his swagger.
I'd definitely like to get Miller, if possible. As stated in the article, he is no liability on defence and can provide solid assists and points to compliment LeBron and Larry. However, it would be very difficult to find a trade that would suit both parties.
