Cavaliers and the Trade Deadline

¹²³ · Feb 17, 2009

Here is a couple of interesting blog posts about the Cavaliers possibilities. I am more inclined to side with the "no move at all" camp.

Cavaliers may deal, may not

A year ago, he orchestrated the blockbuster trade that brought Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and Joe Smith to Cleveland.

Three years ago, he added Flip Murray.

This year, he’s exploring anything and everything to make his team better, so we should all know Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry is not afraid to pull the trigger on a trade-deadline deal.

Yet when all is said and done on Feb. 19, Ferry’s best move may be making no move at all.

The Cavaliers are 39-9, which puts them in the thick of the chase for the best record in basketball. Beyond that, they are developing an incredible chemistry on and off the floor. And, most important of all, they appear to have enough talent to win an NBA championship right now.

Does Ferry dare mess with that? Yes and no. No if he has any doubts about a deal making his team better. Yes if he doesn’t, because as great as the Cavaliers have played, they are not the perfect team.

Should Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Ben Wallace or Anderson Varejao go down for an extended period, Cleveland would be dangerously thin inside. Rookie J.J. Hickson keeps getting better, but Lorenzen Wright has nothing in the tank and rookie Darnell Jackson has once again become a non-factor.

That makes a veteran big man attractive, particularly one who can provide an aggressive, physical presence.

The name most often mentioned is Sacramento’s Brad Miller, but if the Cavaliers are satisfied Ilgauskas’ ankle is not a concern — and it appears they are — he may not be the guy Ferry wants. Miller can shoot, but he has slow feet. That, in Ferry’s eyes, could mean he’s simply a shorter, less-talented version of Ilgauskas.

Cleveland could also use an athletic wing who can get to the basket on offense and pressure the ball defensively — a John Salmons, for instance — but the only legitimate commodity it has to trade is Wally Szczerbiak, who is making $13 million in the final year of his contract.

Szczerbiak is slow-footed and can’t put the ball on the floor, but he’s been a valuable contributor. The guy not only makes shots, he’s willing to bang against taller bodies inside. When Szczerbiak has held his own doing that, which has been most of the time, it’s often led to open perimeter shots for him at the other end.

Would what the Cavaliers get by trading Szczerbiak more than offset what they are giving up? That’s why Ferry makes the big bucks.

The Cavaliers could win a championship as they are. They could also improve their chances with a good move or lessen them with a bad one.

Deal or no deal? It’s up to Ferry to make the right move. Or make no move at all.
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¹²³ · Feb 6, 2009

The Amare Stoudemire Project

For the last several years, Cavs fans were irate with GM Danny Ferry for "sitting on his hands" and not getting a deal done to infuse more talent with once-in-a-generation superstar LeBron James.

The Lakers' Mitch Kupchak was accused of the same things during his first several years on the job. Then, out of nowhere, Pau Gasol became available, and the rest was history in LA-LA land.

And this may be the opportunity that Ferry has been waiting for.

On Thursday, "some guy from Yahoo" reported that the Phoenix Suns "have begun exchanging trade proposals with teams for" Amare Stoudemire. The article cited league sources as believing that Kerr is determined to unload STAT at or before the February 19th trading deadline to kick off what would be a massive rebuilding effort in PHX.

"Everyone is on the table but Nash," one executive said.

Phoenix owner Robert Sarver has been more reluctant to part with Stoudemire and still hasn't yet given his blessing to act on a Stoudemire proposal. Nevertheless, most believe that Sarver will inevitably do so.

While there will likely be some interest in a rejuvenated Shaquille O'Neal, it is Stoudemire, the enigmatic 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward, whom most NBA teams have an interest in acquiring.

If Kerr and assistant GM David Griffin do trade Stoudemire, a four-time All-Star, they want a combination of expiring contracts, a talented young player - preferably a forward - and draft picks. Stoudemire is expected to opt out of his contract for the historic free-agent summer of 2010. He makes $15 million this season and $16.3 million next season. His relationship with Suns management has steadily deteriorated and few expect that either side is interested in a contract extension.

Yes, the Cavs are 39-9 right now headed into Sunday afternoon's collision with the Lake Show at The Q. Yes, the team chemistry is phenomenal and something that is unheard of in today's professional sports. And yes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

But isn't it time the Cavs started adding some legit superstar talent to this party instead of pieces that just complement LeBron James (like the plethora of shooters that are all over the roster)? Isn't this franchise too overly-dependent on LeBron already?

The article cites that the Suns are looking for a combination of expiring contracts, a talented young player (preferably a forward), and draft picks.

The Cavs have expiring contracts. They have draft picks. But it's the "talented young player" part that may trip them up.

Here's the deal: Expect Miami, Toronto, and New York to be involved in trade talks with the Suns. Also, don't expect Phoenix to ship Stoudemire to somewhere within the Western Conference. Portland looks like it could have the pieces to put together an awesome deal for Stoudemire, but Steve Kerr would have to be crazy to significantly strengthen one of the West's best up-and-coming teams.

With the Heat, they can part with Michael Beasley if they have to. They also have Shawn Marion's $17 million expiring contract, although it's debatable whether the Suns would want to bring Marion back just a year after trading him away. It's possible that they trade for his contract and then waive him to pick up the cap relief this summer while getting Beasley -- a young, talented forward -- and draft picks in return.

With the Knicks, Mike D'Antoni knows Stoudemire as well as any coach, if not better. David Lee has been the subject of numerous rumors for the past six months, and the Suns wouldn't mind having him, either.

Donnie Walsh can pair up Lee with Malik Rose's $7.7 million expiring contract and possibly Al Harrington, who has a player option for next year at $10 million. He could opt out this summer to clear $9 million in cap space for Phoenix if it came to that.

If both New York and Miami -- which are also lucrative media markets -- step up to the plate and become serious players in the Stoudemire sweepstakes, then Ferry and the Cavs are up against it. They have expiring contracts from Wally Szczerbiak ($13 million), Eric Snow ($7.3 million), Anderson Varejao ($5.7 million but a $6.2 million player option for next year, which he's probably decline), Sasha Pavlovic ($4.5 million with a non-guaranteed $4.9 million for next year), and Lorenzen Wright ($1.2 million).

They are able to trade away both this summer's first-rounder and a first-rounder for 2011. However, with both the Knicks and the Heat lower in the pecking order, their first-rounders will be much higher.

As for a young player who is a forward, Ferry has J.J. Hickson. Hickson is no Beasley or Lee, but he has shown a tremendous amount of potential during his rookie year. Like Lee, Hickson isn't stuffing the stat sheet his rookie year, but he drew rave reviews during the Las Vegas Summer League and has been shuffled away now that Zydrunas Ilgauskas is back in the mix.

Here's the best package Ferry can put together considering what the Suns are asking for. Throw in two first-rounders. It gives the Suns at least $13 million in cap space this summer and gives them two young big men to start rebuilding around. Then all Ferry can do is sit back and pray that the Heat and Knicks -- or anyone else, for that matter -- do not want to get involved.

Also remember that Kerr and Ferry are former Cavalier teammates and have a great relationship even to this day. Although it's doubtful that Kerr would put his job on the line simply to help out Ferry (I know they're friends, but not that good friends), it's something to keep in mind.

In the past, the Cavs didn't have expirings. They didn't have draft picks. Now, that's essentially all they have, and it's like playing with a Queen and a King and hoping that nobody has Ace highs -- or even a flush.

Or hoping that whoever does decides to fold.

Two weeks away from the deadline. And counting.
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The Dream · Feb 7, 2009

i've been hearing rumors of Camby to the cavs..........word is Tyson Chandler is on the trading block as well...........if Cleveland gets another solid big man I don't see anyone beating them, because of their defense and physicality.............

MJordan · Feb 7, 2009

Cleveland will probably get one of the two bigmen (Amar'e or Chandler)

JE · Feb 7, 2009

I hope they get Amare. Him in that system is a disaster waiting to happen. Me being a Celtics fan, better the Cavs get Amare than Mike Miller.

KG5 · Feb 13, 2009

hmmm so Lebron at F, Mo Williams at G, Big Z at C...

I don't think Cleveland needs any more really big volume scorers like Amare. Maybe some more role players that can rack up the points while LeBron racks up the assists!

kobe23 · Feb 13, 2009

^ LeBron needs an Amare type player to complete the lineup. Right now the Cavs are playing 'all - heart' ball while LBJ is simply muscling his will unto the game. That wont last very long. For them to be a consistent contender for a title LBJ would have to be paired up with a PF (e.g. West, Amare, Bosh, Lee, etc)

¹²³ · Feb 13, 2009

Cavs’ bid for Stoudemire falls flat

PHOENIX – Believing that Amare Stoudemire could make the difference with winning an NBA title and ultimately keeping LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers made a bid to the Phoenix Suns for the All-Star power forward, two league sources familiar with the offer said Friday.

Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry offered the expiring contract of Wally Szcerbiak, rookie J.J. Hickson and a first-round pick for Stoudemire earlier in the week, sources said. Anderson Varejao was mentioned in a possible scenario too, sources said.

Nevertheless, the proposal has generated little enthusiasm out of Suns GM Steve Kerr.

When asked about the Cavaliers’ interest in Stoudemire on Friday, Ferry texted to Yahoo! Sports, “No discussions at this time.”

Odds are, the Cavaliers and Suns would need to find a third team to get Stoudemire in the frontcourt with James.

As the Cavaliers try to find more size to compete with the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers for a title, league sources say they’re intrigued with Los Angeles Clippers center Marcus Camby. League executives say that the Clippers have been actively trying to unload payroll.

As the Miami Heat left the Stoudemire market with Friday’s trade with the Toronto Raptors, the Cavs are still hoping that the Suns’ inclination is to trade Stoudemire out of the Western Conference.

Chicago is still considered a strong contender in the Eastern Conference, but one source familiar with the team’s discussions says there hasn’t been a lot of back-and-forth with the Suns in the past 48 hours.

League executives still believe Memphis can be a major factor should owner Michael Heisley relent on taking back the money on Stoudemire’s contract. Sacramento has made a series of overtures on Stoudemire – with discussions at the ownership level. Also, the Kings have the intriguing asset of a pick that could turn into the No. 1 selection in the June draft. The Suns are talking with multiple teams, but still haven’t been blown away with any offer for Stoudemire.

The Cavaliers haven’t heard back from the Suns since midweek, sources say. For the Suns, Cleveland’s offer is flawed. Varejao is an excellent defender and rebounder, but struggles to score. His value is much greater on a good team than a rebuilding program. Hickson was the Cavaliers’ first-round pick out of North Carolina State, a talented but raw 20-year-old rookie power forward. He’s still far from an impact player Also, the Cavs’ draft pick will be late in the first round.

What still worries rivals NBA executives about Cleveland’s ability to work a deal for Stoudemire is the close relationship between Ferry and Kerr. They’re extremely tight and alumni of the San Antonio Spurs have a history of doing deals amongst themselves. For now, the Cavaliers seem content to let Phoenix solicit offers between now and Thursday’s trade deadline, and see if somehow they could revisit the Stoudemire derby. Most teams are wondering just how desperate the Suns are to lower payroll and how dramatically that will affect the caliber of talent and salary they’ll bring back for Stoudemire.
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kobe23 · Feb 13, 2009

No wonder they fell flat... other teams would have better offers. they need to step it up...

then again... maybe Ferry can pull a Gasol for ..... type trade... seeing as he is being compared to kupchak LOL

¹²³ · Feb 17, 2009

Could the Cavaliers land Antawn Jamison?

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The trade deadline is coming this Thursday and Danny Ferry made it known that the team and the coaching staff are happy with the current roster.

Cavs GM Danny Ferry told Marc Stein on Sunday night that he’d “be surprised if they did anything at this point.” However, when Ferry made the deal for Szczerbiak, one of the big selling points was that the Cavs could use the contract as an asset this year.

A deal for Antawn Jamison would give the Cavaliers the size they need at the 4 spot and a dynamic scorer. The Wizards are one of the worst teams in the NBA and they will not get much better when Gilbert is back. The Wizards owner is wasting money on a bad team and dealing Jamison will put them slightly below the cap next year.

However, Jamison might give the Cavaliers what they want now and maybe next year. He is 32 now and has 3 years left on his contract after this season. Can he stay healthy and continue to play at such a high level for the next three years?

With the current economic downturn, it makes you wonder if Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is feeling the heat. The Cavaliers are paying close to $19 million in luxury taxes this year. But next year they will go under the luxury-tax threshold if they let Wally walk.
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Mamba · Feb 17, 2009

The Dream said: ↑

i've been hearing rumors of Camby to the cavs..........word is Tyson Chandler is on the trading block as well...........if Cleveland gets another solid big man I don't see anyone beating them, because of their defense and physicality.............
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One big like Camby doesn't put them over the Lakers'. The Lakers' have handled them twice, now.

¹²³ · Feb 18, 2009

Rob Oller commentary: Cavs GM should take serious look at trades

While working his cell phone this week, Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry knows that his anytime minutes will be wasted if they don't lead to that singular moment of winning an NBA title.

So he will continue to talk trade, but only if the discussion clearly moves the Cavs closer to a championship. That is the catch. Ferry has until the trade deadline at 3 p.m. Thursday to determine whether exchanging a known quantity -- both as a player and locker-room presence -- for a lesser-known quantity is too much of a risk-reward scenario.

It is no easy decision. The Cavs can improve their title chances by adding a defensive-minded big man and more scoring at big forward, but they likely would need to part with veteran shooter Wally Szczerbiak, which fires up the status quo crowd to cry, "If it ain't broke "

Cleveland owns the league's third-best record at 40-11, so why mess with success by messing with chemistry? This is a team that clicks both on the court and in the locker room. After two years of offseason chirping, LeBron James is content with the roster, thinking it is finally sufficiently stocked to help him collect a championship ring.

Wiser eyes than mine caution against making hasty moves at the trade deadline.

"If you don't have good chemistry, it's not an issue, because it's not going to have an impact positively or negatively," one longtime pro coach said. "If you have great chemistry, first of all you have to see how it fits."

A deadline trade usually works only if a coach uses the newly acquired player in the same role he held with his former team.

"Whatever he did there, if you put him in the same role here, then nine out of 10 times you're happy with the guy," the coach said. "It's when you want him to do something different, 'Well, he's a three (small forward), but we can use him as a two (shooting guard),' when you're always going to be disappointed."

Even with those warnings, I say the Cavs need to plug holes to win a title. Szczerbiak has played well in recent weeks, but his offense (7.4 points per game; .405 shooting from three-point range) does not sufficiently cover Cleveland's potential playoff weaknesses.

The Cavs would match up better against Boston in the East and Los Angeles or San Antonio in the West if they had defensive specialist Marcus Camby, who would make them less susceptible to getting burned by athletic big men such as Lamar Odom or Kevin Garnett.

Camby, however, might not be available. As of yesterday, the Los Angeles Clippers continued to insist that the 6-foot-11 center was off-limits. We shall see. Economics has a way of edging owners off their no-trade stances.

The Cavs could go another direction by shoring up an offense that sometimes loses its way. Cleveland stalls when planting James on the perimeter, where the game's best overall player limits his abilities by spending too much time dribbling and launching errant three-point attempts. Coach Mike Brown might understand offense more than he used to, but he deserves no high grade until he demands that James begin posting up defenders. No guard or small forward can handle James down low.

Forward Antawn Jamison of Washington would be a perfect piece for Cleveland, but a trade with the Wizards is doubtful, said Wizards team president Ernie Grunfeld.

Given the reticence of the Clippers and Wizards to play along, it's possible that no trade offer of substance will tease Ferry. It's also possible that any offer the Cavs would make would be met with low-wattage interest.

But I suspect serious discussions have taken place involving Szczerbiak, whose expiring $13.8 million contract makes him enticing to teams looking to dump salary.

I like Szczerbiak's versatility, but not as much as I like Camby should he become available.

"We've made a lot of changes over the last six months, so continuity and chemistry are important," Ferry said. "At the same time, if something comes along that makes us clearly better -- and nothing has yet -- it's something we have to look at."

Don't just look, Danny. Jump.
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¹²³ · Feb 18, 2009

Keep an eye on the Blazers & other trade updates

by Brian Windhorst/Plain Dealer Reporter Wednesday February 18, 2009, 1:31 PM

TORONTO -- It's all quiet on the Northern Front in Canada. Most of the people I've spoken or e-mailed with today are saying there hasn't been any progress so far on the Cavaliers trade front. They are still active in talks, of course, but at this point they are likely checking back with teams to see if positions have changed and also looking to tie two deals together to get three-team packages to attempt to satisfy all parties.

Here's are the latest updates:

Could Raef LaFrentz be on the Cavaliers radar?

• Cavs fans should monitor what happens with Raef LaFrentz and the Blazers. Because LaFrentz has an $12.7 million deal that comes with insurance payments, he has what the Blazers refer to as a "super" expiring contract. So they are in talks with a lot of teams about moving his deal. After LaFrentz the Cavs have one of the best expiring contracts out there in Wally Szczerbiak. Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury have the biggest ones at more than $20 million but they each carry their own set of special circumstances. So if and when LaFrentz is moved, the Cavs could slide into the front seat of numerous trade conversations. I am getting the impression that Szczerbiak is a backup plan for some teams looking to dump salary at this point.

• According to a couple executives I've talked to, a lot of teams are asking about Delonte West. And when his name comes up the Cavs pretty much say "thank you" and end the phone call. I suppose no one besides LeBron is untouchable but slide Delonte into the next group with Mo Williams.

• I seem to be getting a lot of heat for throwing cold water on things, but I am just trying to bring reality. So here is what Wizards coach and front office executive Ed Tapscott said about Washington trading Antawn Jamison: "My belief is that people are inquiring and as far as I know, the answer is no. We believe in the core of this team, we know why we are where we are. We just don't have healthy bodies."

• Last week I reported the Cavs put off a doctor's appointment with Eric Snow about his medical disability claim just in case they wanted to use his contract. I've checked on this many times, but Snow is still not in the trade plans unless there is some sort of crazy offer (think Chris Bosh or something that won't happen) comes about. So stop plugging him into the trade machine otherwise. Also, for a timetable on how that process will go, look at what just happened with Shareef Abdur-Rahim and the Kings. SAR had an appointment with a league doctor in New York just after the Cavs played the Kings on Jan. 27. Yesterday the Kings said the disability request on him came through.

• The Cavs are exploring deals with less high profile big men than the names mentioned before but I have been told there hasn't been much traction there so far. One name that I keep getting asked about is Charlie Villaneuva. I have not heard anything specific about him and the Cavs but it doesn't mean there have not been talks. If the Bucks were to trade him, because he's headed for free agency, they likely would want another young big man back. This would be an issue for the Cavs. But again, I have no solid information about those talks. Villanueva and LeBron were close when they were 18, they hung out together during the senior All-Star games, FYI.
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