With Ray Allen and Michael Redd re-signing with their teams, the Sonics and Bucks respectively, the Cavs missed out on their top two choices to play SG. The Cavs will now focus on Joe Johnson, Larry Hughes, Antonio Daniels, Bobby Simmons, and Cuttio Mobley. The Suns have said they will match any offer for Joe Johnson. The Wizards can outpay for Larry Hughes and he played well with Gilbert Arenas last season. The Denver Nuggets are the front-runners for Cuttino Mobley and they are in a great position to win if he joins their roster. The Heat and the Lakers could steal away Antonio Daniels if the Cavs pursue Hughes and Mobley over him. The Clippers have said they would match any offer for Bobby Simmons. Also Udonis Haslem just said he will take less money to re-sign with the Heat, and this could give the Heat enough to also re-sign Damon "Alfred" Jones. With all those options likley off the market, the best shooters left would be Radman & Korver, but both are restricted. This is starting to look very bad for the Cavs.
shape, isn't Simmons un-restricted? He could possibly sign and come in and start at the 3, and moving LeBron to the 2.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Bobcats:</div><div class="quote_post">shape, isn't Simmons un-restricted? He could possibly sign and come in and start at the 3, and moving LeBron to the 2.</div> Yeah he is un-restricted, thanks for the correction. He is definitely more attainable, especially if the Cavs overpay a little for him. I don't think the Clippers will match if the price is $6Million or up. With Maggette and Korolev now, the Clippers won't overpay for him. Simmons would give the Cavs the shooter they need, and he can help out on the rebounding. Still young at 25 also, and can play at either SG or SF. PG - ? SG - LeBron James SF - Bobby Simmons PF - Drew Gooden C - ?
Hmmm... I really thought Redd could've gone to the Cavs, I really did. Now that's not a possibility... Simmons would be a nice addition, but the Cavs still need a shooter desperatly. I don't like the idea of resigning Ilgauskaus, I'd rather have the Cavs go for Curry. As for PG, I say take a chance with a young guy. May be Jay Williams? Someone undrafted? Who knows.
I think the Cavs' focus should be this: 1. Sign Tyson Chandler He's restricted, and the Bulls will certainly not let him walk without a fight. That said, the Cavs have a lot of money to throw at him, and he'd be a big help to a young team and to Drew Gooden on the defensive end. The only thing with Chandler is you worry about his back. 2. Sign Antonio Daniels Daniels is a solid, consistent, not-too-expensive veteran point guard who would work great alongside LeBron. He's a very good defender and can shoot it better than Jeff McInnis used to. He'd be a very solid player in Cleveland. 3. Sign Flip Murray or Keith Bogans Murray would be a great fit if the Cavs have enough cap space left after signing the first two guys I've suggested. He's a good enough shooter, and though the knock on him has been that he looks for his own shot too much, playing with LeBron could be a remedy for that deficiency. His passing is pretty contagious. One thing to keep in mind is that maybe the Cavs could swing some kind of a sign and trade for Flip, considering that the Sonics would probably like to add a veteran PG (Eric Snow) behind Luke Ridnour with the expected departure of Daniels. One of the Cavs' young shooters could also be included in a sign and trade (Pavlovic or Jackson) Bogans would be a guy to look at if the Cavs don't have enough money to make a run at Flip. The problem is that he's a restricted free agent, and the 'Cats will probably make a strong push to hold on to him. If neither of these guys is available, the Cavs could make a run at Dan Dickau, and start him at the point with Daniels at the 2 guard. With LeBron in the lineup, you don't need a star PG, and two of them in the backcourt at once would probably work just fine. These moves wouldn't be blockbuster, but think about this. The Cavs' problem the last two years has been finishing at the end of the regular season. By adding Chandler and Daniels, they get two savvy, defensive minded players who would go a long ways towards keeping the Cavs in the playoff picture. The final move would be adding another source of secondary scoring. I think that with LeBron on board, it isn't a necessity to have another star; three or four B average to above average players like the ones I've listed will get it done, because let's face it: LeBron is a stud and he's going to lead his team to great things even if he doesn't have Michael Redd or Ray Allen riding shotgun. I think that by improving their toughness and defense with the additions I've suggested, the Cavs would be big time playoff contenders next year. And they have Andriuskevicius, so don't worry so much about replacing Ilgauskas with Chandler. That's two talented youngsters for one veteran. The lineup would then be (assuming my top options are correct and that the Cavs are forced to sign and trade for Flip) PG Daniels/Harris? SG Flip/Jackson SF LeBron/Newble PF Gooden/Varaejo C Chandler/?/Andriuskevicius? That's not too bad...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting mustafa_shakur:</div><div class="quote_post">http://www.nbadraft.net/prevenas044.asp</div> Thanks for the update man, but try to say what the link is for next time. Well, I guess we can scrap my whole off season plan for the Cavs!
Hughes to Cleveland means good move for LeBron, Hughes is a gifted defense player and he can score and hit the jumpshot.
Did i read that right $12Million a year for Larry Hughes !?! That is an insane amount of money to pay him. Larry Hughes isn't even the type of shooter the Cavs need. He shot 28% from downtown last year and is only 27% for his career. I thought a little over the MLE was all Hughes was worth.
Yeah we payed him way too much. But is we can sign a couple good shooters, he should fit real well here.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting mommy:</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah we payed him way too much. But is we can sign a couple good shooters, he should fit real well here.</div> The big IF will be the health of Larry Hughes, he's never played a full season. The most he's played was 73, in a contract year. Paying $12Million a year for a player who averages closer to 60 games a season is a huge gamble. He's coming off a great season and is an upgrade at SG, but missing 22 games could mean the difference between making and missing the playoffs next year. So far no one else has reported this, and nbadraft.net is not credible enough to believe it's a done deal. They use the term "likely" so who knows. Let's assume they sign Hughes for $12Million, the Cavs will probably try to wrap up Big Z and then add Sarunas or Antonio Daniels to round out their starting 5. Seems like desperation on the Cavs part, by offering this much for Hughes. There are other options still out there and for much cheaper.
The Cavs are still ok. They just paid too much attention to Redd would than could have been courting Allen. I think Hughes will fit in very well with the Cavs if this report is true even though I don't see him being signed for that much.
Hughes and Lebron? Cleveland will likely lead the league in steals this season. Should be an interesting combo in the backcourt. Hughes isn't TOO dominate of a scoring option, so I'm sure he'll slide into his role behind Lebron pretty comfortably. Now what? Any Trades? We getting Boozer? Daniels coming to town? Curry or Big Z? Man Cleveland's offseason is a soap opera.
Cavs will be good, all they need to do is Sign Daniels, this is a young team, Cavs need patience, Lebron is going to learn how to carry this team to the playoffs this year, the guy is only 21 and already top 5 - 10 player.
I think if they do sign Larry Hughes, they need another large guard in that backcourt that's capable of defending both postions, 1 and 2. Daniels is a pretty good fit for this team in my opinion...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">Did i read that right $12Million a year for Larry Hughes !?! That is an insane amount of money to pay him. Larry Hughes isn't even the type of shooter the Cavs need. He shot 28% from downtown last year and is only 27% for his career. I thought a little over the MLE was all Hughes was worth.</div> Little over the MLE for a guy who put up 22, 6 and 4? Thats never going to happen. I would give Hughes 8 or 9 million a year but 12 is alot of money for a non superstar but the Cavs had no choice. They were running out of options. They still need to get some shooters in but Hughes is a very good guard to have next to Lebron. Will certainly take some of the offensive pressure off him.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AllNet:</div><div class="quote_post">Little over the MLE for a guy who put up 22, 6 and 4? Thats never going to happen. I would give Hughes 8 or 9 million a year but 12 is alot of money for a non superstar but the Cavs had no choice. They were running out of options. They still need to get some shooters in but Hughes is a very good guard to have next to Lebron. Will certainly take some of the offensive pressure off him.</div> Well the MLE is going to be close to $6Million this year, I think the estimate is $5.6Million, so a little over would be in the $7-7.5Million range. He put up nice numbers, but Hughes has never stayed healthy. Also he played in a guard-friendly offense in Washington, which helped his numbers a lot. He could end up being the 3rd option on the team if the Cavs bring back Big Z or sign Curry. The Cavs better get a shot blocker next, because Hughes gambles a lot on the perimeter, which is why he had close to 3 SPG.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Schaddy:</div><div class="quote_post">Thanks for the update man, but try to say what the link is for next time. Well, I guess we can scrap my whole off season plan for the Cavs! </div> yeah, i was going to and then forgot what i was doing and posted. heh, sorry.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting King James X3:</div><div class="quote_post">Hughes and Lebron? Cleveland will likely lead the league in steals this season. Should be an interesting combo in the backcourt. Hughes isn't TOO dominate of a scoring option, so I'm sure he'll slide into his role behind Lebron pretty comfortably. Now what? Any Trades? We getting Boozer? Daniels coming to town? Curry or Big Z? Man Cleveland's offseason is a soap opera.</div> nah, it'll still be philly with AI and AI2.
