Don't Hold Your Breath

Do you keep refreshing ESPN's homepage, waiting for any Jason Kidd or Mike Bibby news? Don't waste your time.

Brian Windhorst:

The NBA trading deadline is less than two weeks away, and it isn't that General Manager Danny Ferry has decided to stand pat, it has been decided for him. As of this moment, the Cavs just don't have what other teams want. But it won't always be that way.

The only young player the Cavs have that is desired by the rest of the league is Daniel Gibson, who James calls his younger brother.

He is not going anywhere. Other than James, the player teams would want the most in a trade is Anderson Varejao, and he cannot be traded under league rules.

The largest expiring contract the Cavs have is $3.4 million and belongs to Ira Newble, who actually has been indispensable recently with the Cavs' multiple injuries. Even then, it's not that much money to pick up a major piece. Short of a collapse, the Cavs' draft pick next June will not be in the lottery so that's hardly attractive.

Now, pretend you are Ferry calling around and try to get Kidd or someone of his caliber with those facts not in question. He's certainly tried and will continue to do so, but so far there just don't seem to be any bites.

So how can it be said they have bullets? Well, just take a little look into the near future, the 2008-09 season when the Cavs will have about $35 million in potentially expiring contracts. The deals of Donyell Marshall ($5.9 million), Eric Snow ($7.3), Damon Jones ($4.5), Drew Gooden ($7.1) and Cedric Simmons ($1.7) will all be in their final seasons. Varejao ($5.7) has a player option that he plans on not picking up, and it is the final fully guaranteed year of Sasha Pavlovic's ($4.5) deal.

Chris Broussard:

Stephen (West Des Moines, Iowa): Chris, What, if anything do you make of Lebron sitting away from the huddle? Also, is he going to get any help?

Chris Broussard: Stephen,

I once lived near West Des Moines - in Clive. Went to Dowling HS in WDM for 2 1/2 years. Anyway, I wouldn't make too much out of LeBron sitting away from the huddle. Just in-game frustration. He definitely wants the team to add some more talent - J-Kidd, obviously - but he's not estranged from his teammates or coach Mike Brown by any stretch. As for as him getting that help, I doubt it. Cavs just don't have the assets to make anything big happen before the deadline. One GM told me last week that the Cavs have only one asset that people want - LeBron. But after next season, the contracts of Damon Jones, Donyell Marshall and Eric Snow expire, so the Cavs might be able to do something then.

I think I'm with most Cavs fans when I say that I'd like to see them make some kind of trade. But with all the recent activity in the NBA, Cavs fans are getting anxious. I don't blame 'em, this is practically the same team that took the Pistons to 7 games in the 2nd round of the playoffs two years ago. Not much has changed.

But let's stay grounded in reality (check out the boards at RCF or the comments on Windhorst's blog- people are close to rioting). The Cavs aren't going to get Jason Kidd. It's just not going to happen. LeBron can talk all he wants to the media about, but it doesn't make Rod Thorn any more likely to accept that sweet offer of Drew Gooden, Shanon Brown and Larry Hughes.

If the Cavs pull off some kind of deal, it's going to be small. Tyron Lue. Flip Murray. Something along those lines. I'd love for them to go out and grab Carlos Arroyo or Juan Carlos Navarro, but even that seems to be stretching it.

They aren't going to have the flexibility to mess with the roster until the summer. At that point, we can start dreaming big.

But right now? Let's just hope that the team can get healthy for the playoffs.