Elton Brand: nope.
People are asking me a lot about Elton Brand, there is apparently some rumor that the Cavs want him. Well of course the Cavs would want him, so would almost every team in the league. He is going into the final year of his contract, which he has an option to terminate. But since he is coming off an Achilles tear nobody is 100 percent sure he will do that. Either way, the only way the Cavs would be able to get him is in a trade (straight up or in an sign-and-trade). The Clippers don’t like spending money, but they wouldn’t trade Brand just to clear cap space. He’s their franchise player right now and Corey Maggette may be leaving them soon. At this moment, I don’t think it is possible.Ya, no crap. For some reason I see a lot of Cavs fans thinking that Brand is a legit option. I really don't see how that happens, what with the Cavs not having any capspace and the Clippers not interested in swapping expiring contracts.
Michael Redd: maybe.
Lots have e-mailed about Michael Redd. The Bucks have a new coach and a new general manager and may be looking to move numerous players as they look to rebuild. In time, this could be a legitimate scenario. The Bucks have not prospered with Redd as their centerpiece and his maximum contract ties them up. However, this is not the same Redd from three years ago. He’s suffered a knee injury since, his shooting percentage has dropped two straight seasons (he only shot 36 percent on 3s this year) and he’s coming off his lowest scoring average in four seasons. Now, he is a highly skilled shooter who has experience playing with LeBron on Team USA. We’ll have to see how things develop and what the Bucks do with the No. 8 overall pick.I think if Redd was A) on a decent team B) paired with James that we'd see his numbers improve. He's a proven scorer and he's showed that he can play off the ball as well. I really think that Redd is the most likely avenue for the Cavs to pursue.
Baron Davis: WTF??
Baron Davis. Several have raised this one to me. Baron is another player who has an opt out in his contract that no one is sure he will use. The Warriors are at a bit of a crossroads, they have numerous free agents to deal with. It appears Davis wants an extension and probably a massive one and the Bay Area media has reported early talks have not gone well. So it makes sense that his name would be floated in rumors. No one has told me the Cavs would have interest and it is questionable as to whether his style would mesh with LeBron because he is a shoot first guard. But it is a situation that could be worth watching.I love me some B. Diddy, but I'm not sure how he'd fit when paired with LeBron. Both guys need the ball in their hands to be effective and Davis shoots a lot (and doesn't always take good shots), but he definitely would be a legit second option for Mike Brown's offense (play A: LeBron iso. play B: Davis iso. Repeat). I have no idea how Cavs fans expect the Ferry to land Davis (they don't have money for free agents! Expiring contracts aren't useful when trading for someone with one year left!), but I'm pretty sure if he ends up anywhere else, Ferry will take heat for it.
Various restricted FAs: in your dreams.
Andre Iguodala, Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor (I’ve gotten questions on all) or any other restricted free agent from the draft class of 2004. The Cavs do not have cap space required to give out an offer sheet that would scare anyone. As for sign-and-trades, the Cavs don’t have the young talent that would make such a deal possible. Teams don’t want to give up their young stars, just as the Cavs wouldn’t.Again, no shit. I'm not sure how Snow's contract situation, but let's say the Cavs would be allowed to pair Snow's $3.7 mil exception with their mid-level (I believe $5.5 mil) and throw $9 million at someone. If it's Iguodala or Okafor, their teams probably match (cause $9 mil really ain't bad). If it's Gordon, I probably would blow up the Q during the press conference. No one needs this.
Now, what I find somewhat interesting is that Windhorst didn't mention either the Jermaine O'Neal talk (which seems scarily possible) or any crazy Carmelo Anthony rumors that various Cavs bloggers (myself included) have floated as possibilities (while I don't think it's likely, I do believe that the Cavs have a better shot a 'Melo than they ever did at Jason Kidd).
What kills me when reading these message boards is that people actually think that the Cavs have legit shots at these guys (like Davis and Brand) and then they'll be pissed when Ferry doesn't land them. So we begin with irrational expectations and it leads to irrational hatred of the GM when he (inevitably) fails to meet your irrational expectations. Awesome.
I really hope Ferry has some kind of plan, because if the only new guy at training camp in the 19th pick, people (myself included) are gonna be really pissed (I really don't want to see another deadline deal, not with Mike Brown's crazy rotations).
5 comments:
Hey Ben,
Just added you on my blogroll...thanks for putting me on yours. I didn't see it until now. I don't know why BW is so low on our chances of getting any of these guys. Michael Redd has been a 20 ppg scorer in each of the past five seasons. If his knee isn't that bad, I wouldn't mind going after him. And the Bucks wouldn't ask for the farm, either. Szczerbiak, Boobie, and the 19th pick for Redd should get a deal done, at least in principle. It's worth looking into. The best part of that deal would be we still have DJ, Joe Smith, and AV to combine for $15 mil in expiring money for trade deadline purposes.
I'm not sure Ferry wants Redd. If Windhorst is mentioning f his knee, then he's heard some concern, likely from someone in the know. Also, I suspect Ferry is concerned with bringing in another guy with a massive contract who isn't really worth it after the Hughes' debacle.
tough to say what the front office is thinking.
I think the most realistic power forward trade scenario is Zach Randolph. He produces at a high enough level that the Cavs would be interested, and his contract is large and long enough that the Knicks would take expiring deals to get rid of him.
Randolph isn't a completely ideal pickup, but he could finally replace the production lost from the four spot when Carlos Boozer bolted. He's also physically bigger and longer than Boozer.
Not sure if I'm too crazy about trading for the sixth pick and using it on O.J. Mayo, but if some expiring deals and the 19th pick can yield Randolph and the sixth pick, it would definitely be tempting.
As far as Redd goes, I'm not as hyped on him as I was even a couple of months ago. Pretty soon, he's going to be a 30-something on the back nine of his career. There really is no place for his production to go but down. And in Mike Brown's offense, where he will probably be reduced to a spot-up jump shooter with LeBron on the floor, there are all kinds of red flags that he might come here and turn into a clankmeister with bad knees.
All of these flights of fancy concerning Melo and Dirk and Brand are bogus. The acquisitions Ferry makes this summer will be more along the lines of Randolph and Redd. They will make the team better in the short term, but they will be far from the perfect additions.
Ya, the Randolph + 6th pick scenario is a realistic option. I really do think that Mayo would be a great fit to pair with LeBron.
The Cavs should be targeting guys who don't play a lot of defense but can score, because Brown can get guys to D up (Z, Wally, etc).
I still like Redd though and I'd like to see the Cavaliers make multiple trades, I don't think one big move is the answer.
I don't think OJ Mayo will even be there at the sixth pick. So who would be that would make sense to draft? DJ Augustin,Erik Gordon,Brooke Lopez,Jerryd Bayless, or Anthony Randolph? Or trade that sixth pick and move back a little bit to get someone like Chris Douglas Roberts or Brandon Rush.
Post a Comment