Via the twitter of Windhorst, Jawad Williams has decided to accept the Cavs’ 1-year, $1.02 million qualifying offer for next season. Good stuff. Jawad is a complete player, an Ohio native, and a very versatile guy who should work in any of Byron Scott’s lineups. ULTIMATE JAWAD SHALL RIDE FOR ANOTHER YEAR.
Archive for the ‘Off-Season Moves’ Category
Cavs sign Jawad Williams to one-year deal
Sunday, September 19th, 2010
Cavs name David Griffin Vice President of Basketball Operations
Monday, September 13th, 2010The Cleveland Cavaliers took another big step in their post-LeBron James era makeover by adding David Griffin as vice president of basketball operations.
Griffin has accepted the job, sources on Monday told ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher, several weeks after turning down the Denver Nuggets’ offer to be their general manager.
A league source told Bucher at the time that Griffin declined the Nuggets’ offer in part because it was nowhere near $1 million a year, the median salary for recently hired GMs that include the Cavaliers’ Chris Grant.
Grant was hired in June after the Cavaliers didn’t bring back Danny Ferry. Byron Scott then joined the Cavaliers as head coach to replace Mike Brown, who was fired in May.
Cleveland finished the regular season 61-21 as James garnered his second consecutive NBA MVP award. But the Cavaliers were ousted in the second round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics in six games.
James signed with the Miami Heat in July, joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh while ending a years-long buildup to one of the biggest free-agent moves in NBA history.
Delonte West signs with the Celtics
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
Here’s a link to the article. Good signing for the Celtics — Delonte can back up both guard positions, he plays defense, and he’s a pretty good fit next to both Rondo and Allen. There will always be concerns about Delonte’s mental state, but the Celtics have dealt with him before, have a player’s coach and a locker room of veterans, and feel that Delonte won’t be a problem for them off the court.
Delonte is always a guy I rooted for in Cleveland because of the way he played the game and the way he came clean about his mental issues — I’m really glad he found his way onto a contender, and wish him all the best.
Cavs sign Joey Graham to a two year deal
Saturday, July 31st, 2010The Cavs have signed Joey Graham to a two-year deal. According to Windhorst, the deal is worth 2.1 million over two years. It’s another role-player signing, but the money is good and Graham is a pro who’ll be good to have in the locker room.
Not earth-shattering in terms of the on-court implications, but the Cavs are definitely going to need everyone to have their heads where they need to be if they want to be competitive next season. Guys like Graham will help with that. If the signing is a flop, at least it won’t be an expensive one.
On the Ramon Sessions Trade
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Let’s get into it, Pro-and-Con style:
Pro: Ramon Sessions is the best pure point guard the Cavaliers have had since Andre Miller, and was a necessary acquisition for Byron Scott.
(I’m not being hyperbolic about Sessions with the above statement — I believe Sessions to be a better pure point than Jeff McInnis, Damon Jones, Eric Snow, Daniel Gibson, and Mo Williams. Not saying much, when you really think about it.)
The good news here is that Ramon Sessions can really play. He’s a true drive-and-kick guard who loves to get into the paint, and he’s as good as any guard this side of Kyle Lowry at drawing fouls. He was a highly coveted free agent guard last season, and the contract he ended up getting is pretty fair.
On paper, last year was a huge disappointment for Sessions, but his per-48 numbers were pretty good; 7.2 assists, 15.9% draw foul rate, and the best net +/- of any regular rotation player on the Timberwolves. If he can get back to his 07-08 form, when he averaged 11.3 assists per 40 minutes, that would be spectacular. But if Sessions gets enough minutes and room to stretch his wings, the 09-10 version of him will work just fine.
The Cavs desperately needed a playmaker to make this uptempo offense work, and now they have one. The Cavs have athletes on the wings, but it’s not about how fast the players move — it’s about how fast the ball moves. Sessions is also comfortable playing full-court basketball; 48% of his shot attempts came in the first 10 seconds of the clock last season. If the Cavs put Sessions, Mo Williams, Jamison, and two athletes out on the floor together, they’ll have some serious offensive firepower going. Eternal Sunshine of the Run-And-Gun Cavaliers is getting closer to becoming a reality.
Pro: As TYA guys go, Ryan Hollins isn’t bad.
(TYA = Tall, Young, Alive.)
Hollins hasn’t done much in his career, but boy does he have some tools. He’ll make one or two plays every game that make you wonder why he isn’t a MUCH bigger deal. He’ll then make three or four plays that remind you exactly why he isn’t a bigger deal, but those can theoretically be fixed. Hollins has serious upside, uptempo basketball should suit him perfectly, and he’s 25. If he doesn’t play at all, the Cavs only owe him $5 million over the next two years. If everything works out for him, he could be a worse version of JaVale McGee! CATCH THE FEVER!
Pro: The Cavs got rid of Delonte’s contract with a minimum of fuss.
They made it clear they wanted to get rid of his $4.5 million in guaranteed money before the August 5th deadline, and they got something back for him in return. The Wolves will reportedly waive him, so it’ll be interesting to see where he’ll go — I’d LOVE to see him back in Cleveland, for reasons I’ll get into in a bit. If he becomes a bargain-basement guy, he’s a MAJOR steal. (By the way, Miami could definitely use West to back up both guard spots next season. Just going to throw that out there.)
Pro: The Cavs just completed a trade with David Kahn.
I have near-complete faith in my lack of faith in David Kahn. He had no leverage here, and his moves have not been good. I take solace in this.
Con: Ramon Sessions isn’t all that.
Ramon Sessions is a heckuva 8.2 points/3.1 assists player, but he’s still an 8.2 points/3.1 assists player. He’s not going to put the team over the top, and I don’t see any way this team wins a playoff series with Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams leading the charge every night. I worry that this trade will make the Cavs just good enough to cost themselves a high-lottery pick. I’d love to see this team limp into the playoffs. I wouldn’t mind a 15-20 win season and a ticket in the Harrison Barnes sweepstakes. What terrifies me is 5 seasons of 30-40 win basketball and #12 picks.
Con: This team may now suck at defense.
Take a look at the Cavs’ current rotation:
1. Antawn Jamsion — not a good defender
2. Mo Williams — unspeakably horrible defender
3. Anderson Varejao — excellent system defender
4. J.J. Hickson — absolutely terrible defender
5. Jamario Moon — talented but fundamentally iffy on defense
6. Ramon Sessions — awful defender in Minnesota
7. Anthony Parker — Solid NBA defensive player, above-average but way overrated as a lockdown guy
8. Daniel Gibson — good point guard defender, but a small point guard
9. Danny Green — question mark defensively
10. Leon Powe — not a good defender
The Cavs just lost a defensive mastermind in Mike Brown, and playing up-tempo often means taking more defensive gambles. Oh, and the best way to get wins out of a relatively untalented team is to play defense. I’m nervous about this.
Con: Delonte West should’ve been fought for.
I’m going to reserve final judgement on this until Delonte signs somewhere — for all I know, the Cavs plan to get him back, and the Wolves waiving him indicates that Delonte’s market value is less than $5 million right now. Not to put too fine a point on things, but this franchise has made it clear that it feels basketball is more than just a business. Saving money by waiving a player who played harder than anybody else, gave the Cavs huge bang for their buck in his first year with the team, fought with bipolar disorder for two seasons, struggled with his demons all season, played whatever role the team told him to without complaint, and is now the subject of The Rumor doesn’t seem to reflect a more-than-a-business philosophy. Full post coming if and when he gets signed, but right now I feel like Delonte deserved better.
Con: TELFAIR TELFAIR TELFAIR.
Family Guy isn’t my favorite corner of the zeitgeist, but a reference feels appropriate here. Remember the Christmas episode, where Peter and the kids got the family’s gifts stolen, they scorched the turkey and nearly burned down the house, and generally completely ruined Christmas, but Lois seemed completely fine? Then she asked for a paper towel, found out there weren’t any left, and then just completely lost it? That’s how I feel right now.
Team unceremoniously dumps Mike Brown, the most successful coach in franchise history? Had to be done.
LeBron leaves? I made my peace with that.
Z, one of the most beloved players in franchise history, follows him? Good for Z.
The Cavs essentially waive Delonte, my favorite remaining player on the team? I saw that coming?
But TELFAIR? They really had to go ahead and make Telfair a throw-in? Telfair was my island of happiness in this hellstorm of an offseason. Whatever happened, I could always look forward to Telfair getting real minutes in an up-tempo system. The man is a genius in the open floor, at least in flashes. He’s just been stuck in half-court systems since his sophomore season. Now he’s stuck in the triangle, not to mention 40 other point guards. I didn’t need to see Telfair live up to his potential as a great change-of-pace distributor/scorer guard in a run-and-gun system. What bothers me is that he’ll likely never get a real chance. This one really took the wind out of my sails.
Well, there you have it. Welcome to Cleveland, Ramon Sessions. Sebastain and Delonte, you will be missed.
Matt Barnes, Shannon Brown, and Patience
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010So the Cavaliers missed out on the Matt Barnes sweepstakes. I’m completely fine with that. Matt Barnes is a very nice player, and he knows how to adopt his game to an uptempo system.
However, getting a player like Matt Barnes without a superstar or anyone who an offense can be built around is putting the horse before the cart. Matt Barnes is a nice role player, but he’s a role player. Overpaying him won’t turn him into a player he’s not. If the Cavs still had LeBron, or even had a guy capable of averaging 7-10 assists per game, then Matt Barnes would have been a nice pickup. They don’t, and he wouldn’t have been.
Paying Matt Barnes real money with the team the way it is now would have been a “statement signing” — the team would’ve overpaid Barnes to show the rest of the league that they plan on being competitive in the coming years. The problem is that statement signings don’t impress anybody, and eventually the team would’ve ended up owing real money to a player who wasn’t helping them achieve their goals.
LeBron + quality duct tape was the best plan Ferry had available to him after the Summer of 2005, but it still kept the Cavs from ever having a true core. Now that LeBron’s gone, the duct tape strategy makes no sense whatsoever. If the Cavs get a player, he better be two of the following three things: cheap, young, or good. If those opportunities aren’t there, the team has plenty of time to wait for them.
All of the above leads me to Shannon Brown. He’s young, he’s got talent, he should thrive in the full-court game, and he’s worth a lowball offer. If he wants real money, he can take a hike. He’s not a playmaker, his shot isn’t all that good, and http://www.neverletshannondunkagain.com is not an available domain. Until tomorrow.
Cavs interested in sign-and-trade for Marvin Williams?
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010The report, courtesy of David Aldridge:
- The Cleveland Cavaliers’ pursuit of Hawks swingman Marvin Williams centers at the moment on trying to convince the Hawks to do a sign-and-trade deal that would send Shaquille O’Neal to Atlanta, according to a league source.
The Hawks do have an interest in the 38-year-old O’Neal, who is not likely to return to Cleveland next season. But Atlanta has budget limitations after agreeing to give guard Joe Johnson a $124 million max contract, with ownership unlikely to approve a deal for O’Neal or any other backup center that goes much above the veteran minimum. The Hawks are also interested in free agent center Brad Miller and Bucks free agent center Kurt Thomas.
Cleveland got a $14.5 million trade exception by agreeing to a sign-and-trade deal for LeBron James to Miami, in addition to two future draft picks from the Heat. The Cavs could use part of the exception to absorb Williams’s $6.7 million salary for next season.
Atlanta also got a trade exception, worth about $2.9 million, when it agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that will send free agent forward Josh Childress to the Phoenix Suns for a future draft pick, and can use that exception to acquire a player making that much money. O’Neal made $20 million last year in the final year of his contract but knows he will have to take a major pay cut next season. He has expressed an interest in playing for the Spurs, though it is not known if San Antonio’s interest, if any, is reciprocal.
- The Cleveland Cavaliers’ pursuit of Hawks swingman Marvin Williams centers at the moment on trying to convince the Hawks to do a sign-and-trade deal that would send Shaquille O’Neal to Atlanta, according to a league source.The Hawks do have an interest in the 38-year-old O’Neal, who is not likely to return to Cleveland next season. But Atlanta has budget limitations after agreeing to give guard Joe Johnson a $124 million max contract, with ownership unlikely to approve a deal for O’Neal or any other backup center that goes much above the veteran minimum. The Hawks are also interested in free agent center Brad Miller and Bucks free agent center Kurt Thomas.Cleveland got a $14.5 million trade exception by agreeing to a sign-and-trade deal for LeBron James to Miami, in addition to two future draft picks from the Heat. The Cavs could use part of the exception to absorb Williams’s $6.7 million salary for next season.Atlanta also got a trade exception, worth about $2.9 million, when it agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that will send free agent forward Josh Childress to the Phoenix Suns for a future draft pick, and can use that exception to acquire a player making that much money. O’Neal made $20 million last year in the final year of his contract but knows he will have to take a major pay cut next season. He has expressed an interest in playing for the Spurs, though it is not known if San Antonio’s interest, if any, is reciprocal.
So, that’s a thing. Williams is a nice player, but the Cavs should hold off on going for guys like him until they find somebody capable of actually running the offense next season. (Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison: not that somebody.) We’ll see how the Cavs’ search for players that can run an uptempo offense goes.
Windhorst: Ilgauskas to sign with the Heat
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
According to Brian Windhorst, Zydrunas Ilgauskas will join LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in Miami next season.
Miami gets the center they needed, although I do think they would have wanted a more athletic center who could allow them to get out on the break a bit more. Still, Ilgauskas can defend the rim, finish around the basket, doesn’t do many stupid things, and will be a great locker-room presence for them.
It’ll be tough not seeing Ilgauskas on the roster, but I respect his decision. Ilgauskas has given everything and more to the Cavalier franchise, and he deserves a shot at that elusive ring. The best player to ever wear a Cavalier uniform left on Thursday; one of the greatest Cavaliers ever left today. Best of luck to Zydrunas in all his future endeavors, and hopefully we will see him come back to the Cavaliers for one more run before his jersey gets raised to the rafters.
Cavs complete a sign-and-trade deal with the Miami Heat
Saturday, July 10th, 2010
So the good news is that the Cavs are getting something back for LeBron James after all. According to Windhorst, the Cavs will be getting two first-round picks from the Heat sometime between 2013 and 2017, a 2012 second-round pick from New Orleans, a future second-round pick, and a $16 million trade exception.
The details of this are complicated, but basically this allows Miami to pay LeBron less earlier in his contract, gives the Cavaliers something something for giving up LeBron, and helps Miami improve in the short term while giving the Cavs a better chance to rebuild.
It looks like the plan is to try and use the picks as assets in a trade and try for another winning season rather than try a full rebuild. Not sure how I feel about that as a five-year plan, but it looks like the management wants to give the fans something to root for next season. Can’t say I disagree with that logic.
I would have something to say about the press conference fiasco, but I was at summer league watching basketball. I really don’t feel like I missed something important. Until tomorrow, everyone.
Your daily Brian Windhorst hope tweet
Friday, July 2nd, 2010”All these teams working on big-name partnership includes #Cavs. Source said Raptors like some of Cavs players in potential sign-and-trade.”
-Brian Windhorst, via his twitter account.
Thinking Varejao must be a key piece, but he’s got 6 years left. Maybe they’ll take two years of Jamison and try to get the Cavs to eat Turkoglu or something like that. Whatever the details, this is good news. We’re in this thing.