In a season that saw the Cleveland Cavaliers complete a trip to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history and restore hope for a championship in the near future, a more important offseason awaits General Manager Danny Ferry and the rest of the organization. As one of the few teams without a pick in this month's NBA draft, the Cavs will have to seek out help through a trade or free agency to find a complement for LeBron James.
With guard Larry Hughes set to make more than $12 million in each of the next two seasons, and more than $13 million the year after that, it will be interesting to see if he is part of the organization at summer's end. Couple his salary with the lack of consistent offensive production from Hughes since becoming a Cav via free agency two years ago, and it would seem almost inevitable that Ferry would try to send him packing.
The odds of completing a trade of Hughes unaccompanied by another player are very slim. The Cavs would likely be asked to surrender another young, talented player to complement Hughes in any sort of blockbuster deal.
Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao are both set to be restricted free agents this coming offseason.
With Drew Gooden now an unlikely option to be traded as rumored in the past, Pavlovic and Varejao are a primary focus for Cleveland. The trouble is deciding who is more important to the franchise, and factoring that with whose services they would be attaining if a deal is to be completed at some point this offseason will be an important decision.
Pavlovic showed flashes of impressive offensive capabilities this past season, but struggled at times in the playoffs. Although his scoring average has been consistent from the regular season into the playoffs, his shooting percentage has not.
During the regular season Pavlovic shot more than 40 percent from behind the arc, and nearly 80 percent from the free-throw line. In the playoffs, however, those numbers severely plummeted as he managed to shoot just 34 percent from three-point land and an unimpressive 53 percent at the line.
Compare those numbers with those of rookie Daniel Gibson who had the magic touch late in the year and throughout the playoffs and Pavlovic may seem somewhat expendable.
Varejao, on the other hand, remained fairly consistent in his playoff performance in comparison to the regular season. He has never been a major bright spot offensively, but his rebounding and energy on defense, although sometimes too sporadic, has provided the Cavs with the spark off the bench they have lacked in the past.
Considering that both are still adjusting to the NBA game, it seems as though Varejao would be the better fit with the Cavs in the long term not to mention the fact that he's a fan favorite.
Another key will be the development of Shannon Brown, the Cavs first draft pick last year.
Brown showed supreme athleticism as a collegiate player at Michigan State, but was held up much of this season due to injury. The offensive potential Brown possesses could be of great use to Cleveland, especially his ability to penetrate to the basket and draw extra defenders, leaving perimeter shooters open with the option to shoot or to cut to the basket.
But the lack of a true point guard who will distribute the ball and score when needed is the biggest necessity and has never been more evident than now. It remains to be seen if Gibson can fulfill that role or if he is better off playing the role of another scorer from the outside.
James has earned the right to become a scorer; he should no longer have to worry about playing two positions at once.
With Detroit likely losing Rasheed Wallace and Chris Webber and the health of Miami's Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal in question, the time for the Cavs to make a move is now.
This is Ferry's chance to show James and the rest of the Cavs his dedication to winning the big prize.
This is the chance to make a big splash, and the opportunity for Cleveland to position itself atop the Eastern Conference for years to come has arrived.
The ball is in Ferry's court.
Here's to hoping the Cavs come up bigger than they did in the Finals.
Keith Britton can be reached at britton.71@osu.edu.
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