Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry began his Cavs stint with a bang last offseason as he inked four free agents, making the Cavs one of the most active teams in the market.
Then the season went by.
Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas aged in front of our eyes, guard Damon Jones became known as “Amon Ones” in Cleveland – that is no “D,” no “J” – and Larry Hughes missed most of the season with a broken finger. Broken finger or not, Hughes has never had a consistent enough jumper to warrant a $70 million deal. Donyell Marshall struggled with his shooting for most of the year but led all reserves in the NBA in rebounding. He looks like Ferry’s best signing thus far.
Though the Cavs made a significant improvement from years past and pushed the Pistons to game seven in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Ferry has a number of issues to address this offseason:
1. Re-sign LeBron James. Period. If this doesn’t get done the rest of this column is meaningless.
2. Trade “Z” – As hard as it is to believe, the Cavs re-signed the wrong center last offseason. Ilgauskas is too slow for today’s NBA in which most teams (not named Miami or Houston) have no interest in getting scoring from their centers. Teams in this era of the league look for a center that can run and be a presence on the defensive end. Desagana Diop – yes, the same Desagana Diop who the Cavs drafted 8th in the 2001 draft – was the answer. He has helped turn the score-first-Mavericks into a decent defensive team. He and Anderson Varejao would have been a nice 1-2 punch at center for the Cavs. It will be hard for the Cavs to ever become great on defense with “Z” patrolling the paint. Though his contract will be tough to move, the time is now to trade him – while he still has some value. Trading him not only will upgrade their defense, but will give the team leverage to sign free agents and make trades. This is key.
3. Find a starting point guard – Some names on the free agent market are appealing.
Jason Terry is a pure shooter who, depending on how the Mavs finish the season, might not be re-signed by Dallas.
Devin Harris, also a Mav, is in the wings and emerging fast.
Mike James is a scorer who had a strong season with Toronto this past season.
Sam Cassell. Winner, clutch.
Sebastian Telfair is not a free agent but might be attainable from Portland in a trade. Portland benched him for most of the season, instead choosing to play Steve Blake and rookie Jarret Jack. This kid is a pure point guard who can push the ball and score when need be. He would be an ideal young running mate for the Cavs to build upon with Hughes, and he’s a close friend of LeBron … continued in point five.
4. Re-sign Drew Gooden or Flip Murray? – Tough call here for Ferry. The midseason acquisition of Murray might have been Ferry’s best move to date. With Hughes injured, Murray became a desperately needed spark plug for the offense, hitting numerous big shots. With Hughes prone to injuries, Murray would be a nice insurance policy for the Cavs. Drew Gooden still remains a mystery in the NBA. Playing for three teams in four seasons, Gooden displayed glimpses of greatness this year showing why he was the fourth pick in the 2002 NBA draft. Fans know Drew can rebound, but his mental lapses have them questioning him at times. It’s easy to see why he has been traded twice. Both Murray and Gooden may have shown enough this season to cash in on free agency, maybe too much for the Cavs.
5. Address the log jam the Cavs have at the guard/small forward spot – Luke Jackson, Ira Newble, Sasha Pavlovic, Damon Jones will combine to make almost $10 million next year, which is just way too much for guys that don’t get much run. Jackson is clearly a bust after being the 10th pick of the 2004 NBA draft. Ira Newble is just worthless. Damon Jones is nothing more than a third-string point guard or a situational shooter. Sasha Pavlovic is the best of this bunch and is the only one of these four who might draw trade interest from teams. If the Cavs re-sign Murray, Pavlovic is a nice, expendable young shooter who the Cavs may be able to package with a throw in of Jones, or Newble, to free cap space.
It will be an intriguing offseason for Ferry and the Cavs. Last summer was thought as a make-or-break offseason for the franchise. One year later, with expectations much higher after a surprise playoff run, this summer has hopes of turning the Cavs into NBA Championship contenders. Danny Ferry is on the clock.
Chris Bundus is a sports writer for The Lantern. He can be reached at [email protected].
