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Expect Cavs GM to stay the course
Though trading Gooden, Snow could help long term
By Brian Windhorst
Danny Ferry and Mike Brown are process people.
They believe in staying the course, devising a plan and sticking to it during thick and thin. It's the Spurs' way. And they're trying to make it the Cavaliers' way.
With Larry Hughes out with an injury for two months and a horde of road games upcoming, there's a chance the Cavs could be in for a slight market correction after a successful first 30 games. The reaction from the fan base might be to push for some sort of trade.
While it appears there's a deal for Ferry to make before the February deadline, he will not snap to any decisions, even if it could mean extra losses.
For example, don't expect anything before the Cavs give a hard look at just what they have in Anderson Varejao, who is expected back this week. And if/when Ferry does make a deal, it won't be for a stop-gap, at least, not if he sticks to his persona and GM upbringing.
When Ferry does get serious, league insiders suggest he has two main assets he'd like to move and has been in preliminary discussions about -- Drew Gooden and Eric Snow.
``Gooden is a good player, but he's a square peg in a round hole with Mike Brown,'' said one league executive. ``He'll never be the kind of player that fits with what he wants.''
That's in reference to Gooden's defensive shortcomings, which Brown struggles to deal with even when Gooden's energy flow is helping the Cavs on the scoreboard.
A classic example came last week in Milwaukee. Gooden kept the Cavs in the game in the first half by making seven consecutive shots. He made 8-of-10 field goals and had eight rebounds in the game, but didn't see the floor in the fourth quarter, which is becoming a more common sight.
Because Gooden is in the last year of his deal and he's a quality big man, he's very tradeable.
Snow has been steady at point guard, but the team's ownership hates his contract, which still has three seasons and $20 million left after this year. Two league sources suggest Ferry has been gauging Snow's value around the league recently, though other teams are wary of his contract, of course.
Despite that, it seems there is more than one team that would be willing to take Snow if a trade also could net them Gooden. In return, the Cavs would be looking for a starter-quality point guard, perhaps a veteran short-term defensive-minded swingman and either a prospect or a draft pick.
There won't be rumormongering here, but there are a few teams that have such matching assets.
LeBron & ESPN
LeBron James is on the cover of ESPN the Magazine this week, which is a story in itself. The Disney-owned publication did a story on James and his interest in the new Disney picture Glory Road about the Texas Western basketball team that broke color barriers in the NCAA. James is a basketball history buff, which the story helps show.
For the past three years, James had refused to cooperate with ESPN the Magazine on any project. He was angry over a story the magazine did when he was a senior in high school that contained what he thought was an unflattering portrayal of his mother, Gloria. As a result, he wouldn't agree to private interviews or photo shoots with the mag.
During his rookie year, the publication sent a reporter to track him for much of the year with the potential of it turning it into a book. James chose not to get involved and the project died. As part of his and his new management team's strategy of opening himself up and revealing more of his personality to the media, he's had a change of heart. It's also the motivation for his new Nike series of commercials and his appearance with his mother and girlfriend on Oprah Winfrey's show.
Dribbles
• Some have suggested the Cavs try to sign Latrell Sprewell to plug the gap left by Hughes. This is highly unlikely. First, Sprewell seems to be holding out for significant money, and the Cavs are over the salary cap. Second, Ferry doesn't appear to have much interest in Sprewell, failing to even contact his agent last summer when the Cavs had nearly $30 million in cap space.
• According to team insiders, the Cavs' deal with Granger-based MTD Corp. to have its Cub Cadet line be the presenting sponsor of all home games is worth about $1.5 million per season.
• Thursday the Cavs looked flat in losing on the second night of a back-to-back to the Houston Rockets. Friday, the Rockets were flat in losing their second night of a back-to-back in Toronto. The residue left after playing back-to-backs has long been an issue in the NBA. Recently, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban did a study with the Elias Sports Bureau and computed that, on average, a team is 3.5 points worse in scoring differential on the second night of back-to-backs than when they haven't played the night before. The Cavs are 2-5 on the second nights this season. Here's the Cavs' records in such games over the past four years: 2001-02: 6-17; '02-03: 5-19; '03-04: 8-12; '04-05: 6-14.
In the past five seasons, the top three teams in these games are Cuban's Mavericks (53-27), the Detroit Pistons (57-44) and the San Antonio Spurs (54-28). Not surprising.
• Mengke Bateer, a center who was in training camp with the Cavs, has set a Chinese Basketball Association record. He was fined 24,000 yuan, about $3,000, for arguing with a referee on Dec. 28. It is the steepest fine in league history. Still, he's considered a front-runner for the league's Most Valuable Player award.
Though trading Gooden, Snow could help long term
By Brian Windhorst
Danny Ferry and Mike Brown are process people.
They believe in staying the course, devising a plan and sticking to it during thick and thin. It's the Spurs' way. And they're trying to make it the Cavaliers' way.
With Larry Hughes out with an injury for two months and a horde of road games upcoming, there's a chance the Cavs could be in for a slight market correction after a successful first 30 games. The reaction from the fan base might be to push for some sort of trade.
While it appears there's a deal for Ferry to make before the February deadline, he will not snap to any decisions, even if it could mean extra losses.
For example, don't expect anything before the Cavs give a hard look at just what they have in Anderson Varejao, who is expected back this week. And if/when Ferry does make a deal, it won't be for a stop-gap, at least, not if he sticks to his persona and GM upbringing.
When Ferry does get serious, league insiders suggest he has two main assets he'd like to move and has been in preliminary discussions about -- Drew Gooden and Eric Snow.
``Gooden is a good player, but he's a square peg in a round hole with Mike Brown,'' said one league executive. ``He'll never be the kind of player that fits with what he wants.''
That's in reference to Gooden's defensive shortcomings, which Brown struggles to deal with even when Gooden's energy flow is helping the Cavs on the scoreboard.
A classic example came last week in Milwaukee. Gooden kept the Cavs in the game in the first half by making seven consecutive shots. He made 8-of-10 field goals and had eight rebounds in the game, but didn't see the floor in the fourth quarter, which is becoming a more common sight.
Because Gooden is in the last year of his deal and he's a quality big man, he's very tradeable.
Snow has been steady at point guard, but the team's ownership hates his contract, which still has three seasons and $20 million left after this year. Two league sources suggest Ferry has been gauging Snow's value around the league recently, though other teams are wary of his contract, of course.
Despite that, it seems there is more than one team that would be willing to take Snow if a trade also could net them Gooden. In return, the Cavs would be looking for a starter-quality point guard, perhaps a veteran short-term defensive-minded swingman and either a prospect or a draft pick.
There won't be rumormongering here, but there are a few teams that have such matching assets.
LeBron & ESPN
LeBron James is on the cover of ESPN the Magazine this week, which is a story in itself. The Disney-owned publication did a story on James and his interest in the new Disney picture Glory Road about the Texas Western basketball team that broke color barriers in the NCAA. James is a basketball history buff, which the story helps show.
For the past three years, James had refused to cooperate with ESPN the Magazine on any project. He was angry over a story the magazine did when he was a senior in high school that contained what he thought was an unflattering portrayal of his mother, Gloria. As a result, he wouldn't agree to private interviews or photo shoots with the mag.
During his rookie year, the publication sent a reporter to track him for much of the year with the potential of it turning it into a book. James chose not to get involved and the project died. As part of his and his new management team's strategy of opening himself up and revealing more of his personality to the media, he's had a change of heart. It's also the motivation for his new Nike series of commercials and his appearance with his mother and girlfriend on Oprah Winfrey's show.
Dribbles
• Some have suggested the Cavs try to sign Latrell Sprewell to plug the gap left by Hughes. This is highly unlikely. First, Sprewell seems to be holding out for significant money, and the Cavs are over the salary cap. Second, Ferry doesn't appear to have much interest in Sprewell, failing to even contact his agent last summer when the Cavs had nearly $30 million in cap space.
• According to team insiders, the Cavs' deal with Granger-based MTD Corp. to have its Cub Cadet line be the presenting sponsor of all home games is worth about $1.5 million per season.
• Thursday the Cavs looked flat in losing on the second night of a back-to-back to the Houston Rockets. Friday, the Rockets were flat in losing their second night of a back-to-back in Toronto. The residue left after playing back-to-backs has long been an issue in the NBA. Recently, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban did a study with the Elias Sports Bureau and computed that, on average, a team is 3.5 points worse in scoring differential on the second night of back-to-backs than when they haven't played the night before. The Cavs are 2-5 on the second nights this season. Here's the Cavs' records in such games over the past four years: 2001-02: 6-17; '02-03: 5-19; '03-04: 8-12; '04-05: 6-14.
In the past five seasons, the top three teams in these games are Cuban's Mavericks (53-27), the Detroit Pistons (57-44) and the San Antonio Spurs (54-28). Not surprising.
• Mengke Bateer, a center who was in training camp with the Cavs, has set a Chinese Basketball Association record. He was fined 24,000 yuan, about $3,000, for arguing with a referee on Dec. 28. It is the steepest fine in league history. Still, he's considered a front-runner for the league's Most Valuable Player award.
