Cavs could be forced to look beyond Redd
Bob Finnan article.
Not a fan of Willie Green. He would be a mediocre signing. Another sub 40% shooter.
CLEVELAND -- Despite all the money the Cavaliers have, nobody seems to be in a rush to take it.
They've thrown a lot of it at Bucks shooting guard Michael Redd, who was scheduled to visit the Cavaliers yesterday. Whether he takes it or not is still up in the air.
Redd, 25, is supposedly taking a hard look at the Cavaliers. He met with Milwaukee officials on Tuesday. He's reportedly concerned with the coaching situation with the Bucks.
The Cavaliers have offered him a maximum deal, worth about $72 million over five years. But that's about $22 million below the offer from the Bucks.
Cleveland needs to find a top-flight shooting guard somewhere. That's why it was wooing the 6-foot-6, 214-pound Redd yesterday.
Many around the league think the Cavaliers would be overpaying for Redd's services. He's really a one-dimensional player. But the Cavaliers really need that one dimension.
They can't come into the season with just Luke Jackson and Sasha Pavlovic as their shooters. They need a legitimate perimeter threat, especially from 3-point range.
Next on the Cavaliers' list might be Wizards guard Larry Hughes, but a Wizards source said they intend to trump any offer he gets.
That leaves Kings shooting guard Cuttino Mobley and Clippers swingman Bobby Simmons next in line. Mobley was third in the NBA in 3-point shooting this year (150-of-342 for 43.9 percent) and then opted out of a $6.4 million contract for 2005-06. Is he worth more than that?
The Cavaliers are apparently interested in Sixers guard Willie Green. The 6-4, 200-pounder from Detroit Mercy spent two years in Philadelphia and has shown that he can score. He would be a good third or fourth guard on a good team.
The Suns recently made an offer to guard Joe Johnson, but it wasn't for the max. Some around the league think the Suns might be bluffing on their intention to match any offer for Johnson.
Recently acquired forward/center Kurt Thomas makes more than Quentin Richardson in the next three years. They're not saving a whole lot of money there. They're going to sign Raja Bell to a contract for more than $4 million on July 23 -- the first day teams can sign free agents.
Then, star forward/center Amare Stoudemire's max contract kicks in after the 2005-06 season. A max deal for Johnson would push them over the luxury tax, something they've said they want to avoid.
Some team might call their bluff and offer Johnson a max deal. The Cavaliers have the money to offer Johnson a max deal -- which stays on their books while the Suns decide whether they want to match it -- and still do business with other free agents.
Bob Finnan article.
Not a fan of Willie Green. He would be a mediocre signing. Another sub 40% shooter.