Flight Number 23
Rookie
- Joined
- May 18, 2005
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Here's what Chad has to say today about the Cavs.
The free-agent frenzy slowed down over the holiday weekend as NBA executives hunkered down for what appears to be an extended period of negotiations and trade talk.
League sources say that progress on working out the specifics of the new collective bargaining agreement is going slower than expected, and several NBA executives believe the league may extend the player-signing moratorium beyond the July 22 date already set by the league.
The good news is that this gives teams lots of time to formulate and reformulate their free-agent strategies. From the look of things, some teams need more time than the NBA can give them.
The bad news is that the moratorium leaves a number of teams in limbo. Remember, restricted free agents must wait an additional seven days if they sign an offer sheet with another team. That means many teams won't be able to settle their rosters until August.
In the meantime, every agent in the league is sitting back a little and waiting to see what Michael Redd does. Now that Ray Allen has agreed to return to Seattle, Redd is the other big domino that needs to fall (and set the market) before the rest of the free-agent class starts seeing their final offers.
Here's what we're hearing coming out of the holiday break:
Cavs: It's becoming clearer what new GM Danny Ferry's strategy is: He'd like to lure Michael Redd away from Milwaukee, bring in Lithuanian point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius from overseas, re-sign Zydrunas Ilgauskas and find a way to swap Drew Gooden for a more blue-collar, defense-oriented power forward.
It's not a bad plan, and it's one, if completed, that should propel the Cavs into the playoffs.
To make it happen, first Ferry has to convince Redd to agree to the home-state discount (Redd is from Ohio). That would mean Redd would lose a year of guaranteed money -- roughly $20 million, depending on what happens with the new cap figures.
It's a long shot. However, Redd hasn't agreed to the Bucks' huge max offer yet and is planning to visit Cleveland this week -- encouraging signs for the Cavs.
On most teams (including the Bucks), Redd isn't worth a max contract offer. He's a fantastic shooter, but what else does he do? He's not really a go-to guy, he isn't a great defender and he doesn't rebound or handle the ball well. However, paired next to LeBron and Ilgauskas, he might be worth the cash. The Cavs desperately need a shooter, and Redd's stroke could be deadly in Cleveland with LeBron and Ilgauskas commanding double teams.
Could is the operative word here. Joe Johnson was the team's first choice, but the Cavs believe the Suns will match any offer to him. Johnson was actually a better shooter last year, is three inches taller than Redd, can play the point and is a better defender -- and is two years younger, to boot. Before Ray Allen agreed to re-sign with Seattle, he was the Cavs' backup plan -- as a more versatile and experienced, but much older, choice. Hughes is also an option (and statistically the best of the top four guards), though everyone believes he'll re-sign with Washington.
Jasikevicius is next on the to-do list for the Cavs. He's also being wooed strongly by the Pacers and Celtics and wants to make a decision soon. The Cavs appeal to him because they're one of the few teams in the league that have starting jobs available. The asking price is high (he'd like the full $5 million mid-level exception), but he might be worth it. If the Cavs want championship experience in their point guard, Jasikevicius has it. He's won three straight Euroleague titles, leading two different squads. However, if the Cavs want a point guard who plays defense, they'd better start looking elsewhere. If Ferry can't sign Jasikevicius, look for the Cavs to switch gears and make a strong push for Antonio Daniels and Marko Jaric.
Ilgauskas is demanding more cash than the Cavs are willing to offer and appears to have a legitimate suitor in the Hawks. However, the Cavs believe his agent, Herb Rudoy, is bluffing when he claims that Ilgauskas really wants to play elsewhere. They've already added one fellow Lithuanian to the roster (draft pick Martynas Andriuskevicius) and are in the process of potentially adding another. Ilgauskas loves Cleveland and knows the Cavs are in position to offer him a big deal.
If the Cavs land Redd and Jasikevicius, they'll be left with roughly $9 to $11 million to offer Ilgauskas as a starting salary (again, depending on where the new salary cap comes in).
If Ilgauskas can't live with that, the Cavs might be better off going young and trying to lure Tyson Chandler, Samuel Dalembert or LeBron's favorite, Eddy Curry, to Cleveland.
If they can add a big, athletic, shot-blocking rebounder like Chandler or Dalembert to the mix, they could either keep Gooden or swap him for a more stable low-post scorer. Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Al Harrington, Mike Sweetney and Chris Wilcox are all available via trade or sign-and-trade.
If they keep Ilgauskas or grab a guy like Curry, the Cavs will look for a bruising, rebounding power forward who can defend and do the dirty work in the paint that Ilgauskas and Gooden don't provide. Reggie Evans, Udonis Haslem, P.J. Brown or even, yes, Carlos Boozer could be available via trade or sign-and-trade.
The free-agent frenzy slowed down over the holiday weekend as NBA executives hunkered down for what appears to be an extended period of negotiations and trade talk.
League sources say that progress on working out the specifics of the new collective bargaining agreement is going slower than expected, and several NBA executives believe the league may extend the player-signing moratorium beyond the July 22 date already set by the league.
The good news is that this gives teams lots of time to formulate and reformulate their free-agent strategies. From the look of things, some teams need more time than the NBA can give them.
The bad news is that the moratorium leaves a number of teams in limbo. Remember, restricted free agents must wait an additional seven days if they sign an offer sheet with another team. That means many teams won't be able to settle their rosters until August.
In the meantime, every agent in the league is sitting back a little and waiting to see what Michael Redd does. Now that Ray Allen has agreed to return to Seattle, Redd is the other big domino that needs to fall (and set the market) before the rest of the free-agent class starts seeing their final offers.
Here's what we're hearing coming out of the holiday break:
Cavs: It's becoming clearer what new GM Danny Ferry's strategy is: He'd like to lure Michael Redd away from Milwaukee, bring in Lithuanian point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius from overseas, re-sign Zydrunas Ilgauskas and find a way to swap Drew Gooden for a more blue-collar, defense-oriented power forward.
It's not a bad plan, and it's one, if completed, that should propel the Cavs into the playoffs.
To make it happen, first Ferry has to convince Redd to agree to the home-state discount (Redd is from Ohio). That would mean Redd would lose a year of guaranteed money -- roughly $20 million, depending on what happens with the new cap figures.
It's a long shot. However, Redd hasn't agreed to the Bucks' huge max offer yet and is planning to visit Cleveland this week -- encouraging signs for the Cavs.
On most teams (including the Bucks), Redd isn't worth a max contract offer. He's a fantastic shooter, but what else does he do? He's not really a go-to guy, he isn't a great defender and he doesn't rebound or handle the ball well. However, paired next to LeBron and Ilgauskas, he might be worth the cash. The Cavs desperately need a shooter, and Redd's stroke could be deadly in Cleveland with LeBron and Ilgauskas commanding double teams.
Could is the operative word here. Joe Johnson was the team's first choice, but the Cavs believe the Suns will match any offer to him. Johnson was actually a better shooter last year, is three inches taller than Redd, can play the point and is a better defender -- and is two years younger, to boot. Before Ray Allen agreed to re-sign with Seattle, he was the Cavs' backup plan -- as a more versatile and experienced, but much older, choice. Hughes is also an option (and statistically the best of the top four guards), though everyone believes he'll re-sign with Washington.
Jasikevicius is next on the to-do list for the Cavs. He's also being wooed strongly by the Pacers and Celtics and wants to make a decision soon. The Cavs appeal to him because they're one of the few teams in the league that have starting jobs available. The asking price is high (he'd like the full $5 million mid-level exception), but he might be worth it. If the Cavs want championship experience in their point guard, Jasikevicius has it. He's won three straight Euroleague titles, leading two different squads. However, if the Cavs want a point guard who plays defense, they'd better start looking elsewhere. If Ferry can't sign Jasikevicius, look for the Cavs to switch gears and make a strong push for Antonio Daniels and Marko Jaric.
Ilgauskas is demanding more cash than the Cavs are willing to offer and appears to have a legitimate suitor in the Hawks. However, the Cavs believe his agent, Herb Rudoy, is bluffing when he claims that Ilgauskas really wants to play elsewhere. They've already added one fellow Lithuanian to the roster (draft pick Martynas Andriuskevicius) and are in the process of potentially adding another. Ilgauskas loves Cleveland and knows the Cavs are in position to offer him a big deal.
If the Cavs land Redd and Jasikevicius, they'll be left with roughly $9 to $11 million to offer Ilgauskas as a starting salary (again, depending on where the new salary cap comes in).
If Ilgauskas can't live with that, the Cavs might be better off going young and trying to lure Tyson Chandler, Samuel Dalembert or LeBron's favorite, Eddy Curry, to Cleveland.
If they can add a big, athletic, shot-blocking rebounder like Chandler or Dalembert to the mix, they could either keep Gooden or swap him for a more stable low-post scorer. Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Al Harrington, Mike Sweetney and Chris Wilcox are all available via trade or sign-and-trade.
If they keep Ilgauskas or grab a guy like Curry, the Cavs will look for a bruising, rebounding power forward who can defend and do the dirty work in the paint that Ilgauskas and Gooden don't provide. Reggie Evans, Udonis Haslem, P.J. Brown or even, yes, Carlos Boozer could be available via trade or sign-and-trade.
