SCORERS WANTED
New Cavaliers general manager needs to fill holes surrounding James
By Terry Pluto
When the Cavaliers owners, led by Dan Gilbert, held 22 interviews before hiring a general manager, they skipped me -- probably for good reason.
I know they interviewed Greg Anthony. And maybe they talked to the late Earl Anthony and Little Anthony. Who knows?
But if they had asked, here's what I'd tell them:
• ``Your problem isn't your center -- it's your guards. They don't score, and except for Eric Snow, they don't defend.''
• ``Drew Gooden is not the answer at power forward. You need to get a shot blocker/rebounder next to Zydrunas Ilgauskas, or really develop Anderson Varejao. Trade Gooden, or at least bring him off the bench where he can score against backups.''
• ``You know you need a shooting guard.''
• ``You need a clear system of how to defend the pick-and-roll and other basic principles, and you can do that without exposing Ilgauskas all the time -- which happened last season.''
• ``Coach Mike Brown has told you that he'd rather deal with a few non-defenders who can score rather than some non-shooters -- because he believes he can develop some team defense where players help each other. That's another reason to keep Z. As Brown said, it's very hard to teach a non-shooter to shoot.''
• ``You need Z and another scorer to change the late-season mentality of LeBron James, who lost confidence in his teammates. Z had the broken finger. No one else could make a shot. LeBron shot too much, and passing remains the heart of his game. Watch the ball move if you have Z and Michael Redd or someone else at shooting guard.''
Exactly what Danny Ferry told Gilbert remains between the two men, but Ferry believes strongly in Ilgauskas and wants at least three consistent scorers in his lineup.
You begin with James, then toss in Ilgauskas and a shooting guard to be signed -- possibly Redd, whom Ferry really likes. But there's someone else out there...
Now, repeat after me: YES-THE-CABBAGE-IS.
One more time: YES-THE-CABBAGE-IS.
That's how you pronounce the last name of Sarunas Jasikevicius, a 29-year-old point guard who played at Maryland from 1994-98. He's 6-foot-4 and has been the star of the Maccabi Tel Aviv team, which has won the past two European championships.
Ferry comes from the San Antonio Spurs, who have consistently struck gold when mining the foreign market for players. The Cavaliers actually met with Jasikevicius a year ago, as former general manager Jim Paxson and his scouts were impressed.
He was a shooting guard at Maryland, averaging 12.4 points as a senior. But he has moved to the point in Europe, and scored 28 when Lithuania defeated the United States in the 2004 Olympics.
He is supposed to be a big-time player and is looking for a three-year, $10 million deal. Remember that Ferry's Spurs had a Frenchman named Tony Parker at point guard.
One scout said: ``Jasikevicius is a charismatic guy. He likes the center of attention. If you bring him in, he needs to start. He's not a strong defender. He can handle the ball and score, but he needs major minutes to be happy. He's a huge, huge star in Europe.''
Jasikevicius might come cheaper than a free-agent point guard such as Antonio Daniels, who is expected to command a multiyear deal starting at $5 million annually. Perhaps more, because the free-agent point guard market is not strong.
The Cavaliers might have an inside track on Jasikevicius for a few reasons:
• He wants to come to a team where he can start, and Snow is the Cavaliers' only point guard.
• He was the best man in Ilgauskas' wedding, and the two Lithuanians are close. That assumes Ilgauskas re-signs with the Cavaliers.
• He is not fixated on playing for a warm-weather team. He also might be attracted to Cleveland, because it is an ethnic city where Ilgauskas has been made to feel comfortable.
Something on the lines of "NO MICHAEL REDD, ? HELL NO I AM NOT GONNA COACH THAT SQUAD " 