reevaluating our free agency strategy

[KI4MVP]

While we are disappointed to not get Redd or Allen, we may be in a stronger overall position in free agency if we don't panic and overpay people. Stick with the plan that players will want to come to cleveland to play along side LeBron. If Redd seriously considered turning down $22 million to come here, we have to believe we don't have to overpay to attract players, but rather go after the players we aren't at CBA imposed disadvantage in the salary we can offer.

What has happened with Redd and Allen staying with their team is the list of teams who can offer free agents they don't have bird rights to anything more than the MLE has shrunk to just 4 teams. Atlanta, Charlotte, the Clippers and Cleveland. Any free agent worth more than the MLE only has those 4 choices (along with their current team if their team has bird rights).

Charlotte has some cap restrictions as an expansion team - I'm not sure exactly what they are, but the speculation is they won't spend too much money this year and will save it for next year when the restrictions are lifted. The Clippers no longer can compete with us if they sign their own players.

We have the most money available to spend on free agents in the history of the NBA. We have a ton of leverage here. If we offer 4 different players who's team doesn't have full bird rights an average of $7 million, the other team can't match it and there at most 3 other teams who could even try to outbid us. We could squeeze out a 5th player if we drop down to the max other teams can offer - the MLE.

here are some players who are out there. This list breaks it down by restricted vs unrestricted and isn't complete. That's not as significant as bird rights vs no bird rights. If there are no bird rights, restricted isn't too important since we can offer contracts that can't be matched.

Antoine Walker - Atlanta - (UFA - no bird)
Gary Payton - Boston - (UFA)
Brevin Knight - Charlotte - (UFA)
Gerald Wallace - Charlotte - (RFA)
Tyson Chandler - Chicago - (RFA)
Eddy Curry - Chicago - (RFA)
Chris Duhon - Chicago - (RFA)
Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Cleveland - (UFA - bird)
Nikoloz Tskitishvili - Denver - (UFA)
Marko Jaric - L.A. Clippers - (RFA)
Kerry Kittles - L.A. Clippers - (UFA)
Bobby Simmons - L.A. Clippers - (UFA)
Stromile Swift - Memphis - (UFA)
Earl Watson - Memphis - (RFA)
Damon Jones - Miami - (UFA - no bird)
Udonis Haslem - Miami - (RFA - early bird)
Dan Gadzuric - Milwaukee - (RFA)
Eddie Griffin - Minnesota - (RFA)
Ervin Johnson - Minnesota - (UFA)
Latrell Sprewell - Minnesota - (UFA)
Samuel Dalembert - Philadelphia - (RFA)
Kyle Korver - Philadelphia - (RFA)
Joe Johnson - Phoenix - (RFA)
Stephen Hunter - Phoneix - (RFA)
Shareef Abdur-Rahim - Portland - (UFA)
Damon Stoudamire - Portland - (UFA)
Bobby Jackson - Sacramento - (UFA)
Cuttino Mobley - Sacramento - (UFA)
Antonio Daniels - Seattle - (UFA)
Reggie Evans - Seattle - (RFA)
Jerome James - Seattle - (UFA)
Ronald Murray - Seattle - (RFA)
Vladimir Radmanovic - Seattle - (RFA)
Matt Bonner - Toronto - (RFA)
Donyell Marshall - Toronto - (UFA)
Kwame Brown - Washington - (RFA - bird)
Larry Hughes - Washington - (UFA - bird)
Sarunas Jasikevicius
Arvydas Macijauskas

I noted bird, early bird, no bird on the ones I'm sure about. Let me know if you have the status of other players and I'll update the list or if there are players I should add/remove from the list.

The bottom line is we should be able to land at least 4 guys from that list. Who do we go after? We can get two new starting guards, keep Z, and sign a quality backup big man. We could take both of the Heat's players away from them, thus downgrade one of our top competitors. Being under the cap, we also have the option to trade for players who's team wants to unload salary, either for next year's free agents or simply to save luxury tax money.

 

[Glen Infante]

I'd go after Larry Hughes and bring in the lithu point guard, Sarunas Jasikevicius. After that sign Z.

I wonder if Kerry Kittles has any ball left in him. I have always like his game, and he has playoff and finals experience.

 

[KI4MVP]

Anyone know what the wizards offered Hughes? If we don't go overboard, we could land all 3 of those guys and have money left for a 4th. Either another shooter to come off the bench, or a big man to back up Z.

 

[Slim Sheedy]

screw that.. Joe Johnson first than Sarunas or even Duhon from the Bulls.. I like his play.. than Z

 

[KI4MVP]

Joe Johnson is very hard to get - he's a restricted free agent and the suns have Bird rights. WHich means we could sign him, have our cap tied up for 7 days, only to have phoenix match.

 

[Glen Infante]

I think we would have to go after Hughes 1st Sheed. Joe is restricted, which means we would have to wait til after the 22nd to go after him.

Go with Larry 1st because he is avaliable. If we wait on Joe, and he declines, there is a good possibility that he may be out of reach.

 

[ChicagoCavFan]

I'd like to pursue:

Simmons
Daniels
Hughes
Radmanovic
Marshall
Sarunas

Chandler
SAR
Haslem
James

If we can get 2 of the guy on the top list, one on the bottom, and re-sign Z, I would be VERY HAPPY! Is it possible?

 

[Glen Infante]

I forgot all about RadMan. He was shooting lights out during the playoffs. He would be a very nice pickup, but he plays LeBron's position.

 

[KI4MVP]

the other part of my original post is that guys will come to us. They know their options are limited. YI'm sure Joe Johnson's agent and Larry Hughes' agent have both already called Ferry.

 

[NarlCavs]

Johnson might even be the 5th option for the Cavs after Simmons. The Cavs probably won't consider restricted FA's unless it's their only remaining option.

It is a very strong possibility now that the Cavs will miss out on all 4 of the big name FA SG's.
If that happens I still think they should do what I wrote the other day which can realistically happen and be affordable with the Cavs cap space.
Resign Z
Sign Abdur-Rahim
Sign Simmons
Sign either Sarunas or Daniels at PG.

Simmons would probably have the least chance of getting signed from that group. The Clippers might be willing to pay to keep him now.

 

[ChicagoCavFan]

I've wanted Radmanovic for a while now. I watched a lot of Sonic games last year (DirecTv NBA Season Pass) because I went to BG with AD - knew him enough to talk at bars or between classes. Anyways, his defense is pitiful, but when he is on, he is on. He reminds me of a white Donyell Marshall. Radman crashes the boards hard, moves a lot on offense, and can dribble for his height, but can pose matchup problems if he has to play the 4. LeBron can easily move to the 2 with him in the game. I'd be happy with either him or Marshall - I like their game.

 

[Mac]

Lebron cant defend the two, which is why he wont play there.

Hughes, Rahim, Saruanus and a Gooden trade still makes this a good off-season. (Z being back is a given..)

 

[ChicagoCavFan]

Free agents: LeBron eyes deep crop of shooting guards


http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/8628045


Tony Mejia July 7, 2005
By Tony Mejia
CBS SportsLine.com Staff Writer
Tell Tony your opinion!




With Ray Allen agreeing to remain in Seattle for maximum money over the next five seasons, the dominoes have begun to fall as the deepest free-agent off-guard crop in recent memory settles back up.

Joe Johnson is likely to return to Phoenix, where he averaged 17.1 points last season. (Getty Images)
Joe Johnson is likely to return to Phoenix, where he averaged 17.1 points last season. (Getty Images)
Michael Redd, who was thought to be not explosive enough for the league coming out of Ohio State, was the latest Thursday, deciding to return to the Milwaukee Bucks, who will not-so-happily pay him up to $96 million over the next six seasons. On the heels of a potential franchise turnaround with No. 1 pick Andrew Bogut coming aboard, Milwaukee was willing to overpay in order to keep its prized shooter from bolting for Cleveland, a decision that was equal parts questionable and commendable.

There's now a pretty good chance the top three names remaining will also be able to land top dollar as teams vie for their services, with the free-spending Cavaliers likely to end up with one of them as a tag team partner for LeBron James.

Having been essentially wrapped up, Allen and Redd have been omitted from the list below, even though they haven't signed yet. Same for former Utah wing Raja Bell, who has agreed in principle with Phoenix.

CBS SportsLine's list of the Top 10 available shooting guards:

1. Joe Johnson, Phoenix: Johnson is reportedly mulling a preliminary offer from the Suns for less than the league maximum, which essentially means he's still there to be had if another team offers full price. Our advice to the Suns: If you have to match top dollar, do it. Johnson turns 24 at the end of the month and has improved progressively over his four years in the league. He's the team's top perimeter defender, able to match up with both point guards and wings, has developed into a steady 3-point shooter, can handle the ball well enough to run the offense and will never be a problem in the locker room. You can't ask for anything more, especially since his best days are ahead.

2. Larry Hughes, Washington: The Wizards are reportedly willing to match any offer the versatile Hughes receives, a smart move considering how valuable he has become on both ends of the floor. Hughes led the league in steals last season and co-exists nicely with Gilbert Arenas despite the fact both require lots of shots. With Redd staying put, he'll be next on the Cavs list, likely ending up with a similar 5-year, $70 million-plus offer.

3. Cuttino Mobley, Sacramento: Mobley never felt comfortable in Sacramento after coming over from Orlando in a midseason trade and ended up terminating his contract despite potentially missing out on a few bucks next season. His gamble could pay off significantly if Cleveland is unable to land its top three targets and has to look his way. Mobley is also reportedly drawing interest from Denver, with a potential sign-and-trade for Nene discussed as an option.

4. Latrell Sprewell, Minnesota: It's time for Spree to feed his family again, and he might be looking to clinch one final contract given his advancing age. The veteran swingman will be 35 when the season begins, and he began showing signs of slippage last season. That said, he's still in solid shape and worthy of a starting spot and major minutes somewhere in the league, and he'll likely be an asset provided he's content with both his role and contract. It will be interesting to see who bites -- his agent has expressed an interest in Denver.

5. Maurice Evans, Sacramento: If you caught flashes of him late last season and in the playoffs, you can see he's oozing with potential. Evans is a tremendous athlete whose game continues to come along nicely. The Kings would be best served keeping him and moving him into the lineup in place of the departing Mobley. They would be smart to start negotiating an extension before he blows up and they're stuck paying full price next year.

6. DerMarr Johnson, Denver: If you're looking for a bargain with interesting potential, Johnson just might be your guy. In his first full season since cracking four vertebrae in his neck in a near-fatal 2002 car accident, Johnson proved to be a more-than-capable defender and solid contributor. His floor game is still raw, but he's only 25, giving him plenty of room for growth.

7. Ronald Murray, Seattle: "Flip" could headed elsewhere now that Allen has been signed, which means we'll finally get to see whether he can succeed in a full-time role. Seattle extended a qualifying offer to him before July 1 but would still have to match any team interested in his services. When Allen has been absent, Murray had some tremendous performances, but his defense and floor savvy may not be strong enough for him to handle major minutes.

8. Juan Dixon, Washington: The former Maryland standout is obviously a fan favorite in the D.C. area, as much for his college exploits as his performance as the Wizards' version of Vinnie Johnson. His slight frame has always been the major knock on him flourishing in a starter's role, but there's no question he has carved out his niche. We don't see him going anywhere.

9. Willie Green, Philadelphia: His name has surfaced in a number of places as a potential fit, but Sixers GM Billy King has publicly pledged to keep him. Green is a nice combo guard who supplies terrific energy off the bench, but because Allen Iverson plays so many minutes, he hasn't seen as significant a role as he probably deserves.

10. Arvydas Macijauskas, Tau Ceramica (Spain): The Lithuanian-born Macijauskas was another player who opened eyes by shining against the United States at the 2004 Olympics. He's considered one of the top shooters in all of Europe and has drawn interest from a number of teams, with the Phoenix Suns mentioned as a potential frontrunner. At 25, he's entering his prime and had a strong performance for his club in Euroleague play.

Best of the rest: Dajuan Wagner, Cleveland; Kareem Rush, Charlotte; Casey Jacobsen, New Orleans; Jon Barry, Houston; Damien Wilkins, Seattle.

 

[TyGuy]

I forgot all about RadMan. He was shooting lights out during the playoffs. He would be a very nice pickup, but he plays LeBron's position.

No he actually plays the 4 spot

 

[PIP]

i want juan dixon coming off our bench next season..