Terry Pluto makes a compelling case that the Cavaliers should now turn their attention to trading Drew Gooden. The main reason is defense. According to Pluto, Gooden just doesn’t get it. He’s more of a scoring power forward, and the Cavs don’t need that now that they have signed Hughes and brought back Z. He’s often a liability on defense, especially against physical power forwards like Elton Brand who can muscle him down low.
Pluto points out that Gooden has one year left on a deal that pays him $4 million next year, which would make him very attractive to teams looking to create salary cap flexibility. Pluto argues that the Cavs should set their sites on a rebounder like Reggie Evans from Seattle, and then let Varejao develop as a player.
Gooden was a decent fit last year, but this team needs some muscle down low. If Ferry gets the right deal Gooden needs to go.
