Month: September 2005 (Page 23 of 26)

Danny Ferry is looking a lot better as GM than he did as a player. Landing Damon Jones was a very iffy prospect last week. Michael Finley went to San Antonio, Jones seemed likely to stay put in Miami. Ferry got him anyway. Nice. Listening to Kenny Roda on WKNR right now, Bryan Winters of the Akron Beacon Journal speculates that Jones will likely start at point guard. Makes sense to me, too.

The Cavs are now almost the exact opposite of the team they were last year. Now the Cavs are a major three point threat AS A TEAM, with the addition of Jones & Donyell Marshall. Last year, they didn’t have a jump shot outside of Lebron. Last year, our front line was solid. This year, their big man situation is a problem, with Verajao down for a while, no Tractor Trailer, and Drew Gooden still, kind of, a work in progress.

After missing out on Lithuanian free agent Sarunas Jasikevicius earlier this offseason, the Cavaliers filled their need for an offensive-minded point guard by signing Damon Jones to a four-year deal worth between $15 and $16 million. Jones, who set Miami’s single-season record by hitting 225 three pointers last season, gives the Cavs a much-needed outside presence to go along with fellow free-agent signee Donyell Marshall. Jones hit 43% of his three-point attempts last year and ranked third in the league in threes made, while Marshall hit 42% of his attempts from downtown and ranked 13th in total threes made.

What makes this such a solid move for the Cavs is, while Jones isn’t great at running an offense from the lead guard position, the Cavs don’t need him to be. Eric Snow will start because he’s more of a traditional point guard, a guy who looks to pass before he looks for his own shot, plus he can play some D. But when the Cavs need a jolt off the bench, they can bring Jones in and let Larry Hughes or, occassionally, even LeBron run the point.

This kind of versatility will make the Cavs dangerous. Marshall can play either forward position and, in a pinch against a smaller lineup, could even play some center. Hughes can play either guard position. LeBron can play PG, SG or SF. And now Jones can also fill either role in the backcourt.

Now if the Cavs could only find some healthy big men….