Category: Cleveland Cavaliers (Page 79 of 88)

Out for training camp and start of the season.

Not good news.

Now that the NBA’s moratorium on signings and trades has (finally) been lifted, teams have begun to announce to the public deals the public has known about for weeks.

Tuesday, Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry talked about his summer spending spree that resulted in new deals with Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes and Donyell Marshall. “It’s been a successful free agency period. Each guy brings us something different and should help us be competitive. We’re trying to build a team-first attitude. I think these guys will all play that way.” Ferry also made it clear that Hughes was the team’s first choice, not Michael Redd or Ray Allen, to step in as the starting shooting guard. “His ability to play and defend different positions, I think, is going to be of great value. He’s 26 years old and his best years are ahead of him.”

While I’m not sure I believe the talk about Hughes being the top choice (they seemed to go after Redd pretty hard), I do believe Hughes is a better fit for this team, especially in light of the Donyell Marshall signing. I have to admit that I wasn’t very optimistic about the Ferry hire initially, but he’s done an excellent job so far, getting the guys he wanted to get and filling some gaping holes in the process. Plus, he’s still got a little change jingling around in his pocket, perhaps enough to sign an offensive point guard to share the load with Eric Snow. Meanwhile, the more I think about it, the more keeping Drew Gooden makes some sense. Don’t get me wrong — there’s also a compelling argument to be made for trading him — but at this point I think they’ll be fine whether Gooden’s in Cleveland next year or not.

The Cavaliers reportedly wanted Lithuanian point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, but so did Larry Bird. Well, Larry got his guy. ESPN is reporting that Jasikevicius has agreed to sign a three-year, $12 million deal with the Pacers Sunday. Doug Neusted, Jasikevicius’ agent, told ESPN, “It really came down to who he could win a championship with next year. He saw a chance to contribute and win and couldn’t pass it up.” I guess you can’t blame the guy for picking a quality organization like the Pacers, but I’m surprised he chose to leave (reportedly) more money and more minutes on the table in Cleveland, not to mention the opportunity to play with his best friend, Z. That said, I wasn’t as sold on him as some other people were, not for the Cavs, anyway. After the Larry Hughes signing I thought Jasikevicius made sense because the team was still in need of a three-point threat, but with Donyell Marshall on board that became less of a concern. And considering Jasikevicius’ noted defensive shortcomings, he just didn’t seem like a great fit.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many appealing options out there for the Cavs now at the point. The ABJ is still talking about Marko Jaric, but it doesn’t sound like they’ve got enough cap room to sign him and, besides, Jaric is a restricted free agent. That may be good news for Cavs fans, though, as Jaric has been injury prone throughout his brief NBA career and may very well end up making more money than he’s worth. The guy who probably would’ve made the most sense right now, Antonio Daniels, has already come to terms with the Washington Wizards. Of course, a Drew Gooden trade can never be ruled out but with how thin the Cavs’ frontline looks at the moment, I doubt they’ll move him for a guard. Want a dark horse candidate? How about free agent Gary Payton? He’s way past his prime and he’s got a big mouth, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Danny Ferry was at least kicking GP’s tires. Considering the other options out there, it makes sense.

The Plain Dealer is reporting that Lithuanian point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius is expected to be the next free agent to agree to terms with the Cavaliers. Contract details weren’t reported but the PD says the deal with the 6-4 Jasikevicius could be announced in a few days. Stay tuned.