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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.

Just days after agreeing to terms with free-agent guard Larry Hughes, the Cavaliers have reportedly re-signed Zydrunas Ilgauskas to a five-year, $60 million deal. Judging by the results of our poll, I’m one of the few who thought the Cavs would be better off with a more athletic center but at the very least, if Danny Ferry insisted on bringing Z back, I’d hoped it would be a reasonable contract. Unfortunately, $12 million annually for five years just doesn’t seem all that reasonable to me.

On the bright side, Z’s signing likely means the Cavs have a better shot at landing fellow Lithuanian Sarunas Jasikevicius, a highly coveted point guard who would instantly improve the team’s outside shooting.

July 12 UPDATE: The ABJ is reporting that the first year of Z’s contract will be worth roughly $9 million, which is both good and bad news. The good news is, the Cavs will still have about $6 million to throw at a point guard, most likely Jasikevicius, one of Z’s best friends. The bad news, though, is that Ilguaskas’ escalating contract will probably be a financial burden before it’s all said and done, although the Beacon Journal also reports the fifth year of the deal is not fully guaranteed.

The reviews are coming in and not surprisingly, they are very good. Terry Pluto loves the move. Hughes was his first choice OVER Redd and Allen because he’s the best all around player of the three, with his excellent defense, rebounding skills and ballhandling ability. Yes, he’s not a great three-point shooter, but Pluto correctly points out that the Cavs have many needs, and a complete player is much better for the long-term development of this team. He also notes Hughes’s attitude, noting:

“Some fans need to understand that Hughes is not fixated on being the star. Coming from Washington, he played with Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison — both used to shooting a lot.

Many times, Hughes was the third option in that offense, yet he still averaged 22 points. He still defended. He still rebounded. He still played the complete game.

Name a Cavalier who does all that?”

That pretty much sums it up. So far, so good for Danny Ferry and Dan Gilbert. They may have overpaid a little to get him as Bud Shaw points out, but they had the money and cap room and did what they had to do to land a very good player.