There has been an uptick in Anderson Varejao rumors bouncing around the last couple of days. Today, ESPN’s Chad Ford floated one involving the Golden State Warriors. Earlier this week, Beacon Journal columnist Patrick McManamon wrote an excellent column summing up Varejao’s situation.
So with all that out there, let me tell you what I know about what has been going on.
–The Cavs have had trade talks with at least five teams about Varejao. But these talks have three sides, the Cavs, the potential trading partner and Varejao’s agent, Dan Fegan. Because Andy has to give permission to be traded before Dec. 5 (a stipulation when a player has an offer sheet matched by his team), he must be in the loop before a deal can be done. This permission will be given (he cannot be traded to the Bobcats under any circumstances until Dec.) only if Fegan likes the chances of Varejao getting big minutes and having an important role at his new destination. The reason is this is Varejao’s contract year essentially and a big season would mean a chance at the big deal Andy has wanted for a year. I also know that at least one trading partner has already been told “no” by Fegan. I do not know which team, but keep in mind as the Cavs are linked to the Milwaukee Bucks in trade rumors that Fegan also represents Yi Jianlian and probably would not like Varejao and Yi fighting for minutes with one another.
–Because of all these moving parts — there are three different sides able to pitch trades — any deal involving Varejao will be difficult to pull off right now. The Cavs do not have to trade him and they may wait and let the Dec. 5 deadline pass so they have more freedom. But obviously there is a market for Varejao and with the draft coming up, there’s an uptick in trying to get things done.
–The Cavs were pleased with how professionally Andy handled playing with Ben Wallace and even went to him and thanked him at the end of the season. But it is clear to both sides that Andy was not happy yielding crunch time minutes to Wallace and that is an issue that may become problematic next season when Varejao starts feeling the heat of playing another contract. With that in mind and the fear of losing Andy for nothing and/or going another 15 rounds with Fegan next summer, it is easy to see why the Cavs are open to trading their only big man under 30.
–There are a number of players the Cavs like in this draft. If anything, they are looking to move up in the draft or get a second pick instead of trading out as rumors have suggested. In addition, unless there is another rock solid plan in place, it is doubtful the Cavs would only trade Varejao unless they were getting another big man in return. It is questionable whether they can get an immediately contributing big with the 19th pick and losing Varejao would leave a huge hole because he is the team’s only legit backup center.
–I’ll have more on the draft over the weekend or early next week.
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Uhhh… Chuck. At the time, there were only three other teams that could have offered him more than the midlevel exception. None nneded a center. So, by process of elimination, by definition, and by simple common sense, Ferry bid against himself. For money far exceeding his worth, for years far exceeding his worth. And yes, with that 15% trade kicker that Ferry idiotically agreed to stick into that contract, the contract has always been untradeable.
Biff, name anybody? OK, just about anybody that can move. Decent center in his younger days, totally wrong to team him with James.
And he’s a “great offensive rebounder?” Oh, come on. Padding stats with tips of your own shots does not equate to “great.” And his defense hasn’t improved, it’s just that Brown’s system covers up a lot of bad things. Just like Brown’s horrible offensive system actually can be a major positive, depending upon the opponent.
Oh, and Chuck, not to nitpick or anything, but the guy has never averaged 9.8, let alone over 10 rebounds per game. Like Delonte West, he should be coming off the bench. I mean, this is a 7″2″ guy who averaged a horrid 47% field goal percentage. That is downright awful. He’s too slow for James, and he’s a magic act with the ball. Watch that bunny disappear, because you’ll never see it again.
Not to nitpick? – in my haze this morning I typed 9.8 instead of 9.3. Big freaking deal. Furthermore 47% isn’t bad for a player asked to shot a lot of mid range jumpshots – regardless of his height. And tips count for a reason – it’s hardly “padding your statistics,” since it counts as a missed shot, too. Getting that ball back on the rim gives you chance to put it in, get fouled, for someone else to put it in, for someone else to get the offensive rebound – it’s what they want a big man, like Z, to do, as opposed to coming back down with it. The only thing that’s better is dunking it. So when you complain about it, you just show a lack of understanding a basketball fundamental. And whether you like cold hard facts or not, Z comes up with offensive rebounds better than almost anyone in the entire NBA, having finished in the top ten in offensive rebounds each of the last five years, leading the league in 2005.
I disagree with the implication that Z is some albatross around Lebron’s neck. Z’s game fits very well with Lebron’s in the half court offense – where most playoff games are played.
Frankly, as proven this off season, it’s irrelevant how many teams seem to have the money be big players in a free agent market – it just takes a salary dump here or there and a team comes out of nowhere with a bunch of cash. Since it’s obvious to all rational minds that Z signed for and is making about his market value, what you are criticizing Ferry for is not low-balling Z based on your impression of the market. Ask the Clippers how that worked out for them this year with Elton Brand. There’s no common sense in your position at all.
I don’t disagree that a year less deal and without the kicker would have been prefereable at the time, but it got the deal done, and honestly, the contract has worked out pretty well so far. A player option year at 11M, if Z maintains near his current level of production, hardly seems unreasonable. And the kicker, at 15%, has never amounted to more than 1.5M – not a big amount to overcome in a deal, and obviously, only 15% added to the remaining value of the contract. Big deal.
Plus, alan, I’m not sure if you know this but you know what you need to push the ball effectively? A good point guard. You know what we don’t have? A good point guard.
If we had Lebron matched with a quick guard with a great handle that could push the tempo and at least a couple of frontcourt guys that were mobile and athletic, I’d accept you blaming Z for our pace problems. But even if you took Z out of the picture, we still don’t have a point guard to spark an up-tempo offense and we only have one big (Varajao) that would be able to play a quarter without collapsing.
What we have is a great finisher and most of a supporting cast (coach included) that prohibits him from scoring in the open floor. We should be thankful that we have Z to bang around in the halfcourt to at least alleviate some of Lebron’s scoring burden. Until you can make wholesale changes to the team, Z is the best thing Lebron has working for him.
Uh, Chuck. I’m not saying Ilgauskas intentionally pads his statistics. But take out all those ridiculous tips because the guy is too damn weak to ram it home, and his offensive rebounding numbers are nothing to write home to Lithuania about.
And nobody, and I mean NOBODY, was going to trade for Ilgauskas after that five-year contract was signed. Five years for all that money, plus a 15% kicker for a dude who should be playing 20 minutes a game? Not a chance.
The Cavs would have been better off, as most teams have done this decade, by going with a forward at center and/or center by committee. Save the cap space for something else in the future. Like Allen Iverson. Or whoever.
And Biff, no matter how you try to frame it, the bottom line is that once Ilgauskas was signed, Brown’s offense became the only way. It’s like a poor man’s Fratello. Slow, slower and slowest. And it’s probably a good thing they didn’t get a speed demon point guard, because they would have been stuck with a very expensive center who would have been forced to sit. It’s no coincidence that when they play fast-break teams, that Ilgauskas is playing 20 minutes. He’d play even less if they had somebody else to play.
But it’s all a moot point now. When all is said and done, it will be like the Rocky Colavito trade. Decades after James is gone, and assuming the Cavs don’t end up in Seattle, they’ll still be talking about Danny Ferry in Cleveland’s suburbs (nobody is going to be left in Cleveland’s neighborhoods). They’ll be talking about him both as the deadwood of a horrible, horrible trade that killed them once, and as mold and mildew as a general manager that killed them for good. It’s a cryin’ shame.
Uh alan, that’s a complete crock. Ilgauskas gets to those tips because he has consistently been one of the five tallest players in the NBA for his entire career. Do you even watch basketball? And you’re the one that used the word “padded,” any negative connotations are yours.
Does anyone ever trade for a player in the first year of a five year deal? Off the top of my head, I can think of exactly one time. Does it even happen in the first year of a four year deal? Isn’t even pretty rare in the second year of five? Your point is kind of useless.
Your grand idea, with your best 20/20 hindsight, would have been a center by committee, and save the cap space, and go for a player like Iverson. Most teams that save cap space are headed directly to the lottery – would that have helped us re-sign Lebron after the season?
You’ve just delivered my favorite Z line of all time, chuck–”he has consistently been one of the five tallest players in the NBA for his entire career.”
Z’s a valuable player but he’s just not the right building block for the kind of team that would have best suited LeBron’s unprecedented abilities. The Cavs had the cap space to realitstically obtain two players with 10M+ salaries in the 2 years following Ferry’s arrival, and he chose Z and Hughes, two almost all-stars whose games are predicated on completely opposite styles of play.
The Hughes signing may have worked out much better if the Cavs signed mobile young defenders instead of Z. That probably would have suited LeBron better, as well.
But Ferry, like Shapiro, seems to think his system is the most important aspect of the team when in reality of course LeBron is and hopefully will be for the next 12 years or so.
Guys, they couldn’t just decide not to have a Center. Who the heck else were they going to sign?
Glad you like the line, Larry. I see the other 10M not so much as Z, since Z was just a matter of re-signing you r own free agent with full Bird rights, but as Damon Jones + Donyell Marshall.
I think that the reasons the Hughes signing failed were three fold.
1. He missed major time with injuries.
2. The failure of Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones to provide the outside shooting for which they were signed. Larry Hughes can’t shoot – but that was known when we signed him. When Marshall and Jones failed to produce as they had in the past, it both added shot opportunities for Hughes and put pressure on the rest of the team to take more outside shots. Not good.
3. Hughes reluctance to play the point. The CAvs actually had a pretty good run with Larry at the point. It was a good fit, giving the Cavs a big defensive point guard, taking pressure off Lebron to bring the ball up, and allowed Hughes take shots when he got them within his comfort zone, in the confines of the offense, without having to create them for himself. His unwillingness to continue at point is certainly what led to him being traded, more than anything else.
Z’s contract wasnt that bad. he is still a very productive player on both ends of the court. hes past his prime, but there are players much worse making much more. alan t – you cant just assume the cavs could have gotten the same kind of production out of a “center by committee” had they decided to not sign Z. who else is out there? if you go the committee route, then you inevitably end up with a threesome or so of guys like scott pollard, andrew declerq and Diop. if any one of those guys are playing full time, you are likely in trouble. in addition, the combination of salaries of that kind of committee would likely roughly equate to Z’s salary. so just sign Z rather than go with a committee of a bunch of scrubs. bottom line is had the cavs let Z go, then they would be trying to fill that C spot and grumps like you would be complaining about how dumb the cavs were to let a C like Z slip right through their hands when he was there for the taking. an important detail – lbj wanted Z back.
you also love to talk about how ferry was stupid for “blowing” all that cap space in 2005. was ferry supposed to not spend it and sign bottom of the barrel players that year? should he have waited to spend it in 2006? 2007? at what point was he supposed to spend it? at some point that cap space has to get spent. which free agents have been out there to sign? should he have waited until 2008 to go after maggette? had he done that, lbj would probably already be gone. nearly all free agent signings are inevitably overpaid. thats how free agency works in sports. there is no perfect answer, but i am willing to bet that there would be a better chance for LBJ to leave had the cavs NOT spent that cap space than spending it poorly (which they didnt, although i agree it could have been spent better).
chuck – i agree with your hughes analysis. one other point to consider is just simply hughes didnt have the mental makeup for a championship level team. i think he did when he was signed, but lost it. hughes openly admitted that especially after his brother died, he lost his competitive edge and was content just playing basketball, having fun and enjoying life. winning wasnt necessarily important to him anymore. there is no way ferry or anyone else could have predicted that hughes was such a mental light-weight and would lose his competitive edge in 2 seasons due to his brother dying. if hughes is content playing ball and cashing checks and enjoying life, then more power to him. i wish i had that life. but he ultimately turned into a player that was not conducive to helping win a championship and ferry could not have predicted that.
Joe – after we traded him, Hughes went on record saying winning wasn’t as important to him as having fun. I don’t hold a grudge against Hughes either, but you’re right, he’s not a winner, and you may be right that his brother’s death may have had some impact towards that.
Well, the Vegas Summer League is over. NBA TV graced us with two games – I don’t really understand why they didn’t do all of them, they shot them all. Hell, I’ll go do play by play next year, if that’s the issue, for free… the rest of the games can be watched streaming, but that’s a tough viewing experience….
jj hickson did very well in the Summer League. He was about 20 & 8, and showed a variety of ways to score, inside and out, occasionally with some flair and creativity. I can’t wait to see him against real opponents, but the two games I saw he looked impressive. Most of the time, he was clearly the best player on the court. He may be able to give us a Maxiell type presence off the bench. For some reason, he reminded me of a young Antonio McDyess. He can really get up there, and might be a decent shot blocker. He was even double teamed a few times, and fought through them well. One problem – I don’t think I saw him get a single assist. nonetheless, he was right there with Mayo, Bayless, Love, & Randolph as rookies go.
I think Darnell Jackson will play most of the time in the D League, but he’s already at least as good as Dwayne Jones. He’s solid defensively, and strong, but didn’t put much together offensively. he showed a little jump hook off the glass in the middle of the paint, and can hit little stand still jumpers, but doesn’t really seem to have much in terms of post presence.
Both players looked bigger than I thought they were.
Clay Tucker will be one of the last cuts this year, I’m guessing. He should he could score and move the ball around a little. Mike Greene looked like he’ll be invited to training camp, too. He’s aggressive to the basket and does a good job setting up teammates.
Traylor faded after a strong start. i think he’ll make it back to the NBA, but I doubt with the Cavs this year.
Anyone else see the rumour that Golden State is interested in Delonte West?
i havent heard that but anything is possible. i like west and want the cavs to keep him, but not by overpaying. it should be interesting.
by the way – alot of positive reviews on Hickson so far nationally. where are all the ferry bashers now? granted its just summer league, but its better than struggling.
larry, consider this to be a concurring vote on that unintentionally hilarious line being my favorite Ilgauskas line of all-time. “…he has consistently been one of the five tallest players in the NBA for his entire career.” Elgin Baylor has consistently worn one of the five thickest toupees in the NBA over the course of his front office career. Unfortunately, neither Baylor and his ultra-thick toupee nor Z and his legendary height have been the wisest talent combinations for their respective teams.
I’m torn about Baylor. He has consistently drafted talented players but the culture there is too much to overcome. Maybe it’s his fault or maybe it’s Sterling’s.
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