Well, let's go down the list of the possible free agent signees for the Cavs.
Charlie Villanueva — to Detroit.
Ron Artest — to the Lakers.
Trevor Ariza — to Houston.
How's that? None of thes guys wanted to play with Shaq and LeBron?
Further insult: Artest and Ariza signed with other teams for the same money the Cavs were offering, the now-famous $5.8 million mid-level exception.
This is not the way things were supposed to go.
In order …
Villanueva signed with Detroit before the Cavs could even get a sniff at him. The Pistons offered more money, which proves the axiom that the athlete will go to the money. That being said, Cleveland did not seem to be in Charlie V's plans.
Artest was reportedly wooed by Cleveland, but Artest told CBSports.com that talks with Cleveland "never got that far'" and said of Cleveland's extreme interest: "I don't know how extreme." Artest has a home in LA, and he made it clear that's where he wants to play. If Artest does what he did a year ago, this signing seems to keep the Lakers right at the top of the pack. In fact, if Lamar Odom returns, the Lakers have to be considered the premier team in the NBA. By far.
Ariza for some reason chose Houston over the Cavs. Perhaps it was the years — Ariza reportedly will sign for five years. Ariza would have looked great in a Cavs uniform. He'll wear Houston's.
So the Cavs move on to the next batch of free agents, which includes Rasheed Wallace (being wooed heavily — very heavily — by Boston and San Antonio) and Antonio McDyess (a guy I've always liked, but a guy who didn't look too good in the playoffs).
It's not really possible to paint any of this as positive. The Cavs celebrated the introduction of Shaquille O'Neal on Thursday, but lost on the main players who would solve their other issues — front-court depth, and some players with height.
Too, Anderson Varejao is no longer on the team. Re-signing him seems to have taken on a much higher priority.
There's a lot of rumors the Cavs now will pursue Anthony Parker of Toronto, a 34-year-old, 6-foot-6 swing guy. He can play defense, but he shot 42.6 percent last season. This does not seem like the kind of player who will excite the masses.
Oh yeah, Marcin Gortat, the big guy in Orlando … he's going to Dallas.
And Zach Randolph was traded to the Grizzlies, effectively taking Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby off the trade market.
Teams are not made or broken with free agency, but there were guys out there who could have helped the Cavs. It seemed that the lure of playing on the same team as Shaq and LeBron might have enticed them.
It didn't.
Which makes the first two days of free agency more than a wee bit disappointing.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
It is just hilarious. What goes around comes around. Ferry got so freakin' arrogant and assumed he wouldn't need Varejao because every free agent would just flock onto his roster like moths to a flame. He disrespected Varejao and his agent in a major way in 2007, and he strutted around like a rabid peacock in 2009. He didn't need Varejao or Varejao's agent. He ruled the roost.
So, where are all the good free agents, Danny Boy? Unless you suddenly get the magic touch pretty damn fast, Varejao's agent now has you by the short hairs. Of course, I say this assuming you don't shave them. I mean, who really knows with guys these days.
This is just amazing. Not to pat myself on the back, or anything, but I repeatedly wrote at the time that it was an extremely wise tactic and Varejao wouldn't lose a red cent from it. Not only did people call *me* an idiot, but every single columnist and beat writer in the local media badmouthed Varejao and Varejao's agent and called *them* an idiot. (Not you, Pat, that was before your time). Well, who's the idiot now? I'll give you a hint, it ain't Varejao or his agent.
Payback is sweet, and Varejao and his agent are very likely dancing around in their underwear like Tom Cruise before he became a Scientologist.
Varejao's problem is there are not going to be any teams with cap space who are going to sign him to a big money deal. He will remain a Cav.
The Cavs are stuck in a catch 22….some free agents don't want to sign here if LBJ is going to leave after next year….LBJ is using his 2010 free agency as leverage to force Ferry to improve the team.
If the Cavs are unable to sign someone like Bosh with all the cap room they are saving for 2010….then it will get ugly.
If LeBron really wants people to sign here, he needs to step up and make the first commitment. Sheesh, the man is already gonna be the highest-earner, no matter how you slice it, so if you are really committed to the Cavs, help them out by signing and then actively lobbying your friends to join you for a series of championship runs.
We don't have the allure of certain warm-weather cities, so it's essential that LeBron himself use his drawing-power and influence to help build his team. You don't think Jordan wouldn't have done the same? Come on, LBJ, get with the program. You and your uncertain contract status are squashing your own chances of bringing in talent and winning. What's your end-game here, anyway?
To me the biggest issue is these guys really don't know if Lebron is staying….
WHY would you sign a multi year deal here when James hasn't even committed to playing here beyond this year? The best guy on the team, IMO is hurting the team's chances a bit.
It's a little crazy to blame LeBron. We get the same "Ferry is burning up the phone lines" stories every summer, then a bunch of stories making excuses for his inability to sign anyone significant unless they overpay the Marshall–Hughes–Damon Jones proven loser types.
It's hard not to get the feeling that players, agents and other GMs just don't like Ferry all that much.
Classic "Catch-22." LeBron supposedly "holding leverage" by not signing, waiting to see if the Cavs will assemble a championship team around him. Meanwhile, all-star players won't sign here unless LeBron makes a long-term commitment. James can't have it both ways. If he truly wants to WIN, as he says, then he needs to do the right thing and sign an extension. Then, the dominoes will fall into place, talent will come, titles will flow, all will be well.
It's not the weather and it's not LeBron's lack of recruiting skills. Do the suburbs of Detroit have macadamia nut trees and palm trees lining the curbs? How many pairs of thermal underpants does one need, two or three? Did the ex-Bad Boys regroup like a 156th KISS Farewell Tour to recruit free agents? Was Michael Redd entranced by LeBron's eyes and sexy tats before Michael Redd inevitably told Ferry to kiss his cheeks, and not the ones on his face?
It's Danny Ferry, Danny Ferry and Danny Ferry. All three of them.
I'm sorry, but NOW is the time to bring up the summer of 2010. Businesses are long-term, aren't they? The NBA isn't going defunct tomorrow, is it? Arena attendance still means something for the franchise in 2012, doesn't it? Is anybody still cheering the 2007 Indians? Or, are folks calling for Eric Wedge to be hung in effigy in the gorgeous Flats, yet another hot NBA free agent destination. After all, everybody knows if not for the Flats, Larry Hughes and Z would have gone overseas to play for huge 100% tax-free overseas contracts dwarfing Josh Childress' terrific tax-free Greek contract.
Hey, in 2005, if Z's agent had cleverly turned down Ferry's five-year, zillion-dollar contract when Ferry was the only guy in the NBA bidding for his rugged low-post and lighting quick running game services, perhaps Z might have gone and played for that Moscow team, like Delonte West's agent once teased. I could envision Z being nicknamed by the Russkie press "The Fabio of Moscow." That Z would have been one hot property. Chicks ahoy.
http://xr.com/5thy
well alan, i'm sure there is the usual crowd out saying you're an idiot but you did indeed call this a long time ago. and now it's on public display for anyone without a special cleveland lobotomy to see. at least i got my head out of the sand in february. there are plenty of people out there who really think that the cavs are going to keep lebron and score chris bosh or some other sweet free agent next year. sorry folks.
AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.
it is now or never. as brian and jason and others stated, lebron needed to show committment to the team and he didn't. the 2010 season may still end with a parade but it's also going to be a new orleans funeral for the franchise.
oh yeah, the ariza thing. as some guy named julio and i were trying to tell some of the droolers in another forum the crux of the biscuit is—STATE INCOME TAXES. although the money is equal on paper texas has no state income tax so really the decision for trevor ariza was an easy one.
Brian and Jason, James' people certainly aren't naive or dumb. They knew all that going into this free agent period. Read the tea leaves. As far as a lot of other folks are concerned, I've heard ostrich meat is pretty good. http://xr.com/4s9
Oh, thall also said the same thing. Didn't mean to make it appear I was ignoring or dissing you. My bad.
I guess I wasn't aware it was such a 'done deal' that LBJ won't be signing here. But I suppose his actions (or lack thereof) are speaking volumes. He really *doesn't* care about winning here. I actually thought he might be the exception to the rule, a hometown guy, like Yastrzemski or George Brett or Maravich, who remains loyal to "his" team longterm or lifetime. But when I heard the nonsense about him wanting to be the first billionaire athlete, that tells me it's just all about LeBron. All about the money. We've seen that act before, time and again. It's never enough. And then they die, and it all meant absolutely zero.
Thank god we've got Eyenga though!
By the way, if Don King had been born an ostrich, wouldn't he have looked a lot like the bird in that photo? Check it out.
i'm guessing that they all found out alan t. is a fan and decided to play elsewhere.
seriously – texas has no state income tax, while artest will be in the 10% tax bracket. at the MLE, that's an extra 500k a year – or like not having an agent. as fot artest, he's wanted to be a laker for the longest time, so there really wasn't any chance there. plus he's already got a house here.
asides from CV getting more money, michigan's state tax rate is also 1% less, as it also is for the state of massachusetts. that's an extra 10k per million dollars of salary
ohio is actually in the middle of the pack US-wise, but at a disadvantage to the other major contenders – florida also has no state income tax. jersey has it rough – they're at 9% while NY is only 6.85%.
Technically 10.3% for California to 5.925% for Ohio to 0% for Texas, Barry.
But thanks for noticing that, no matter how much the local media always hypes the complete opposite, free agents with more mad skills than Paul Mokeski always avoid me and my birthplace like hot women avoid Elton John's Speedos.
http://xr.com/jzeb
I have no worries about the Cavs not signing any free agents as Alan has pretty much guaranteed they will win the title now that they have Shaq:
alan t. Says:
March 5th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
48-12? What’s that, his wife’s measurements? Ferry didn’t do it, James did. And then the salary-dumping Bucks did. Other than that, Ferry was at the right place at the right time. My neighbor’s cute granddaughter could have accomplished the same feat.
And I’m not riding Ferry here for being dumb, per se. I’m riding him because as a general manager, he has proven to be the worst chess and poker player with agents in all of Cleveland sports. The competition isn’t even close. He’d never last in a management job in the real world.
And come on, dumping Count Pavlovic leaves the Cavaliers “woefully shorthanded?” Pavlovic can’t even count his short hands without committing an offensive foul. When the playoffs come around, which is all that matters, Pavlovic won’t even be in the rotation, and Eyebrow Guy will be seeing a few minutes only if Gibson keeps clanging away with his three-point heaves.
It’s a shame Gilbert is hurting so badly, because with James and O’Neal in the same lineup, they would have been unstoppable in the playoffs on both ends of the floor. Take Chris Paul’s lobs to Chandler for dunks, multiply by 5. And if that wasn’t available, O’Neal is a great passer and could simply pass out to the wings.
They could have just handed James his first trophy right now, save everybody the time. And then hope Bob Costas didn’t come over to ABC and screw up in the locker room again by referring to Michael Jordan’s wife as his mother.