Brother Red

As most of you know by now, Delonte West is out for about 6 weeks with a fractured wrist. Don't be suprised if he comes back within 4 weeks. He suffered this injury during Thursdays game versus the Chicago Bulls. This is a big blow to the Cavs, especially after their big defeat of the Celtics last week. This injury really couldn't happen at any worse time, because the Cavs are about to go on their West Coast trip on Monday. They begin on Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, and the Utah Jazz. They come home for one game versus the Sacramento Kings, then go to the Orlando Magic to play what can be a pivotal game. The Cavs are really going to miss Delonte's shooting, and scrappy defense. He is a guy who plays very hard every game, and he is a great team player. After he hurt himself, he came out during half time and said that he was going to play in the West Coast trip, which is absurd, yet hilarious. He has a lot of heart, and he is a real asset to this team.

The Cavs played a good game last night versus the New Orleans Hornets. I really thought we were going to lose because we just came off an exhausting overtime loss the night before, and because we were playing a very good New Orleans team. LeBron took over in the 4th quarter (he scored 14 points I believe in the 4th), and he played much better in this game than he did versus Chicago. With Ben Wallace back, and Z probably coming back in a week, things are starting to clear up just a little bit for the Cavs (aside from the Delonte injury!).

Now that his injury has happened, what do the Cavs do from here? They are going to start Sasha Pavlovic in his place. As I have stated before, I really believe Sasha is not a good player at all. He never seems to have his head in the game, and he always slows the offense down. Next time you watch him play, watch him get a pass. Once he receives the pass, he will stop, hold the ball for 2 seconds, fake a shot, or just pass it away. He never seems to know what he is doing, and if he could keep his head on straight, he could become a solid reserve. Last night against the New Orleans Hornets, he scored 19 points on 7-10 shooting from the field, and 4-4 from 3 point land (he does this 2-3 times a year, I will bet any of you that he will score less than 10 points versus the Lakers). Sasha did what he is good at doing (there aren't too many good things he can do though), playing under control, shooting when he is open, and playing defense. If he can do these things, you will see a much better player. Sasha is more athletic than people believe, and he did play some solid defense as he had 2 steals, and I remember him blocking the ball against the backboard when one of the Hornets players drove to the hoop. He is no Delonte West, but you have to go with what you have, and Sasha can do some of the things Delonte did.

With Delonte's injury also comes the slew of trade talk. Everyone seems to be freaking out about his injury. I don't think the Cavs will make an immediate knee jerk reaction trade. He isn't going to make a move within the next week or two. The Cavs know that they are in need of a guard, especially with the number one seed in the East up for grabs. Teams know this too, thus they can hike up the price of a player during a trade (supply/demand). Ferry is known for being very patient in his moves, and he looks at all of his options before making a deal. I do believe though that the Cavaliers will probably start to make some calls. Remember last year when Lakers Center Andrew Bynum was lost for the season with his knee injury? That occurred in January 13th, on February 1st, the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol. I could definitely see the Cavs doing a move like that. The Cavs will probably wait two weeks, and see what comes about....

Recently I spoke about possible trades that the Cavs could make, and I really don't think much has changed. I think the four names the Cavs could get are: Kings Center Brad Miller, Clippers Center Marcus Camby, Kings Forward John Salmons, and Bobcats Guard/Forward Gerald Wallace. If I had to rank the chances of these guys coming here I would do it this way:

1. Brad Miller: The Kings really have no use for him. They drafted F/C Jason Thompson this past year, and he seems to be developing into a good player. Thompson is averaging 9.5 points per game, and 6.7 rebounds per game. Also, the team received rookie F Donte Green in the Ron Artest deal, and he is also a promising youngster (Averaging 4.5 points in just 14 minutes a game). They have their center of the future in Spencer Hawes, he is a legitimate 7 footer, he averages 11 points per game, and 7 rebounds a game. Also, the Kings have the best player no one knows about in the league in guard Kevin Martin. He averaged 24 points per game, and is truly a great player. Other youngsters on this squad include guards Bobby Brown, Beno Udrih, Quincy Douby, Francisco Garcia and center Shelden Williams. The average age of all these guys is a shade over 23. The Kings have a 10-31 record, which is good for 3rd worst in the West. The team isn't going anywhere in the short term, they might as well acquire an expiring contract for future cap space, and a draft pick for future young talent. Miller as I stated earlier, fits our needs in that he is 7'0, a solid offensive player, a good rebounder, and a contract that ends in 2010. Watch out for his name....

2. Marcus Camby: The reason why I don't put him as number one is because Chris Kaman is hurt now, and they need another bigman to go with Zach Randolph. But, two reasons why he would come here. One, the Clippers got him for nothing (they traded a 2nd round pick for him), and the Clippers would rather stay under the salary cap threshold and save money, then keep/acquire good talent. Their owner Donald Sterling is notorious for being cheap, the Clippers have the second lowest payroll in the NBA. If Sterling has the opportunity to acquire an $14 million expiring contract (Wally), along with a draft pick and send away a longer contract (Camby), then he might consider it. The second reason is because Camby's contract ends in 2010, a definite plus. His name will be thrown a lot during the trade deadline.

3. John Salmons- Recently, I read reports from Hoopshype.com that stated that Salmons was unhappy in Sacramento, and that he could ask for a trade. The reason I have Salmons this low is because his contract runs past 2010, and the Kings really have a great value in Salmons. He is making $5.1 million this year, and he is putting up good numbers (I posted these numbers in an earlier blog). The combination of the Cavs wanting to save money for 2010 (plus Anderson Varaejo's pending free agency this offseason, and he has played well this season for the Cavs to consider re-signing him), and the Kings having great value in Salmons, probably makes Salmons a harder get.

4. Gerald Wallace- He is a great player, and I still think the Cavs will try to get him, but his long contract makes me put him at the bottom. Also, Wally and a pick won't get it done, and we would have to take on additional salaries to get him. This hurts us in 2010, and the Cavs really want to keep space open for a big free agent that year. His name will also be thrown around come February.

Well folks, this just about does it. With the trade deadline coming up soon, I will probably continue to write blogs about the names I am hearing. If I sound contradictory at all, I apologize. I am sure that I was repetitive, but I just wanted to get all my points across. I hope my insight has helped, and I wish you all the best! Go Cleveland!

-Raz