No Jackson

Well I guess we can kill all discussion about a possible trade for a Stephen Jackson deal. The Warriors traded him to the Bobcats for G Raja Bell and F Vlad Radmonovic. With the uncertainty of Delonte West this season, I really thought the chances of trading for Jackson would be high. As I stated earlier, I always thought Jackson would be a good fit for our squad. He can defend the perimeter, he can score, and he worked with Mike Brown in Indiana and San Antonio. According to Brian Windhorst, the Cavs offered Z in the deal but only if he would take a buy out. According to Marc Stein of ESPN we offered Delonte and a sign and trade of Wally for Jackson. Apparently the Warriors were close to accepting the Delonte deal, but the Bobcats came up with a better offer. I feel like the reason why the Warriors didn't accept our deal was because of the Pau Gasol effect. They would be trading Jackson for almost nothing, especially with Delonte's pending court case and the uncertainty of his mental condition. At least with the Bobcats deal they get a defender in Bell, who also has an expiring contract. Radmonovic provides Don Nelson a 6'10 bigman who can shoot. We know how much Nelson loves shooters.

To be honest with you, I would've done both deals. Delonte right now is stabilizing and he needs to get his life in order. He has not been responsible, evident in the fact that he has not been taking his meds, and that he got caught with his gun charges. The Cavs cannot babysit him his whole life, he needs to put his life in order. I love him as a player, and as a person he his hilarious, but he has to show that he is going to be accountable for his actions. With Z, I have stated before that I am not going to be upset if he gets traded. His expiring deal is a huge trade chip for us and if it can get us a player who will improve our roster I am all for it. If we can buy him out even better, and we also must get a bigman in return if he is traded.

Where do the Cavs go from here? I don't know any available names right now. I can guess some guys who could become available. The key is to look at teams who are not contending, not rebuilding, and have high pay rolls. There are two teams that I can think of that fit this mold right now, the Washington Wizards, and the New Orleans Hornets. The Wizards are 2-7 and the Hornets are 3-8. The Wizards added Randy Foye and Mike Miller this offseason, and have Gilbert Arenas fully healthy, and were expected to be the 4th seed in the East. Instead their offense has sputtered (94 ppg), Arenas is averaging 4 turnovers a game, and the team can't defend well (allowing 98 ppg). The team has the 8th highest payroll at $79 million and they are paying the luxury tax. The team isn't rebuilding with a core of Jamison, Butler, Arenas, Miller, and Foye. If the team isn't going anywhere soon, they might as well rid themselves of a bad contract or two. Caron Butler could be a name you hear as his deal goes till 2011.

The New Orleans Hornets are a team that could start unloading some of its players as well. With a payroll of $73 million, they have the 11th highest payroll in the league. The team isn't rebuilding with such a high payroll, and the team has no viable young talent (Julian Wright? ha, Hilton Armstong? ha). Some players names you might hear are Emeka Okafor (contract till 2014), Peja Stojakovic (contract till 2011), and David West (contract till 2011). I really don't want any part of Okafor or Stojakovic, but I wouldn't mind West. Peja is another Wally Z, and Okafor has a very long contract, who isn't that good at scoring in the post. The problem with West is that we are seeing JJ Hickson develop before our eyes (18 and 20 points the last two nights), and we still have Leon Powe waiting to play in February. We might not need another PF.

Hickson is untouchable according to Windhorst, which is reasonable. Hickson won't get traded unless its for a superstar (Chris Bosh or Chris Paul). Also, I mentioned earlier that Rudy Gay could be a guy whose name you hear later in the year as well. Remember the Cavs have assets to make a trade, young talent (Danny Green, Christian Eyenga, JJ Hickson, Darnell Jackson, expiring contract (Z), non-guarenteed deals for 2010 (Delonte West, Jawad Williams, Leon Powe) and a draft pick (first round in 2010 NBA Draft). If a team is looking to unload some salary, they can attach it to a good player come February. Only time will tell....

Thanks for reading, go Cleveland!

-Raz