The Army of Antawn

Well folks, after months of speculation the Cavs finally made a deal today. The Cavs acquired F Antwan Jamison and PG Sebastian Telfair for Z and a first round pick. To clear this issue quickly, Z's agent Herb Rudoy told the Cleveland Plain Dealer "I'm going to try and get them to do a buyout. I think his heart is in Cleveland, that's for sure. But we'll see how this plays out". The Cavs can sign Z for the bi-annual exception of $1.9 million (which is more than most teams can offer) after he gets bought out. Z's 2 adopted sons and wife live in Cleveland, and he spent his entire career here. The Wizards really have no reason to keep Z as they are in last place, plus they have youngsters JaVale McGee and Andray Blache to play. Also by buying Z out, the Wizards would get under the luxury tax. Getting under the luxury tax has been the main objective for the Wizards. Through the dealings of Caron Butler and Jamison, the Wizards cleared about $22 million off their cap for this summer.

Secondly, I would like to address the Amare issue. The Cavs had been in serious negotiations with the Suns about acquiring Amare. The Cavs were offering Z, Hickson, 2010 first rounder, and Danny Green. The Suns were talking to the Miami Heat, and the Heat were offering Mario Chalmers, Q-Richardson, Daequan Cook, and Dorell Wright along with a first round draft pick. The Suns wanted to either get Michael Beasley in the deal from the Heat, or get the Heat to find a 3rd team to take on Jason Richardson (he is owed $14 million next year). The Cavs on the other hand set a deadline with the Suns and they wanted to have an answer by today. The Cavs did not want another team to outbid them. Also as some of you remember, the Cavs were in serious negotiations for Shaq last year with the Suns but a couple hours before the deadline ended, the Suns pulled out of the deal. The Cavs did not want this to happen again so they were insistent on getting an answer. Apparently, the Suns had been stalling for a day or two, so Dan Gilbert got involved today. Both Gilbert and Cavs GM Danny Ferry approached the Suns and wanted an answer on our offer. Either we were not given an answer, or we were told "no". After this, the Cavs stuck to their word, and had a deal on the back-burner with the Wizards which they then completed. The Suns lost any leverage they had with the Heat, because now the Heat know they no longer have to compete with our offer. The Heat can keep their offer, or the Suns can just keep Amare for the rest of the year. If the Suns keep Amare for the rest of the year they risk losing him to another team in free agency (he is leaving the Suns, but the Suns can sign and trade him because they have his bird rights). The indecisiveness of the Suns really hurt them in the end, it seems that they did not know what they were doing. The Cavs did not want to have the rug pulled from under them at the last second by Phoenix, and that is why they ended up with Jamison.

On to the actual trade itself. I think this is a first degree felony. We traded our first round pick for Antawn Jamison. I'll say it again, first round pick for Antawn Jamison. Again, first round pick for Antawn Jamison. There is a great chance Z comes back as well. Jamison gives us the "stretch 4" the team needs. He can shoot the midrange jumper, rebound, and score inside. He is a great character and locker room guy. This will allow the Cavs to continue to develop Hickson, while adding another scorer to the Cavs. Danny Ferry was able to leverage the checkbook of Dan Gilbert on weaker teams. Ferry traded Damon Jones for Mo Williams, Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic for Shaq, and now a 1st round pick for Antawn Jamison. He took advantage of the fact that all of these teams needed to cut payroll and were bleeding money. Ferry positioned himself by using expiring contracts and draft picks to get these players. We should also be extremely thankful we have an owner like Dan Gilbert. He is willing to take on the final $28 million of Jamison' deal and pay the tax on that. If you look across the street to the Cleveland Indians and you will see an owner who is penny pinching. The Indians are constantly trading their good talent for younger prospects because they cannot afford to keep them. Gilbert has shown he will spend money to get great players. He is a man of his word who says he will do anything to win. We should really appreciate Dan Gilbert and all he has done for this organization.

The Cavs have put themselves in a great position to win the NBA Championship this year and next year. Probably the best part of this deal is the fact that we kept both JJ Hickson and Danny Green. We did not mortgage our future at all because we kept both of these guys. To me, the Cavs need to continue to add young players so they have something to build off of. I am not someone who likes throwing draft picks in deals and I am not opposed to using one in this deal, but the Cavs need to continue to surround LeBron with guys like Hickson and Green. Adding young talent around LeBron would only further convince him to stay. I wouldn't be surprised if the Cavs tried to trade for a draft pick tomorrow.

Back to the Amare situation, I would have loved to have Amare in the long term. He is 27, and is in the prime of his career. He would be a great running mate for LeBron for years to come. He throws down a lot of great dunks and can finish at the basket. To me though, Amare has a lot of potential negatives. One, when I see Amare carry himself on and off the court, he seems very cocky. Brian Windhorst made a good point that one time Amare was being interviewed this year and he took offense that no one asked him about 2010 free agency. He seems to be a guy who is concerned about himself. Secondly, he is someone who wants a max contract this summer. This is why he is leaving Phoenix, because they do not want to pay him $19 million a year. If he was traded to the Cavs, he would be getting 10-12 shots a game and not his usual 15 shots a game (he is averaging about 15 a game this year). He would be forced to take a role here in Cleveland and would he be willing to accept that role? In Phoenix he is the #1 scorer on the team. Amare would want to get as many touches as possible so he could justify a max contract. Third, he has had a history of injuries as he hurt his eye last year (was out for half the year), and has had microfracture knee surgery. A lot of Amare's game is based off of his athleticism, leaping ability and his ability to finish at the basket. How much longer can his knees hold up after microfracture knee surgery? Fourth, how would Shaq and Amare fit? The Suns did not do better until they fired Terry Porter (played half court sets), and hired Alvin Gentry (fast paced style). The Cavs play a half court offense and I have concerns about how he would fit. Fifth, there is no guarantee he would stay here after this year. The Cavs would have had to trade Hickson/Green/1st pick with no guarantee of Amare staying. You mortgage all of your future assets for Amare. Also, you can't guarantee that the Cavs would be committed to giving Amare a max extension. We all believe that since we have Dan Gilbert as our owner that he will just sign anyone to a max extension. What if Amare does not fit? What if he has injury issues? What if he is a locker room cancer? If Amare doesn't fit in with the Shaq this year and the Cavs don't win the title, would that motivate Amare to leave? Teams such as the Knicks, Bulls, and Heat will have a lot of cap space and you can bet they will all offer max contracts to Amare. Who knows if Amare would prefer to go to a larger market. Sources say he wants to go to Miami since his mother lives there and that he owns a house in the Miami area. There is too much risk and uncertainty involved with Amare, but the reward would have been great. Again, if Amare was committed to staying in Cleveland I would love to have him long term, but having him stay here long term coupled with past injury issues makes Amare a huge risk.

The Cavs again came away with a solid impact player for almost nothing. I hope the Cavs continue to build the organization around young assets and flexible contracts. Jamison's deal only goes another 2 years, so he can impact the team next year, and the year after he becomes an expiring. The Cavs did not hamstring themselves long term by acquiring Jamison and they continue to show LeBron they will do anything to improve the team. I think this increases the chances that LeBron stays because he has seen the commitment that the Cavs have placed to winning for the team. The team kept their young assets in Hickson and Green, Sasha Kaun overseas and an unknown in Christian Eyenga who is probably going to come over next year. The Cavs should try their best to get themselves a draft pick of two before the end of the deadline to keep themselves in a position to add young players to the roster.

That just about does it folks. Overall, I think Ferry did a great job on this trade as he kept all his options open, leveraged the checkbook of Dan Gilbert, and stuck to his guns in his offers. He did not want to be in a bad position at the end of the deadline where he would have ended up with nothing. Once again, the Cavs are showing LeBron that they are committed to putting a championship caliber team together. With Mo Williams coming back soon the Cavs will be getting fully healthy. Did I mention a guy named Leon Powe will be returning as well? I just hope in June we will be celebrating down the streets of downtown Cleveland.

Thanks for reading and go Cleveland!

-Raz

One Week Left

Well folks, there is about one week til the trade deadline and there is a lot to cover. To start, I am of the belief that the Cavs are working extremely hard to get a deal done. Brian Windhorst of the Plain Dealer reported last week that Cavs GM Danny Ferry has been "in a bunker" on the phones trying to work a deal since last week. He has not traveled with the team and he is in the team offices trying to get a deal done. I outlined a few weeks ago why I think the Cavs would make a deal (Dan Gilbert, Z's expiring deal as the last asset before 2010 FA, Buyer's market). Windhorst also reported that Z would be willing to take a buyout from the team, but the team has to be cautious because of the way he reacted by the benching of Z earlier in the season. He commented that the Cavs would like to make a trade sooner rather than later, so they can integrate all the necessary parts quicker. Also, he made note that the Cavs have about 3 deals on the table right now, but these deals all include JJ Hickson, and the Cavs do not want to put him in these deals. I have stated my opinion before, and unless your trading for Bosh or Amare, you don't put Hickson in a deal. During this time of the year we are going to hear a ton of names out there, and I will make a brief list of who I think the Cavs could end up with by next week.

Antawn Jamison- I have written about Jamison numerous times. Jamison's agent has told the Wizards that he wants out, and the new owner of the Wizards plans on rebuilding the entire team. The recent talk on him is that the Wizards are very reluctant to do a deal with us for Jamison, and that the Cavs do not trust the Wizards to buyout Z. With that said, the Cavs are trying to get a 3rd team involved in this deal and Windhorst mentioned the Houston Rockets. An insider on the RealCavsFans forum (he works for the Cavs, he informed the board of the Ben Wallace, Shaq, and Mo Williams trades hours before they happened) stated that the Cavs/Wizards/Rockets have an offer on the table that has Z going to Houston, Jamison to Cleveland, Caron Butler to Houston, and Tracy McGrady to the Wizards. The Cavs hope is that Houston will buyout Z. Butler would give Houston the wing scorer they need, and the Wizards would get about $22 million off their books for next year via McGrady's expiring deal. The insider mentioned that fillers would have to be added, and I am guessing a draft pick or Danny Green could be thrown into the mix to sweeten everything up. He said the deal is being "consummated" by all the teams, and that this could be the deal that goes down. Also, the chatter in the locker room is that Z does expect a trade for Jamison to go down sometime by next week.

As you can see, Jamison is the Cavs #1 target. He fits exactly what we need, and if we don't have to give up JJ Hickson for him, the Cavs have to do it. I don't mind us giving up a future 2nd rounder or Danny Green to get the deal done either. Z getting bought out could be tricky, but the Cavs trust Houston GM Daryl Morey much more than they do Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld. If this deal breaks down, other 3rd teams include the Milwaukee Bucks (they have made the expiring contracts of Luke Ridnour, Hakim Warrick, and Joe Alexander available ) and NY Knicks (Al Harrington's $10 million expiring deal and Larry Hughes' $12 million expiring deal) could be used. Windhorst noted that the Cavs will not directly help the Knicks, but that Harrington or Hughes could go to the Wizards to help with cap relief. Trust me, Larry Hughes will not wear a Cavs uniform again. The Cavs will also use the negotiations with Troy Murphy as leverage against the Wizards because it has become apparent that the Pacers and Cavs have come closer to a deal. I have a feeling Ferry will try to trade Z and maybe a pick or Danny Green for Murphy, and if he gets a deal agreed upon, he will go to the Wizards one last time offering the same package to see if they will budge. One thing Cavs fans have to realize is that Danny Ferry will not overpay for a player and that he wants to win in trades. He turned Damon Jones into Mo Williams, Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic into Shaq, and Larry Hughes into Delonte West. He is going to offer financial relief to teams, and his logic is that the Cavs should be the team getting a draft pick in return for saving a team large amounts of money. 2 years ago Kurt Thomas got traded from the Suns along with 2 first round draft picks to the Seattle Suppersonics for a future 2nd rounder. The Suns paid 2 first round picks for the SuperSonics to give them cap relief. I just can't imagine any other team who will be willing to take on another 2 years of Jamison' deal. Ferry will not budge come deadline and he will wait for a team to give into his demands. I think landing Jamison is about 50/50 right now.

Troy Murphy- Much like Jamison, I have written about Murphy in the past. His impact might not be as great as Jamison' but his contract becomes an asset next year as he becomes an expiring contract. The Pacers have lowered their demands for Murphy, but they are still asking for JJ Hickson. I assume Ferry will just offer Z and a filler for Murphy. The problem here is that Pacers C Jeff Foster is out for the year and Tyler Hansbrough has been out for the last month. The Pacers need bodies in their frontcourt and they are looking for a PF in return that could play. I don't think there would be any problems of Z getting bought out by the Pacers if he was traded either. Also, I think Murphy will be the #2 option if we do not land Jamison. I think there is a solid chance we could land Murphy.

Andre Iguodala- I don't believe I have written about Iggy before. His name is being made available by the Sixers due to their desire to cut payroll. Teams wanting Iggy would have to take on the last 2 years of Samuel Dalembert's contract as well ($12 million). Elton Brand's horrible contract has been mentioned, but I wouldn't go near it as there are 4 years left on his deal. I am not sure if Iggy would fit here as a SG because he isn't a great shooter (47% FG 37% from 3), but he is a great perimeter defender. We saw what happend the last time we had a SG who couldn't shoot play on the Cavs. At the same time, Iggy has been asked to be the #1 guy on his team but his skill level seems to be that of a #2 guy, which the Cavs have needed. Also, his contract goes for another 4 years at about $15 million a year. I don't mind taking on Dalembert because his deal becomes an expiring one next year. I am just very reluctant to add JJ Hickson to this deal because I feel we are saving the Sixers a lot of cap space in the future. I'm not sure if Iggy is the perfect fit in Cleveland either. Taking on a big deal like that could hamstring us in the future as well. We would be stuck with Iggy as our 2nd fiddle, and if it doesn't work, it would be very hard to move his deal. Talks seemed to be heated last week, but since then the fire has seemed to died down. I don't think Iggy will be wearing a Cavs uniform by next week.

Kevin Martin- I mentioned his name earlier and how Martin could fit in here. I believe there is a chance he could be dealt. Since Martin's return to the starting lineup the Kings are 3-12. It is obvious that rookie Tyreke Evans and Martin cannot exist in the same backcourt as they both need the ball to be effective, and that neither is a true PG. The Kings were doing better when they had PG Beno Udrih running the team, and Evans playing SG. Due to the fact that they have two players who are very similar, the Kings could look to unload Martin and Andres Nocioni as well (2 more years left on the deal). The Cavs would have to give up Z (buyout), Hickson, and sign and trade Wally Z too. I would consider it, but I am not sure if I would go through with it. I don't see Martin getting traded here though. The Kings probably won't be making Martin available though.

Amare Stoudemire- I wrote my last blog about him, and since then it seems like the talks have died. The Cavs are scared of the me-first personality of Amare, lack of defense, lack of commitment, lack of cohesion with Shaq, and a history of injuries (eye/knee). With that said, the Miami Heat look like a possible suitor for Amare because of the Heat's willingness to move Michael Beasley. You're going to hear his name a lot in the next week, I just don't think the Cavs will be in the mix. Amare won't be wearing a Cavs uniform anytime soon.

As you can see, the names have not changed that much in the past couple of months. The Cavs are driving hard for Jamison, and are using Murphy as their backup option. Hickson is playing better as of late (in his last ten games he is averaging 10 points and 6 rebounds in 21 minutes per game). I am glad Ferry is not going to include Hickson in any of these deals. The Wizards have to be criminally insane to hold onto Jamison, pay him the remaining 3 years on his deal at the age of 33, while trying to rebuild. They have young players such as Nick Young, Andray Blache, and JaVale McGee waiting in the wings. The uncertainty of the Gilbert Arenas situation also plays into this because they might not be able to void his contract. Jamison has made it known he know longer wants to be in Washington. Again, I can't think of a team that would give into the demands of the Wizards, and absorb the deal of Jamison at the same time. You can say the Dallas Mavericks could absorb the contract, but Mark Cuban has stated that he will not trade promising PG Rodrigue Beabouis in any deal (he learned his lesson in the Jason Kidd deal after trading 2 first rounders and Devin Harris for him). Also, the Mavs really don't have a need for a shooting bigman as they already have the best one in the league in Dirk Nowitzki. It's not good business to purposely not deal with a team, especially when they can satisfy your needs. If the Wizards want to spite the Cavs because of the so called "rivlary" go ahead, the Wizards will end up hurting themselves the most. The Wizards are better off playing their youngsters and evaluating the talent they have now, rather than trying to play Jamison for the next couple of years. They should know that even without a trade the Cavs can win the NBA Championship this year.

Next week should be one of the most fun/pivotal weeks of the year for the Cavs. Danny Ferry has to do a great job of balancing this years aspirations of a championship (Z buyout/Jamison/Murphy), while looking at the future of the team (Hickson/Green/Draft picks). Ferry does not want to hamstring the Cavs financially in the long term and he does not want to strip the team of its young assets. In the four years Ferry has been here, he has only had draft picks in 2 of the drafts. Unlike last year, I won't be upset if we don't make a deal this year because I do believe we are one of the 3 best teams in the NBA right now. Thanks for reading, and go Cleveland!

-Raz