Story written by Tim Whelan –
The Cavs are coming off a disappointing NBA finals loss to the Golden State Warriors. It was a series that showed the true weaknesses of the Cavs. Cavs had major problems with the bench, rebounding, defense, and the reality of not having enough firepower on the floor to match with Golden State.
The Cavs offseason has been very entertaining. But took a turn for the worse just before the draft. The Cavs and General Manager David Griffin have decided to part ways due to different visions of the future with the team. Koby Altman, Assistant General Manager, has been fielding the calls and the draft for the time being.
What is next for the Cavs as we head into free agency? First order of business is the finding a new General Manager. The Cavs have been pursuing ESPN analyst Chauncey Billups aka “Mr. Bigshot”. You may have heard of him. Billups is regarded as one best all-around point guards the NBA has seen. Billups was a part of the Detroit Pistons when they were making big in the postseason year after year. Billups has met with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert for 2 days. It has been reported he is currently mulling an offer. His position would be President of Basketball Operations. He will then add a General Manager under him.
Now, let’s talk about the current state of the roster. Is it a championship caliber roster? Yes. Is a roster that can beat Golden State? No. Are there moves that the Cavs can make that would make them better, or at least feasible against the Warriors? Yes but not much.
The problem with the Cavaliers appear to be the lack of trade assets they have this offseason. No one is willing to take on the contract of Iman Shumpert. Kevin Love’s trade value is no where near what it was in 2014.
But that isn’t the only problems the Cavs face. They now face a roster that is depleted by age, lack of athleticism off the bench, the lack of defense. The Golden State Warriors were able to exploit that every time LeBron James left the court.
Rumors have been flying about the Cavaliers. Especially ones involving some guy by the name of Paul George. You may have heard of him. George has been linked to the Cavs since the end of the NBA Finals. Paul George recently told the Pacers that he will leave them in 2018. George has insist he prefers to play for the Lakers. But can a trade the Cavs change his mind? Paul George is currently sitting on a 1-year deal and is basically a one year rental for any team that trades for him.
With the NBA free agency upon us, here are some names I believe the Cavs should consider:
Small Forward, Rudy Gay (Sacramento)
Small Forward, Tyreke Evans (Sacramento)
Guard, Tony Allen (Memphis)
Forward, Michael Beasley (Milwaukee)
Small Forward, Vince Carter (Memphis)
Point Guard, Darren Collison (Sacramento)
Center, Dwayne Dedmon (San Antonio)
Forward, Taj Gibson (Oklahoma City)
Point Guard, George Hill (Utah)
Guard, Jrue Holiday (New Orleans)
Of course, there are several other players available to the Cavs. The problem is the Cavs don’t have money to spend. Any free agent they spend money on will put them in a deeper hole in the luxury tax. Making trades, moving contracts in order to add a free agent would most likely be the route for the Cavs. The Cavs will still be in a bad spot heading into next season. But every decision they make will be with the question does this free agent or trade improve our chances against Golden State? It will be a very interesting offseason for the Cavs. One that could change the look of the Cavs future for a very long time.
