How do the Cavs get better? How do they get a roster around LeBron James that will make him want to stay in Cleveland? What pieces do they need to win a championship? What free agents do they go after? What free agents on the team now do they try to resign? Do they trade away their expiring contracts now or wait until the season and do it then only if they need another player? Do they make a make a splash in free agency this off season or wait until next? Do they do nothing and hope that a full off season, pre-season and training camp is enough to make this good team a championship team? Do they have the right coach?
These are just a few of the questions Danny Ferry, Dan Gilbert and LeBron James will have to address. Yes, LeBron James, not Mike Brown should/will be in on the decision making.
It’s going to be hard for Danny Ferry to make big time moves to really improve this team and bring the big time player the Cavs need. This is true without even taking into consideration that he is Danny Ferry and an idiot. It’s too bad Ferry can’t follow the Danny Ainge model. You know, have a former teammate as a fellow GM of another team, a team that has a superstar but the a horrible team and wants to get rid of the superstar for 65 cents on the dollar. Damn you Brad Daugherty for going into NASCAR. Why did Mark Price (my all time favorite player) have to be a nerd and not want to be around the NBA? Larry Nance is riding his daughter to a promising WNBA career (is possible to say promising career and WNBA without it being an oxymoron?) and where have you gone Hot Rod Williams?
So the blackmailing-a-friend method is out and Ferry is going to have to rely on his creativeness, which makes me think the team will look very much the same come November.
As for the players, I say only a few are keepers. Obviously LBJ, resign Boobie, Z and Joe Smith. Those are the four I’d keep for sure. I’d like to resign West and keep him as a third guard. Find shooting guard who can create his own shot. As much as we need a point guard, we need a big bodied 2-guard who can create that much more. Boobie and West can handle the PG spot but the Cavs need someone other than LBJ making things happen. Everyone else are the team is OK but not great. If someone want to make a trade for them, fine. I don’t expect that to happen but Ferry needs to explore it.
As for coaching, I think Brown needs to go. I want to like him but the only reason he is as successful of a coach as he is, is because he is coaching LBJ. I don’t have a strong passion for Brown to go but I think it’s time. The Cavs have done all they can with him. The bottom line is it’s up to LeBron. If he likes playing for him, he stays. And LBJ might like playing for him. Sure the offense stinks but LeBron is pretty much running the team. If Brown is gone, what I think they should do is not hire Avery Johnson, he’s the same as Mike Brown. They should buy out Damon Jones and Eric Snow’s contract and make them co-head coaches. Wouldn’t that be sweet?!?! Snow and Jones have basically been coaching the team all year. Why not make it official? I think the team would have so much fun with them. They’d be laid back but intense. LBJ would love playing for them, they know the people and they are just as good as anyone the Cavs would bring in. Snow’s going to be a coach someday anyway, so just make it happen.
There are going to be a lot of questions that need to be addressed in the next month. It’s easy for me to say what they should do but what do I know. Some kind of change needs to happen but knowing Ferry, he probably won’t be ready to give up on his “big trade” yet. Just whatever happens, make sure LeBron is happy.
Oh, almost forgot. The Cavs already did their best move for next season. They signed BILLY.
Fratello
I really hope that Larry Nance is not “riding” his daughter.
I was, and I’m admitting this, watching Bruce Drennan last night because he was talking about the Cavs. Some caller said that they should trade for Chris Paul. I shit you not. Man, the Cavs have some stupid fans.
Austin Carr should be the next coach. He’s the smartest basketball mind around and he loves a good DiGiorno.
Oh, trade for Chris Paul. Oh yeah. How could I not think of that? That makes perfect sense. We need a PG, CP3 is a point guard and New Orleans doesn’t need him anymore. Perfect. While we are at it why not get Amare, Joe Johnson, Kobe and Manu.
AC can’t be the coach because the whole team would eat nothing be DiGorno pizzas and talk in long drawn out sentences that make no sense.
My new favorite AC moment came at the start of Game 6. They were standing outside The Q and talking about Boobie being hurt and who needs to step up. This is what AC said, “Either Damon Jones or Devin Brown is going to have to step up. They have to be ready to step up. That’s why you have teammates.” But has he said the last sentence, he lifted his arms and shrugged his shoulders and said it more like a question. Man, is he insightful.
When you told me that game 6 was going to be on FSN, I was pumped. But the damn Reds/Tribe game blocked it out instead. AC is dominant in the booth. He’s like Adam Dunn against Indians pitching!
Ouch, that one hurt.
Speaking of Cincinnati, I’m working on something special for all my readers from that area (I think there is 1/2 of one) for later this week.
The only thing good about them losing the way they did is they actually seem a little pissed off at things right now. Hopefully, that will help next year. After they beat the Pistons last year and the city and team acted like they just won the entire thing, you knew they would get flattened in the finals. And even after getting killed in the finals, they seemed content with their season. Through training camp and most of the season you got the feeling they were just going through the motions. Even with all the injuries and the trade. We’ll see what happens. It will be an interesting off season.
Wow, GFB comes strong w/ some basketball insight. Well done.
You ready to tailgate or what?!?!