THE STATE OF THE CAVALIERS

THE STATE OF THE CAVALIERS
“THE EFFECTS OF SIGNING DELONTE WEST”
BY: T.DOUGLAS USO
SEPT 12, 2008

The signing of Delonte West should complete the Cavaliers off season maneuvering until perhaps the trading deadline. I would have giving Danny Ferry an A+ this off season had he traded J.J. Hickson, forward / center Varajao and next season first round pick to Sacramento for Ron Artest. This offer is definitely better than the one Houston made for Artest so I am positive the Cavaliers could have acquired him if they wanted. I would have gone as far as guaranteeing a championship for the Cavaliers had they pull off this feat. Truthfully, Artest defensive prowess far outweighs his volatile outburst in my opinion. This move would have given the Cavaliers a player who could guard their opponent’s hottest player during any game regardless of position. When this didn’t happen, I was sure the Cavs would have signed James Posey, one of the best perimeter defenders around who is more than capable of hitting the open 3 point shot. The fact is those two scenarios did not unfold but the Cavaliers are still a very good team.

The Cavaliers starting lineup will be Mo Williams at point, Sasha Pavlovic at the two guard position, Lebron and Ben Wallace at forward positions and Big Z at center. With the signing of Delonte, the Cavaliers will have a very formidable bench of Bobbie Gibson, Delonte West, Wally, Varajao backing Z with rookie J.J. Hickson and veteran center/ forward newly acquired Lorenzen Wright.

Unlike last season when Sasha and Varajao were holdouts throughout training camp only to sign after the season starting, the Cavaliers will have their full team with all players ready for training camp. Not only ready but a few will be sporting new contracts which should make the chemistry a thing of beauty.

My biggest concern is who will be the Cavaliers Doberman on defense? From the look of his performance on ‘team redeem’ in the Olympics, I expect Lebron James to shoulder this burden. Don’t be surprised to see LBJ average 2+ steals and 2+ blocks this season. With Mo helping with the scoring load, look for Lebron to exert more energy on defense. This is the primary reason Lebron is my MVP candidate for this season.

I still would have rather seen Lebron and Artest or Lebron and Posey but that’s neither here nor there. Shooting guard / small forward Sasha Pavlovic is coming off a disappointing season last year, could he be the ace in the hole? Could he be the other perimeter defender helping out Lebron, or will Delonte and Mo’s quickness be the difference? Only time will tell, but so far I give Danny Ferry an A-. The Cavaliers still have Wally Szczerbiak $13 million expiring contract to work with. Will they A, trade him before the season B, trade him by the trading deadline depending on how the team is doing or C, let his contract expire allowing the team to fall under the luxury cap threshold? Let’s wait and see.