The King’s men
As we get closer and closer to the NBA playoffs, it seems inevitable that the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to finish as the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference, but there are still some Roster issues.
While LeBron James cruises through his 14th NBA season, there is still some concern about the Cavaliers having the back-up firepower in order to win a second consecutive NBA Championship. The departure of Matthew Dellavedova in last summers NBA free agency proved to be much more costly for Cleveland than what was first realized. “Delly” proved to be a reliable back up point guard, especially defensively, and also someone that LeBron James could trust, which doesn't come easily. After losing Dellavedova to Free Agency, Cleveland has been forced to play Rookie Kay Felder earlier in his development than they would have ideally liked, and this could become the Achilles Heal of LeBron and friends.
1. Deron Williams
Williams, a current member of the Dallas Mavericks, is someone that David Griffin should be contacting. As Williams, last season signed a 1yr/$10m contract, this would have to be bought out by the Mavericks for the Cavaliers to take him on before the deadline. Although Williams status as a superstar diminished a long time ago, he is still more than capable to contribute important minutes as part of Cleveland's rotation on both ends. Also when you take into account the careers that LeBron James as revitalized, especially veterans such as the likes of Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye and J.R Smith, this seems a no-brainer for Cleveland to pursue as they are also pursuing another trip to the NBA finals.
2. Andrew Bogut
Like Dellavedova, the 2-year Cavalier Timofey Mozgov was also underappreciated during his stint in “The land”. Although Mozgov went on to sign a 4yr/$64m deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, it is now more evident than ever how valuable he would have been in order to repeat. With the lack of size in the middle, Andrew Bogut could help fill this void. As the 12 year Veteran is in the final year of his contract, this too would be a move Cleveland would need to consider. As a 7'0 rim protector who is also an experienced campaigner come the post-season, Bogut would add a lot of defensive tools to help Cleveland make another Championship run. The two biggest queries are of course Bogut’s health as he has battled Knee and hamstring injuries recently, raising a question of just what impact he could have for Cleveland. The other major key to the move would be Dallas’ willingness to pay out Bogut’s contract. Tyronne Lue would have to have some concern regarding Cleveland’s front court in terms of lack of size and depth. Tristan Thompson is Cleveland’s best shot blocker, but is relatively undersized as a centre in the NBA and could be exposed, especially when Thompson is not on the floor. Bogut to Cleveland makes perfect sense and Cleveland should be enquiring.
3. Shelvin Mack
Not a NBA household name, but Shelvin Mack is an experienced back up point guard who really knows how to run an offense, which is really what Cleveland needs on their second unit. Mack, still contracted with the Utah Jazz is someone Cleveland have keeping an interest in could work for both parties. As the Cavs have a win-now mentality, it would certainly increase some security while LeBron James and Kyrie Irving rest, while Cleveland have some young pieces that could be sent to upcoming but youthful Utah Jazz in return. Reserve shooting guard Jordan Macrae who has shown signs when getting opportunity to be a solid scorer could be an option the Jazz target. DeAndre Liggins is another reserve which has shown his potential, particularly as a full court defender. While Liggins has started in a handful of games for Cleveland this year, he has since fell out of the rotation with the return of Iman Shumpert and signing of Kyle Korver. There are certainly some young commodities which Utah may think about asking for if Cleveland are to pursue Shelvin Mack.
4. Larry Sanders
While Sanders has been out of the game for 2 seasons now, this would be a risk that Cleveland would need to assess before making a decision. As the playoffs are just 2 months away, it would have to be physically evident to see what Sanders can contribute after such a stint on the sidelines. As stated, Tristan Thompson is a solid defender both inside and also on the perimeter, but as the other 2 front-liners, Kevin Love and Channing Frye don’t offer enough to be able to stop a slashing team from getting easy points at the rim. During his days in Milwaukee, Sanders showed that he was a more than capable shot blocker, not just with size, but also athleticism and had what had to be considered a reasonable arsenal on the offensive end.