Cleveland and Golden State rumor (ESPN)

[HMFFL]

If Chris Mullin does this trade it means he's looking for a "ready player" now because Wright's far from that. Are you willing to groom Wright and allow AV go who's a very strong point of the team?

Also, I find it odd that Chris Mullin would take on the extra money, because GS has some key free agents this year and ones that are needed for the future.

[rjgraca]

While Wright's long-term prospects maybe good -- it doesn't make sense for the CAVS to do a Wright deal
unless it's part of a chain reaction events that leads to other trades where Wright may or may not be still be with the CAVs. As stated, Wright is far from a finished product that makes it unlikely for the CAVs unless there are follow-up deals (to a team rebuilding) that have been alluded to on various other boards.

As for the Harrington rumor -- it doesn't really make that much sense for the CAVS either in that Harrington is basically another D. Marshall (former CAV with Seattle) without the rebounding that makes twice as much money.

IMO, neither Wright nor Harrington contribute enough to make sense for the CAVs unless it is part of a bigger picture where they are dealt for players like Redd.

[Kobe_not_MJ]

An excellent deal for the Cavaliers. Brandan Wright can get up and down the floor with the best of them, which is more than anyone except LeBron can say. He's as athletic as they come (take it from me, I'm a Tar Heel fan). And you get rid of a distraction in Varejao.

[St.Nick]

Varejao for Harrington is an interesting deal. Harrington gives you guys a more consistent scorer at the SF/PF position and a guy capable of being a good #2 scorer (dont forget Al averaged over 18ppg for the previous three seasons before last years drop). For the Warriors, it is a downgrade in talent but an upgrade in terms of having a guy that can rebound better than Harrington and defend big guys.

I dont see GS wanting to swap picks in this deal as it is pretty even already. Cleveland would need to add a salary to make it work, so Damon Jones is the most likely candidate. GS likely would be willing to do a swap that would allow you guys to get Brandan Rush, if you were willing to get us an early 2nd round pick from Seattle or Portland (likely via the deep pockets of your owner).

Total sum of the deal...

CLE in: Al Harrington, Brandon Rush
GS in: Anderson Varejao, Damon Jones, Chris Douglas Roberts (at 19), and Nathan Jawai (with Seattle /Portland pick)

D.West/Gibson
Rush/Pavlovic
Lebron/Wally
B.Wallace/Harrington
Ilgauskas/J.Smith

Baron Davis/Damon Jones/2nd rd pick
Monta Ellis/Marco Belinelli
S-Jax/Azubuike/C.Douglas Roberts
B.Wright/Varejao/Croshere
Andris Biedrins/Perovic/N.Jawai


I think both teams look better after this deal.

[Smooth32]

Cavs pass. There is no way I take Harrington for Varejao. No way. Harrington doesn't fit this team or give us anything we don't already have. We have enough of the jump-shooting big men. I want to turn Varejao into something we need.

[rjgraca]

I have to agree with Smooth here -- Harrington for Varejao is Dead On Arrival.

[TheOUTLAW]

It's kinda misleading to look at that as a Varejao for Harrington deal. Fact is it's actually a Varejao and 19 for Harrington & 14. The big grab here is actually Rush as far as the Cavs are concerned. Personally I'm not a Harrington fan for the Cavs especially since it really is costing the Cavs their one and only true backup center.

[Smooth32]

Including Rush is even worse, since I think he'll be nothing more than a decent player.

[St.Nick]

Cavs pass. There is no way I take Harrington for Varejao. No way. Harrington doesn't fit this team or give us anything we don't already have. We have enough of the jump-shooting big men. I want to turn Varejao into something we need.

The truth is though, that you guys dont have much scoring support for LeBron. Zyrundas is getting up there in age, Wally is a shell of his former self, and Gibson and West seem like minor offensive supporters.

Harrington would likely be your immediate 2nd scoring option. He can shoot and he can score from the mid-post. If your team felt that they needed more offensive punch then I could definitely see this trade making sense.

Varejao is going to be splitting far too much time with Ben Wallace, Zyrundas, and Joe Smith next year if he stays aboard. Perhaps you guys can get more than Harrington in exchange for him, but I dont know who.

This is just an outsiders view, and an outsider that wants this deal to happen for my own evil and selfish reasons as a Warriors fan. But I still believe that this trade would make each team better.

[TheOUTLAW]

Brown really doesn't like to play his bigs huge minutes. So the fact that the Cavs have 3 other bigs getting minutes really isn't a problem as far as the Cavs are concerned. For that matter the one who's minutes are likely to get hurt most are Joe Smith.

[rjgraca]

Indiana tried Harrington at PF where he was found to be too soft and traded him to GS knowing about his scoring ability. Harrington is not really fast enough to play SF and too soft to start at PF. So the CAVs trade their backup center / front court player for an overpaid guy who would perform best at SF where Lebron plays -- NOT. The CAVs biggest assets are their expirings which become more valuable closer to the trading deadline and I don't think the CAVs are in a hurry to make a marginal trade (coming from an agent like Fegan who represents both Varejao and Harrington).

CAVs GM, Danny Ferry, has stated that if the CAVs make a trade that will make the CAVs significantly better they will do it which a Harrington for Varejao deal doesn't NOT accomplish and removes a good trading assest like Varejao for a bigger deal. Remember, after December 5th -- Varejao and his agent (Fegan) no longer can control his destination.

[St.Nick]

I disagree that just because LeBron is a SF that Al could not play with him.

As you guys know moreso than anyone else, LeBron is not a typical SF. He plays more like a point SF, which opens up the court for other guys to fit in next to him in an untraditional sense.

Al is 6'9, 245 lbs and he can absolutely guard most PFs (he guarded Yao very successfully last season). When LeBron goes to SG, Al can go to SF. When LeBron is in at SF, Al can go to PF.

Bottom line, Al is a player that adds a bit more than Varejao to your team at this point in time. Again, if you can get a better player for Varejao--who is likely to have his minutes cut next year with Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, and Big Z playing the PF/C positions-- then great. But I havent heard of who those alternatives may be.

PS> I know that this is all probably moot right now anyways, since these rumored trades rarely happen, but its an interesting discussion I think.

[TheOUTLAW]

Harrington adds some scoring, but he is significantly worse than Varejao in both defense and rebounding. So he's not really adding so much as he'd be exchanging.