Charlie V will be an UFA!

[Roger Murdock]

Seems like we are going to get him. Im ok with it. We still need to resign andy though.

[Luffy]

Laker fan here. I'm pretty sure you guys are a lock to sign Charlie Villanueva now with the MLE. That leaves you with a strong starting core of Mo/Delonte/LeBron/Charlie/Shaq. Spurs and Magic will probably sign Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess (or vice versa). The only threat to the Cavs making it to the finals is if the Celtics manage to sign via MLE a free agent like Rasheed or Marion.

[Rise Against]

[Gordon Bombay]

loving it

[TheOUTLAW]

I'd hate to be a naysayer, but I don't have nearly the faith that the Villanueva ends up with the Cavs that you guys do. No matter what he will sign with whomever offers him the most money. Detroit might be targeting him especially since they gave up their young big.

[JDaWg1000]

just wacthed first take on espn, chris broussard says the 2 teams interested in Charlie are detroit and cleveland. he says he belives detroit is going to offer a logn term deal with big money (i.e. more then the MLE). i sure hope chris is wrong on this one, he normally reallys knows he stuff so im nervous now

but we could always go after sheed

[old skool]

Villanueva would be incredibly effective on offense for Cleveland. He is a good rebounder, provides length on the perimeter, and can get his own shot in almost any situation. His ability to get his own shot would really take pressure off of Lebron. His biggest asset, however, would be his interior passing. He is a great passer and would create many easy baskets for Lebron and Shaq.

The problem is his on-man defense (which is unbelievably poor) and his love of the outside shot. He is not a great outside shooter, even though he makes quite a few. He misses a lot, creating long rebounds that can help pad the rebounding stats of teammates like Mo and Lebron, but also creating a lot of easy basket opportunities for the other team. In that respect, he has a lot of Larry Hughes in him - he often appears more productive than he is.

Villanueva would be awesome paired with Varejäo. One a scorer, the other a defender/banger. Since Shaq needs a lot of time off at this point in his career, it is essential for the Cavs to keep Varejäo.

What the Cavs must avoid, is a swap of one vet/young tandem for another. If they take the vet/young tandem of Ilgauskas/Varejäo and replace it with the vet/young tandem of Shaq/Villanueva, I don't think that they have accomplished much. They need to keep at least three of those players, if not all four. Ilgauskas has appeared in 91% of his teams games in the last 8 seasons, while Shaq has only appeared in 78% of his teams games. Only twice in the last six years has Shaq played in more than 67 games. So while Villanueva would be great playing next to Shaq and #23, there are a large number of games where a team needs a backup plan.

oLd sKool

[mg]

Sorry but I think Charlie V goes to Detroit if they offer more than the MLE. Old Skool pointed out the CV's warts. He would still be a good signing for the MLE but if the Pistons want to offer more there isn't much the Cavs can do. CV would be a good fit between Shaq and LeBron but I think it's wasted money for a team like Detroit that needs to add a franchise player. We already saw in Toronto and Milwuakee that CV doesn't add much more than empty stats if he's a go to scorer and counted on for any semblance of post defense.

I'm not that heartbroken if the Cavs don't get CV. I would personally prefer some combination of Artest (or Parker) using the MLE and possibly Frye with the BAE.

[Benedict_Boozer]

If Det wants him they will get him. Charlie is only 24, even if he wants to play here it is in his best interest to sign for the most money. He is not a ring chasing vet.

Hopefully Det targets more established players like Boozer with their cap space.

[Triumph36]

Sorry but I think Charlie V goes to Detroit if they offer more than the MLE. Old Skool pointed out the CV's warts. He would still be a good signing for the MLE but if the Pistons want to offer more there isn't much the Cavs can do. CV would be a good fit between Shaq and LeBron but I think it's wasted money for a team like Detroit that needs to add a franchise player. We already saw in Toronto and Milwuakee that CV doesn't add much more than empty stats if he's a go to scorer and counted on for any semblance of post defense.

I'm not that heartbroken if the Cavs don't get CV. I would personally prefer some combination of Artest (or Parker) using the MLE and possibly Frye with the BAE.

I'd love to see Artest here and definitely prefer him over CV, though CV signing here seems more likely. Ron may be forced to sign a deal for the MLE even if he is worth more, so let's hope he picks Cleveland heh.