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The Cavaliers had many large deals in the works... Shaqtus, Amare, Jefferson, Camby, Jamison,Boozer, etc,etc.

Initially, Cavalier fans had to feel some disappointment at not getting a deal done. Some may have even felt like they'd received a kidney-punch. However, after a good night's sleep, and a couple movies... hindsight may show that the Cavaliers, again, made the right move.

There are no less than 3 big men that the Cavaliers will look to pick-up:

Joe Smith: Joe Smith has a nice little face-up game that extends to 17 feet out, and plays good help defense. He isn't a power-player by any stretch, but he isn't gonna hurt you on the offensive side, as he rarely turns the ball over, and on the defensive side, he can hold his own against perimeter-orientated power-forwards and centers. On the down side, Joe is no spring chicken, and although he has stayed in very good shape, he will never be mistaken as agile. Power forwards who like to play in the post, often go right over or around Joe, as he isn't very physical, and is easily over-powered. One thing he can do though, is take a charge. Boston is said to be the favorite to get Joe, due to his friendship with KG, but I wonder if his friendship is worth a million dollars? And is Joe more interested in a championship, or in KG staying his buddy if he played for the Cavs again?

Mikki Moore: Mikki Moore is sort of a cross between Varejao and Joe Smith. He is tall and active like Andy, but can shoot the 15-footer like Joe. Unfortunately, Mikki is worse in the paint than even Joe, as he weighs less than a good SF, despite being a 7-footer. Mikki also has to have a set-shot to make his outside shot, as he rarely makes a basket moving. Like Andy, Mikki is very good at taking a charge, and can play better perimeter defense than Joe or Andy. He also is an above average finisher, who loves the pick-n-roll. Mikki wont be a locker room distraction, and wants to win more than anything. Boston is said to want Mikki very badly. I believe they want him more than they want Joe Smith, because Mikki can play excellent defense against Ilgauskas... but even more important...he has shut down KG in most of their one-on-one match-ups, and I don't think the Celtics want the Cavaliers to get Mikki. Unfortunately for the Celtics, I expect Mikki to sign with the Cavaliers, because Mikki wants a championship...and knows that he'll have a place here.

Chris Mihm: A legit 7-footer who can shoot the ball, but has been injured the last few years due to ankle problems. Mihm is a below-average defender, but can block shots in the post, and can do an adequate job defending in the paint. Mihm has no inside game to speak of, with the exception of a small hook shot that he sometimes tries, but often gets called for traveling on, because he will pull the ball back if someone is too close to him. Mihm is younger than the others (29), and would seem to be a good pick-up, considering he can shoot, and is a little younger. However, I don't expect the Cavaliers to pursue Chris unless they lose out on both Mikki and Joe...which is about as likely as them missing the playoffs.

Others that may be of interest:

Jarron Collins: Unlike most players, where you start out talking about the positive things he can do...with Jarron, there is so little that's positive, that you have almost no choice but to start with the negatives. Jarron cannot: Shoot the ball to save his life, he cannot rebound worth a damn, he cannot move any quicker than your average slug, he cannot make a free-throw, he cannot set good screens, he doesn't take charges, and he cannot finish with the ball, despite being a 7-footer. So why would the Cavaliers be even remotely interested? Well, the one thing that Collins does do well, is play very good post defense. And if the Cavaliers face the Magic, or the Lakers, then Collins would be a very valuable asset off the bench. He will not score any points, but he is smart, and knows how to play his position very well. He understands his short-comings, and he focuses all of his energy on stopping his guy from doing anything. He is one of the few people in the NBA who has guarded SHAQ and HOWARD and has always come out on the good end of the match-up. This one little thing may be enough for the Cavaliers to add him to their roster.

Drew Gooden: Drew Gooden is a pretty good man defender, and he can hit the 15-footer pretty consistently. He can also play inside against tentative or smaller defenders, and finishes the ball well. On the down side, Drew makes some really baffling mental mistakes, stuff that drives team-mates and coaches nuts. Drew may be an intelligent guy off the court, but on the court, he seems to forget his brain in his locker. Drew's familiarity with coach Brown's defensive system, and the fact he has played with most of the guys in Cleveland, would seem to make him a natural fit to be acquired by the Cavaliers if he is bought out. However, his groin injury may preclude any chance of a contender taking him on. In addition, he has surely lost some trust in the Cavaliers' locker-room after his incident last year, where he told Stevenson something LeBron had said in-private about him. As the 3rd or 4th big "off the bench," Drew could be a decent pick-up for the Cavaliers, but my feeling is that Drew has played his last game as a Cavalier.

heathmalc wrote:The Cavaliers had many large deals in the works... Shaqtus, Amare, Jefferson, Camby, Jamison,Boozer, etc,etc.

Initially, Cavalier fans had to feel some disappointment at not getting a deal done. Some may have even felt like they'd received a kidney-punch. However, after a good night's sleep, and a couple movies... hindsight may show that the Cavaliers, again, made the right move.

There are no less than 3 big men that the Cavaliers will look to pick-up:

Joe Smith: Joe Smith has a nice little face-up game that extends to 17 feet out, and plays good help defense. He isn't a power-player by any stretch, but he isn't gonna hurt you on the offensive side, as he rarely turns the ball over, and on the defensive side, he can hold his own against perimeter-orientated power-forwards and centers. On the down side, Joe is no spring chicken, and although he has stayed in very good shape, he will never be mistaken as agile. Power forwards who like to play in the post, often go right over or around Joe, as he isn't very physical, and is easily over-powered. One thing he can do though, is take a charge. Boston is said to be the favorite to get Joe, due to his friendship with KG, but I wonder if his friendship is worth a million dollars? And is Joe more interested in a championship, or in KG staying his buddy if he played for the Cavs again?

Mikki Moore: Mikki Moore is sort of a cross between Varejao and Joe Smith. He is tall and active like Andy, but can shoot the 15-footer like Joe. Unfortunately, Mikki is worse in the paint than even Joe, as he weighs less than a good SF, despite being a 7-footer. Mikki also has to have a set-shot to make his outside shot, as he rarely makes a basket moving. Like Andy, Mikki is very good at taking a charge, and can play better perimeter defense than Joe or Andy. He also is an above average finisher, who loves the pick-n-roll. Mikki wont be a locker room distraction, and wants to win more than anything. Boston is said to want Mikki very badly. I believe they want him more than they want Joe Smith, because Mikki can play excellent defense against Ilgauskas... but even more important...he has shut down KG in most of their one-on-one match-ups, and I don't think the Celtics want the Cavaliers to get Mikki. Unfortunately for the Celtics, I expect Mikki to sign with the Cavaliers, because Mikki wants a championship...and knows that he'll have a place here.

Chris Mihm: A legit 7-footer who can shoot the ball, but has been injured the last few years due to ankle problems. Mihm is a below-average defender, but can block shots in the post, and can do an adequate job defending in the paint. Mihm has no inside game to speak of, with the exception of a small hook shot that he sometimes tries, but often gets called for traveling on, because he will pull the ball back if someone is too close to him. Mihm is younger than the others (29), and would seem to be a good pick-up, considering he can shoot, and is a little younger. However, I don't expect the Cavaliers to pursue Chris unless they lose out on both Mikki and Joe...which is about as likely as them missing the playoffs.

Others that may be of interest:

Jarron Collins: Unlike most players, where you start out talking about the positive things he can do...with Jarron, there is so little that's positive, that you have almost no choice but to start with the negatives. Jarron cannot: Shoot the ball to save his life, he cannot rebound worth a damn, he cannot move any quicker than your average slug, he cannot make a free-throw, he cannot set good screens, he doesn't take charges, and he cannot finish with the ball, despite being a 7-footer. So why would the Cavaliers be even remotely interested? Well, the one thing that Collins does do well, is play very good post defense. And if the Cavaliers face the Magic, or the Lakers, then Collins would be a very valuable asset off the bench. He will not score any points, but he is smart, and knows how to play his position very well. He understands his short-comings, and he focuses all of his energy on stopping his guy from doing anything. He is one of the few people in the NBA who has guarded SHAQ and HOWARD and has always come out on the good end of the match-up. This one little thing may be enough for the Cavaliers to add him to their roster.

Drew Gooden: Drew Gooden is a pretty good man defender, and he can hit the 15-footer pretty consistently. He can also play inside against tentative or smaller defenders, and finishes the ball well. On the down side, Drew makes some really baffling mental mistakes, stuff that drives team-mates and coaches nuts. Drew may be an intelligent guy off the court, but on the court, he seems to forget his brain in his locker. Drew's familiarity with coach Brown's defensive system, and the fact he has played with most of the guys in Cleveland, would seem to make him a natural fit to be acquired by the Cavaliers if he is bought out. However, his groin injury may preclude any chance of a contender taking him on. In addition, he has surely lost some trust in the Cavaliers' locker-room after his incident last year, where he told Stevenson something LeBron had said in-private about him. As the 3rd or 4th big "off the bench," Drew could be a decent pick-up for the Cavaliers, but my feeling is that Drew has played his last game as a Cavalier.

Gooden.. good.... defender.. all in the same sentence without a negation... What has this world come to Heath?

bcortell wrote:Gooden.. good.... defender.. all in the same sentence without a negation... What has this world come to Heath?

1 on 1...Drew is a good defender... actually, you could even say he was a very good man to man defender. Drew's problem is that he is a horrible help-defender...continuously misses switches,etc allowing opposing players to be wide open, and get easy buckets.

However, if Drew were told: "You watch 'X player' and nobody else" ... he'd be considered a top defender in the league. However, the NBA isn't a pick-up game, where all you do is watch "your" man. Drew's problem is that somehow he still manages to make the exact same mistakes that a rookie would make... He will switch to the wrong man, leaving a player open...or he wouldn't switch at all...again leaving a man open... or sometimes, he'd move all the way across the floor, from the weak to the strong side, leaving his man, and guarding a player already guarded by one team-mate, and helped by one or more others. These bone-headed decisions are what ultimately made the Cavaliers trade Drew. Because he is actually a good basketball player...and as hard as it is to believe, he isn't (Please Use More Appropriate Word). Drew also has "tough man" complex. He absolutely will not allow someone to knock him down...if he can help it. The idea of taking a charge is so foreign to Drew, that it'd be easier to get him to learn how to speak all the dialects in the Chinese.

One final note: In my description of Drew, I never said he is a good defender...as that is too generalized. I said he is a good man-defender...which he is...but is often over-shadowed by his lapses within a team-concept defense.

I personally would understand better if heath would do another one of his patented color schematic charts for illustration purposes...

However, if Drew were told: "You watch 'X player' and nobody else" ... he'd be considered a top defender in the league.

Well, supposing for a minute you weren't watching him play when he was on your team only recently; he was on mine even more recently than that, so let me tell you something about what you just said.

Nope.

I would personally like heath more if he were banned.

Drew Gooden is not good at defense at all.

heath has spoken (in the fancy green text no less) that we are getting mikki moore...thats a lead pipe lock if ive ever seen one

Heath made a well thought out, clear, concise post with no ridiculous rumors, and just player evaluations(which I find fairly accurate), no need to bash him. You guys need to get over whatever rumors he made up that hurt your feelings when they didn't come true, you're acting like children.


With all of this said, it looks like Joe Smith won't end up bought out. If the Cavs don't pick up Mikki Moore or Joe Smith, I think it'd be better to just throw Hickson in the fire and give him valuable confidence/experience instead of paying money to some random scrub that will cost double because of the luxury tax and waste valuable minutes for JJ to develop.

Anyone else think Mikki moore would bbe a great fit here? hes like a illgauskas lite off the bench and bring energy.

His hair would be welcomed im sure

I find it highly doubtful that Mikki Moore aka Jar Jar Binks will end up a Cav. Seems like he is all but a lock to be a Celtic. Fits nicely with them seeing as how I hate Mikki and I hate the Celtics and all. Besides, Im pretty sure Andy and Sasha have let it be known to Mikki that ever since that playoff series agianst the Nets that they hate him.

Im also not buying that Joe Smith doesnt get bought out. There is no reason for OKC to keep him around the rest of the season and plenty of reasons for Joe to join a contender. I hope that the Mikki to Boston rumors are true and that Joe ultimately ends up getting bought out and ends up signing here. That would be the dream scenario. I just cant watch Joe play for the Celtics. He is way too likeable of a guy to be on that team.

Of course when all is said and done we'll probably get stuck with Chris Mihm. I only have two positive things to say about him. He is tall and he knows the Laker's system.

im all aboard the throw jj hickson in the fire train.

I am all for Boston getting Mikki Moore because once he commits, Joe smith will be bought out. I would rather have Smith or Mihm. I dont think Mihm will be bought out in fear the Lakers will help either us or Boston.

eyejayem wrote:I am all for Boston getting Mikki Moore because once he commits, Joe smith will be bought out. I would rather have Smith or Mihm. I dont think Mihm will be bought out in fear the Lakers will help either us or Boston.

Mihm is a Memphis Grizzlie if I'm not mistaken

Can someone please enlighten me on the roster rules? We really need Smith, but is there a problem since we traded him this year? If he's bought out, does he go through waivers, and can we sign him in time for our playoff roster? He showed so much value last year with consistency and offensive savy, I'd love to have him back. Thanks.

Furrski wrote:Can someone please enlighten me on the roster rules? We really need Smith, but is there a problem since we traded him this year? If he's bought out, does he go through waivers, and can we sign him in time for our playoff roster? He showed so much value last year with consistency and offensive savy, I'd love to have him back. Thanks.

^^Well, Detroit traded McDyess to Denver.. He got bought out by the Nuggets and he resigned with the Pistons a month later. I see no problem with us resigning Smith if he does get bought out.

I remember the McDyess deal, but I think that was early on. With the Joe Smith buyout being so close to March 1, I'm wondering if we need to wait the same month, making him ineligable for playoffs. I guess not because everyone keeps talking about it, but hopefully someone can someone come up with the rule?

Furrski wrote:I remember the McDyess deal, but I think that was early on. With the Joe Smith buyout being so close to March 1, I'm wondering if we need to wait the same month, making him ineligable for playoffs. I guess not because everyone keeps talking about it, but hopefully someone can someone come up with the rule?

A month before OKC could resign him if he was traded and released. OKC could waive him and resign him the day he cleared waivers. Cleveland would have to pick him up off the wires or wait for him to clear waivers.

So the Cavs dont have a waiting period on Smith, even though they traded him this same year in the Mo Williams deal, they would just be able to claim him on waivers like anyone else, and in time for the playoff roster? Thanks, I hope they do agree on a buyout, he would certainly help.