Completely Dominant – Tribe Follows Lee’s Lead to a Win
June 15, 2009Rex Hadnot Fields Punts, Ends Practice
June 15, 2009
The Cavaliers will forever sit and look at the expiring numbers on Wally Szczerbiak’s contract as a missed opportunity. Citing chemistry and a lack of availability of desirable players, the Cavaliers let the trade deadline slip away. One of the most talked about expiring contract in the history of the game and nothing seemed to materialize. After the Mo Williams deal it was a bit easier to swallow because right now we trust Danny Ferry. Even though he wasn’t unable to unload Wally at the deadline, there was an underlying trust that if he had been able to get anything done he certainly would have. And then the Shaq rumors surfaced again yesterday.
The Shaq deal was the last ditch effort to do anything. Ultimately the Cavaliers didn’t pull the trigger and while some Cavs fans were disappointed, I think there was a sense that no matter what the trade was something of a 50/50 proposition. An aged Shaquille O’Neal was probably a better piece to the puzzle than some of the other players on the Cavs’ roster, but that was no guarantee of the results.
Now that the results on the season are in and the Lakers defeated the Magic for the title, of course it is going to look like a missed opportunity. But given the fact that nobody that I know of has a customized DeLorean, I am not sure why rumors of Shaq to Cleveland would resurface on June 14th. The idea of trading for Shaq would have been to have the big man around for this year’s playoff run and then have his $20 million contract to make a decision about whether to keep him in the final year of his deal or trade that $20 million expiring deal. To acquire O’Neal now would seem like a determination to have him play out the year and let his deal expire as he sits in free agency quickly approaching 40 years of age.
And that is where none of this talk makes much sense to me. The Cavaliers have Wally Szczerbiak part II in Ben Wallace’s contract. It should be one of the most attractive expiring deals as it will let a team clear almost $15 million off their cap in one fell swoop in these tough economic times. And this is why I am glad the Cavs came out and said the talks were only preliminary. Acquiring Shaquille O’Neal might end up being the best possible move with Ben Wallace’s expiring contract, but it is way too early to tell for sure. You never know what kinds of players will become available as they become unhappy with their current teams. If the Cavs aren’t at least a bit patient this off-season they will be doing themselves a disservice. You never know when someone like Chris Bosh is going to become trade bait.
17 Comments
The Wallace contract might be even more attractive than Wally’s if he retires and takes a buyout, saving the other team even more money.
i had also heard that phoenix had been insisting that delonte west be a part of the deal. the cavs refused and that was when phoenix pulled out.
Meanwhile, Shannon Brown gets a ring…
/cruel world
And Adam Morrison…
Maybe this is post-hoc rationalizing by the Cavs, but all of the reporting I read about the Shaq talks at the trade deadline indicated the deal was never all that close. Windy reported today that the Suns wanted West, which was never going to happen, and I’ve read elsewhere that it was ultimately the Suns who wanted to move forward and try to make a run with Shaq and Gentry installed as coach.
In the end, while the Cavs claimed they didn’t make a deal to save “chemistry,” I think that Ferry never really found a deal attractive enough where he wouldn’t have to part with core talent.
Some of that move was financial also. It would have been $20mill (Shaq) $14 (ben) $15 (LBJ) $11 (Z) $8-10 (Andy) and $8.5 (Mo). that’s one HUGE freaking payroll had Ferry made that move this past year. Those 6 players account for 78.5 mill alone. Not to mention West, Boobie, Hickson, Darnell, the mid-level, bi-annual and vet min. I know Gilbert has real deep pockets, but I don’t think he has an endless hole of money. Some of these decisions, believe it or not, were financial.
Bosh wouldn’t be available until the trade deadline this year anyway. Are we going to be the best team in the league at that time next year? Or, should we get a sure deal done now? Say for Charlie V?
P.S. Sign Matt Barnes with our Mid-Level. He’s a guy who would be great on our team.
I’ll forgive Ferry for that deal if the Suns demanded West to be involved. That’s actually a bad deal on our part unless we were getting Matt Barnes or something involved in those lines back. You can’t trade an aging Shaq and give up the best player in the deal. That would make us, Steve Kerr.
But not trading Wallace and Pavs for Shaq at the deadline was criminal.
When the hell did this happen???
/o&a
Other notable “past there prime” players to wear a Cleveland uniform:
Shawn “Rain Man” Kemp, Jack “stick figure” McDowell, Willie “look at me gasping for air on the sidelines” Mcginnist just to name a few.
Let us be proactive once and learn from our mistakes.
P.S. This includes us passing on JKidd also.
In all fairness, Shawn Kemp wasn’t over the hill until after the strike.
Dont forget Dave Winfield, Harold Baines and Dwight Gooden…
Chris Speilman…
Shawn Kemp’s first season in Cleveland was amazing, and he was a huge star, it wasn’t until he came back 500 pounds after spending the strike at Baskin-Robbins that he artificially was put past his prime.
Cecil Fielder and Kevin Mitchell. Boom, Exercise Bikes Roasted.
@6. I think it was mostly financial. The Cavaliers didn’t make money this year…They lost a little.
@Nicko: Which is why they didn’t do the deal this past season with Wally. It’s why they’d do it this off season instead. That would’ve been too much salary to take on for this year.
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