Valade: Cavs Longing for a Point-Center

While watching his undersized team allow the Atlanta Hawks to score 40 points in the paint this past Saturday may have helped expedite the process, the Cavaliers have reportedly been on a longstanding hunt for a post presence to help the New Expression get back on track.

With his team presently sitting at 8-21, fifth place in the Central Division, head coach Byron Scott continues to look for the right pieces to place into his Princeton style offense.  Predominantly constructed around ball movement and backdoor cuts, a center (or “point-center” per Pete Carril, the creator of the Princeton offense) that can post up and attract attention with the ability to see the court and make pinpoint passes is vital.  And with all due respect to Anderson Varejao, Ryan Hollins, JJ Hickson and Antawn Jamison, for this offense to begin clicking, the Cavaliers need a dominant figure in the paint.

“I’ve watched teams that have post-up guys and I know what a post-up guy can do as far as this offense,” Scott said to The Plain Dealer’s Jodie Valade. “When you get a good post-up guy, this offense runs even better. Then you have somebody who’s a threat that’s hard to double because of the movement and spacing.”

In his previous coaching stops, Scott also had some of the best point guards in the NBA at his disposal in Jason Kidd and Chris Paul which helped make up for the lack of a dominant big man.  While Scott added that a top-flight guard would be nice, the focus remains on finding a power forward or center who can draw a double-team and allow the other four on-court members of the Cavaliers to get into open spaces and execute.

The irony of the inherent reports obviously fall back on the recent rumors regarding the potential acquisition of Al Jeffersonwho is now with the Utah Jazz.  Jefferson, 25, was connected to the Cavaliers this past summer – the team would ultimately turn down Minnesota’s David Kahn though the exact details of the offer are not known. 

Currently, the Cavaliers have valuable assets at their disposal, something that has not exactly been the case over the past seven seasons.  Cavs GM Chris Grant has a Traded Player Exception of approximately $14 million, three expiring contracts, two talented big men, and two veteran leaders who can offer instant offense – all pieces that other NBA teams would be willing to take given the right price. 

What these assets can bring back remains to be seen, but given the stated needs of the team’s new head coach, Grant has a lot of work to do over the course of the next few months.  There has been league-sourced rumblings surrounding various targeted “bigs” throughout the league, but the team has kept their specific wish list very close to their Wine and Gold-colored vest.  While it is understood that a complete revamp will not be conducted over the next three months, utilizing what the team has to start the process moving is a vital first step.

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(AP Photo/David Goldman)