Forever a Bridesmaid? Cavaliers Whiff on the Bouquet in Another Bad Offseason

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

By trading for Shaquille O’Neal, the Cleveland Cavaliers have once again put a band-aid on a bleeding wound.

Since LeBron James was drafted by the team, they’ve tried to “give him Scottie Pippen.” The way they’ve gone about it though, has been the equivalent of putting a body kit on a Pontiac Fiero and calling it a Ferrari.

Then, when the team drafted a developmental shooting guard from Congo, Christian Eyenga, who is more experienced playing small forward in a league most of us have never heard of, in the first round, with Jeff Pendergraph, Chase Budinger, and Nick Calathes still on the board, it only got worse.

With all the trades that occurred on draft night, they couldn’t trade up for Wayne Ellington? Darren Collison? Austin Daye? 

The Cavaliers are built as though their front office compiles scouting reports by playing basketball video games and makes trades based on a player’s fantasy value.

The Cavs brass has paraded aging veterans, one-dimensional scorers, and hybrid tweeners through the team’s starting lineup, all in an effort to find Robin to James’ Batman.

But even without Robin, Batman has his butler, Alfred Pennyworth.

At the risk of detouring too far away from sports, the beauty of Alfred, at least in modern Batman adaptations, is that he is simply a butler. It doesn’t matter if Batman spent the night fighting crime or partying, Wayne Manor was always spotless and food was always served.

The Cavs' only adequately sized 2 or 3, apart from James, who can knock down a three pointer is Wally Szczerbiak. But Szczerbiak is a rough read on an average crossover away from ankle surgery, and he’s already a sub-par defender.

The team now has two centers with no mobility. At least O’Neal can play defense and pass out of the post, but did the Cavs really need another person to draw defensive attention to the key?

In Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Daniel Gibson, the team has three point guards who are suspect passers. Neither Williams nor West are true point guards, and while Gibson is a good defender, he’s too small to guard anybody but the opposing team’s point guard.

The Cavs have nobody to defend the opposition’s wings but James himself. If James is going to remain healthy and productive on the offensive end of the floor, he’ll need someone to take pressure off of him on occasion on the defensive end.

Between Larry Hughes, Ben Wallace, Ricky Davis, Zydrunas Ilgauskus, Flip Murray, Drew Gooden, Daniel Gibson, Delonte West, and Mo Williams, James hasn’t had a sidekick with a complete skill set and true position at any point in his career.

Hughes is a shooting guard who doesn’t shoot well. In an effort to rush success, an effort that would make Dr. Frankenstein proud, the Cavs attempted to play Hughes as a point guard, where he’s poorly suited.

Wallace is a center who can’t score and one who was nearing the end of his career when the Chicago Bulls signed him, even closer when the Cavs traded for him. His offensive “game” is better suited in Pheonix, where he’ll probably never shoot the ball from outside the key.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?