Attention, Danny Ferry: LeBron James' potential sidekick is still a free agent

Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry has spent his entire tenure in the Cavs' front office looking for one thing, and one thing only:

A potential All-Star sidekick for franchise cornerstone LeBron James.

Oh, Ferry has tried. He tried to pry Michael Redd away from the Milwaukee Bucks during his first month on the job back in July of 2005. League rules allowed for the Bucks to offer more years and more money, and they did just that. In the end, Redd took the money and ran - even though it has meant nothing but losing, and losing a lot.

Ferry thought he had his man in Larry Hughes, who left the Washington Wizards for a big pay day in Cleveland. But Hughes' two and a half seasons in Cleveland were nothing short of a colossal disappointment, as he spent more time in a suit on the sidelines than helping carry the James Gang over the top.

After a breakthrough season in 2004-05 (that conveniently and suspiciously came in a contract year) which saw Hughes lead the league in steals, earn All-Defensive Team honors, and score a career-high 22.1 points per game, the Cavs' $70 million man missed 45 games with a hand injury.

During the 2006-07 season, Hughes went down with a sprained right ankle. And when the man that became known as "Mr. Glass" and "Laura Hughes" in some circles of the Cavalier fan base did play, he was putting up one ill-advised shot after another, sometimes taking pull-up 15-footers in transition and contributing to what had become a stagnant and porous Cavalier offense.

Hughes was mercifully traded away back in February as part of a three-team, 11-player deal that brought Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith, and Delonte West to the shores of Lake Erie. But six months later, the man who could be the perfect fit playing alongside King James remains on the free agent market.

Meet J.R. Smith.

Smith is a restricted free agent for the Denver Nuggets, and with Denver still being over the luxury tax threshold despite just giving away Marcus Camby to the Los Angeles Clippers, his return to the Nuggets is doubtful. Allen Iverson's $21 million comes off the books next summer, but if Denver decides to bring A.I. back in the fold, then that further reduces the playing time and money that they can afford Smith.

And that would be a shame.

In only 19.2 minutes per game last season, Smith averaged 12.3 points and shot 157-for-390 (40.3 percent) from 3-point range. Smith came off the bench in all 74 games he played for the Nuggets in '07-08 and shot 46.1 percent from the floor - a solid number for a perimeter player.

When Denver was getting dismantled by the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs last April, you could point the finger at anyone from the Nuggets - except Smith. He averaged 27 minutes a game in the four-game sweep, but averaged 18.3 points per game on 53.5 percent shooting.

Smith also fits the parameters of a potential “LeBron James sidekick” to a tee. He's a sharpshooter with knack for hitting big shots, and he has the ability to finish strong around the rim with 36 dunks. Look at Cleveland’s backcourt today, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a player who has that kind of ability to attack the rim and finish while being surrounded by power forwards and centers.

Plus, he’s only 22, meaning that he can be a potential long-term sidekick instead of a quick fix, like Redd would have been or what Hughes was supposed to be.

Smith’s maturity and ability to keep a cool head has been questioned in the past, but keep in mind that this is a guy who skipped college altogether. Look at his last four years as his “college years.” He may be ready to make an even bigger impact in the NBA starting this upcoming 2008-09 season. And if it’s for the Cavaliers, he fits the team’s needs like a glove.

The Cavs can offer the Nuggets some value in the form of Sasha Pavlovic and one of their many expiring contracts. Again, it would all come down to how much the Cavs are willing to offer Smith. Doing a sign-and-trade from there becomes tricky, but the Cavs have all the parts necessary to pull a sign-and-trade - even if it involves parting with a draft pick for 2009. Smith, at age 22, could be far more valuable than what the Cavs could get in the draft next season, anyways, if they plan on drafting in the lower 20s.

If the salary cap-strapped Cavaliers deem Smith worthy of offering more than the mid-level exception - and at this point, they should - then one precedent that they may want to look at when getting Smith is the Eddy Curry sign-and-trade of 2005.

Curry was a restricted free agent back then, and the Bulls were hesitant to bring him back. The Knicks, as always, were way over the cap, but New York was still able to land Curry for a six-year, $60 million contract by pulling of a sign-and-trade with the Bulls. If the Cavs are willing to pay Smith more than the mid-level (and they should be), then looking back at that trade as a template would behoove them.

With that said, the ball’s in Danny Ferry’s court. It’s good to see that he has a pulse and is at least talking with Denver.

But he’s done a lot of “talking” in the past, as well. With two years left on LeBron James' current contract, the Cavaliers can't afford to just sit around and wait.

Especially when their potential answer is still sitting around as a free agent.