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.
15 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment
yungCaucasoid ... 11 months ago
Don't forget J.R. Smith still has some problems staying on cue, with the coaching staff, and is known to get tunnel-vision on the court, every now and again...something The Cavs can't afford.
Plus, Delonte West looked strong during the playoffs and if Booby Gibson wouldn't have gotten hurt, then...you never know what could've happened. I think the Cavs will be okay, even if they don't take a chance at J.R. Smith
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mastermind 11 months ago
"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."
Could you please provide a link to a published report that states Danny Ferry has been talking with Denver? Thanks.
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Amar Panchmatia 11 months ago
http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2008/08/terrys_talkin_about_davis_tack.html
Last couple paragraphs.
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Mark Deka 11 months ago
J.R is someone i never even thought about, the guys an exciting finisher. I would like to see a guy like leandro barbosa join LBJ over JR.
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Damien Lewis 11 months ago
Denver isn't giving up JR. JR will sign the QO, with a promise of a solid contract next summer.
Danny may be talking to Denver, but it's not about JR.
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Amar Panchmatia 11 months ago
If Ferry can offer J.R. the same money this year that Denver is promising NEXT year, then there may be something going on about that. But prying away RFAs is always a sticky proposition.
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Damien Lewis 11 months ago
Sticky indeed...
Next year Denver will have 20 mil off the books in AI, and I know they have no intentions of resigning him. They will be able to match any offer. I really think we are the only team in the NBA who will actually overpay him. If any team was remotely interested, they would have tried to sign him already. JR said just the other day that he hasn't heard a word from any other teams yet.
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Mark Brown 11 months ago
Yeah, but Denver won't make the playoffs this year (giving away Camby was a huge mistake). Denver may clear cap room and hope to land someone to pair up with Melo next summer.
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Jim Truesdale 11 months ago
He'll fit nicely in NJ..
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Mike Turnell 11 months ago
No doubt JR is a good player and would play well in any situation, but character issues must be taken into account, especially with the Cavs. JR could potentially cause some trouble with Cleveland's roster or coaches, and this would make LeBron unhappy.
The Cavs DO NOT want LeBron unhappy at the present.
James technically already has huge offers from New Jersey and NY, and those offers could look a lot more attractive if the Cav's roster has character issues. I may be wrong, but if keeping LeBron is a big priority for Cleveland (which it should be), keeping LeBron James happy is imperative.
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Amar Panchmatia 11 months ago
LeBron does NOT have huge offers from ANYONE. There's this thing - it's called "tampering." LeBron is under contract with the Cavaliers. You can't offer him anything if the guy is not a free agent! Don't buy into the media circus. You'll be better off for it.
Second, under league rules, nobody can offer LeBron more than the Cavs can once he IS a free agent. These are the same rules that made Redd return to Milwaukee in the first place, as detailed in the third paragraph of this very article. So no "big offer" will be as big as what the Cavs can and will throw down - and DID throw down back when they re-signed him the first time in 2006.
I agree that the Cavs don't want to build a garbage roster around LeBron, because the last thing anybody wants to do is just tread water and make no progress after what will be seven years in the league by 2010. But it's not like the team should hold itself hostage because of what "might" or "could" happen. J.R. Smith wasn't that big of a headcase in Denver. The guy took his lumps, didn't start a single game, and still was a solid contributor to a 50-win team. He was one of the league's better three-point shooters in terms of 3s made and percentage. Denver's roster turned into a mess at the end with nobody stepping up to be a leader and George Karl losing complete control of his group. You can't just point that all at J.R. Smith.
Cleveland is a different culture compared to Denver, and as much as I'm a fan of Carmelo Anthony, the Cavs' goals at this time seem to be different than the Nuggets. J.R. Smith would have the chance to shine playing alongside an unselfish and unquestioned leader in Cleveland, and there's no doubt that James has the team under control to the point that nobody like J.R. Smith is going to be allowed to cause a ruckus.
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Mike Turnell 11 months ago
Wait...will he be a restricted or unrestriced free agent?
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Dustin Haley 11 months ago
An section of my article
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/34007-the-war-of-2010-battle-of-lebron-james
"Any player with less than seven years experience can only command 25% of the salary cap. After seven years players are eligible to earn 30% and, under the current C.B.A. (at least how I understand it), the Cavaliers are the only team who can offer 30%, a term of six years, and with a 10.5% annual increase. Any other team can only offer five years, with an 8% increase. That’s 30 million more than any other team can possibly offer. There will be no Nike escalator to make up that difference in 2010."
LeBron isn't going anywhere.
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Alex Kennedy 11 months ago
"The Cavs are talking to Denver about restricted free agent J.R. Smith.
The Nuggets have said that they will match any offer sheet Smith signs with another club."
- Cleveland Plain Dealer
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Amar Panchmatia 11 months ago
That's why the Cavs would have to look into doing a sign-and-trade where they offer more than the midlevel exception. They can't sign him to an offer sheet more than the MLE, and they're gonna have to overpay him if they want a chance to land him. The only way that can happen is if they do what the Knicks did back in '05 with Eddy Curry.
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