Cleveland Cavaliers: Post-Lockout Cavs and the Baron Davis Amnesty Dilemma

Cleveland Cavaliers fans, I have done you a grave injustice.  After being so swept up in a whirl of misery from the NBA lockout I have neglected the team that I so love and devotedly follow for far too long, and all of my six loyal readers are surely getting antsy.

So what I've decided to do is take a look at what the post-lockout Cavaliers are going to look like, mostly taking a look at the role of Kyrie Irving right out of the gate, the impending amnesty clause and the interesting case of Ramon Sessions.

Kyrie Irving

First off, the future of the franchise (for the time being at least): Kyrie Irving.

I must say that I love the attitude that Irving has taken over the time that has passed since the Cavaliers made him the No. 1 pick in the draft.

He's gone back to Duke to get as much schooling done as he can in his free time, which is in a word, refreshing.  Not to give the love only to Irving, Tristan Thompson has also gone back to school.

This, to me, shows that these two guys have good heads on their shoulders.  They could have easily picked up and went to Europe and played some basketball for a few months, collected a few paychecks and came back when the lockout ended, but they found it more important to further themselves as people.  I respect that.

When this wretched lockout does end I can see the Cavs going all in on Irving from day one, but I think Byron Scott is going to take a more conservative approach.  He should come off the bench for at least a few weeks before he's given the keys to the car, but that all depends on what happens with the amnesty clause that seems to be a part of the upcoming collective bargaining agreement.

Amnesty

Obviously the most logical choice for the Cavs to waive with their amnesty clause once the lockout ends is Baron Davis, who has two years left on his contract which will pay him nearly $30 million.  He's gone, right?

Not so fast there, fella.

Cleveland doesn't value cap space nearly as much as the other teams in the league right now, as they are years off from contending for anything, which is a big reason why the Cavs were willing to take on Davis' albatross of a contract in the first place.  What good is paying him to go away when they can pay him to stay and entertain, and maybe, just maybe help the team down the line.

The older, seemingly wiser Davis had one of his best seasons in recent memory, not because of the numbers he put up, but because of the way he acted on and off the court.

Davis not only looked like he wanted to play with the Clippers and Cavs last season, but he did so with so much vim and vigor that I'm seriously doubting that he comes to training camp 25 pounds overweight when the lockout ends (although I won't be surprised if it happens).

By demonstrating that not only can he still be an effective scorer (and efficient for that matter, shooting 42 percent, which isn't great, but it is the best he's shot since he was on Golden State) but also be a dedicated player, Baron Davis has (gasp!) trade value.  Probably not for this season, but next year, teams will be chomping at the bit to get a guard who can score 14 a game and dish out a few dimes.

All I'm saying is that if Cleveland is going to have to pay Baron whether or not they use the amnesty clause on him, why not keep him around until next year and find a team willing to trade for him when his contract isn't such an issue?  A draft pick could be had from this man.

The Curious Case of Ramon Sessions

My view on Ramon Sessions right now is this; If Baron Davis is amnestied, Sessions will stick around for the time being, if not he will be shopped mercilessly.

Right now the Cavs are playing with house money when it comes to Sessions. They traded Sebastian Telfair (who was borderline worthless in the first place) and Delonte West (who was on his way out the door because of issues off the court) for Sessions, Ryan Hollins and a second-rounder in 2013.

Sessions is a perfect point guard for a team that has an up-tempo system that isn't as dependent on the point guard actually running the offense.

Both New York and Los Angeles (Lakers) would be good destinations for Sessions, as would the Miami Heat, but who would put up the most for him?

I'm pretty sold that Dan Gilbert isn't going to let the Cavs do anything that could benefit the Heat (which is another reason they may avoid letting Baron Davis go), so I'm eliminating the Heat right off the top.

Cleveland wants pieces for the future, so they aren't exactly going to be thrilled with an offer that doesn't involve a draft pick, and with both of these teams sitting near the top of the league, they'll be more inclined to give up a pick which will end up being a late first-rounder.

However, the earliest New York could give Cleveland a draft pick would be 2018 (they gave their 2012 pick to Houston, and 2014 and 2016 picks to Denver) because teams can't trade first-rounders in two successive years.

That leaves Los Angeles, which currently has possession of all of its first-rounders, making them a great choice for a team to do business with.

No matter what the new CBA entails, and when it gets signed, one thing is for sure: Cleveland is going to have a lot of evaluating to do.