Cleveland Cavaliers Fail To Land Artest, Ariza: What's Next?

Thursday left Cavaliers fans not so hopeful this offseason. Ron Artest announced Thursday evening he would leave the Rockets to sign with the Lakers. Trevor Ariza announced hours later he would leave the Lakers to sign with the Rockets.

The Cavaliers' front office was in pursuit of both players.

With Artest and Ariza agreeing to deals, the Cavaliers are still without a big swingman who can defend a taller offensive player. Artest and Ariza were the best available in that category until last night.

So where do the Cavaliers look next in pursuit of another piece to their championship puzzle?

Some fans might say to GM Danny Ferry, "Hey, just re-sign Wally Szczerbiak. He won't command as much money as his last contract gave him to stay in Cleveland."

Re-signing Szczerbiak is not the solution to the problem, since he is largely the problem. A small forward to spell LeBron James is not a need; the Cavaliers need an upgrade over Szczerbiak.

After the Cavaliers came up empty by not picking a small forward in this year's draft, free agency seems to be the most viable option, aside from acquiring someone via trade.

Possible free agents to fill the need to displace Szczerbiak include Marvin Williams (Hawks), Linas Kleiza (Nuggets), Lamar Odom (Lakers), Grant Hill, Matt Barnes (Suns), and Shawn Marion (Raptors).

Odom will likely re-sign with the Lakers. The Cavaliers have reportedly been in contact with Kleiza. Marion is expected to re-sign if the Raptors offer him enough money. Hill might be headed to the Knicks. While talk of Williams and Barnes finding new homes is minimal.

Any of these players will be an improvement over Szczerbiak. I'm not disrespecting him in any way, but the bottom line is he's not getting in done for the Cavaliers. The players listed above can be the piece of the championship puzzle the Cavaliers need.

Right now, the Magic are slight favorites over the Cavaliers to win the Eastern Conference next season, while the Lakers are now the clear favorite to win the NBA Finals next season.

The Cavaliers don't need to be the favorite in the league to have accomplished a successful offseason, but at this point, they're not on par with the Magic and Lakers, both of whom advanced further than the Cavaliers in the playoffs last season.

Therefore, the Cavaliers need to find a small forward who can be an improvement over Szczerbiak in order to cure what ailed them in the playoffs versus the Magic.