NBA Free Agents the Cleveland Cavaliers Will Not Sign This Offseason
Fans will do crazy things and come up with crazy ideas during stressful times like a lockout.
But some of the craziest ideas don't come out until after a lockout has been lifted and all of those awful ideas spill out at once.
Take the NFL lockout and the Cleveland Browns, for example. Since the lockout was lifted about two weeks ago, there have been roughly 745 articles written about the possibility that the Browns might sign Terrell Owens.
It's not going to happen and frankly I'm getting a little tired of seeing T.O.'s face every day being linked to the Browns.
So I decided to get a jump on the game with the NBA lockout in full swing (or is it a stand-still?) and squelch any possible dreams or ideas about the Cleveland Cavaliers making a run at any of the following free agents.
Greg Oden
So many Cavs fans want this to happen; I'm here to burst that bubble. He's a restricted free agent and was just tendered a qualifying offer of almost $9 million. Sorry, but there's no way that the Cavs can, or would, spend that much money on a guy who has no knees.
Marc Gasol
After a pretty awesome postseason, the younger Gasol brother is going to cash in big time. Memphis really wants to keep him but it'll be tough after already inking Zach Randolph to a big extension. Either way, the price tag for Gasol will be too high for the Cavs, who are already over the cap as is.
Kaman's name has come up a lot in trade rumors about Cleveland. He has one year left with the Clippers at $12 million. The only way the Cavs could get him is with the trade exception (if it can still be used). Kaman is a nice player, but he's not worth what he's getting paid. I'd rather have Anderson Varejao at $8 million any day.
Tayshaun Prince
I only included Prince because some idiot had him going to the Cavs in one of those stupid crap-shoot "Who every NBA team will sign" articles. I see no reason at all why the Cavs would want a washed-up defensive player who has nothing to offer offensively. Not to mention that he quit on his team last year.
Samuel Dalembert
Dalembert is a prototypical player who will get paid more than he's worth simply because he's a seven footer and can rebound and block shots. Kind of like if Ryan Hollins had any skills at all. However, he wouldn't really fit on the Cavs. If Cleveland is going to go out and get a center, they'll want more of an offensive threat. Dalemert is not that player. Look for Miami to give him about twice what he's worth.
Pooh Jeter
The only reason that he makes the list is that I find it hilarious that a guy named Pooh Jeter is actually a real person and an NBA player. What are the odds? Next thing you know we'll be talking about some dude named Eeyore Rodriguez.
Andrei Kirilenko
The Cavs are trying to get younger. AK-47 falls into the same general category of Prince. Too old with not enough to offer a building team. So no...okay that's all I have to say on him.
Glen Davis
Big Baby will be one of the most enticing free agents out there this summer/fall/winter/spring. He's a solid player who can contribute on offense despite his size and lack of height. However, the Cavs are stacked with power forwards right now. Don't expect them to spend money on that position this year.
Jamal Crawford
I really like Crawford and wish the Cavs had not traded him away on draft day. He's the ultimate bench-scoring machine. The Cavs could really use a player like Crawford, but he'll probably come at a high price. And unless the Cavs can move Baron Davis, Ramon Sessions or Daniel Gibson, more combo guards aren't something worth spending money on.
Tyson Chandler
If you're thinking about it...wake up. Not gonna happen. Sorry, get over it.
David West
West, though a very solid player, is a power forward as well. No room for him in Cleveland, sadly.
Jason Richardson
Another crazy scoring combo guard. Richardson has been overpaid for a while now, so his price may come down to a reasonable enough level for the Cavs to make a run at him. But there's no room for him on the roster and it just doesn't make sense for him, with his age, to join a young and rebuilding team.
Caron Butler
I've been a member of the Caron Butler fan club since he was in college at UConn. I was trumpeting for Cleveland to take him in the 2002 NBA Draft but they opted for Dajuan Wagner instead. I don't need to tell you how that turned out. I would love to have Butler on the Cavs next year. He's the consummate team player who is willing to do anything to help the team win. But he's entering his tenth year in the league and is coming off an injury that cost him his season. He's going to want to play for a winner, and that is not a term that describes the Cavs at this moment. I can keep my fingers crossed and hope and pray that it happens...but I'm a realist. So it's probably not gong to happen.
And finally...
Please, no! Stop! It's T.O. all over again!
You can follow me on Twitter @ClevelandFlack.
