Trade Bait With the Cavaliers

"It’s funny how you think about the ones you’ve had. It’s always the ones who get away you can’t forget" - Chuck Palahniuk

I assume Chuck is referring to lovers had and lost in that quote. But it stays to true to players on teams as well. There's that ghost trade that would have brought a superstar and a decade of Championships to your team, or at the least your favorite role player coming to your favorite team. This is a story about those lost lovers and potential loves, the ones we've had I seem to have forgotten...

I've been lobbying for the Cavs to secure a solid point guard for five years now. Having starting point guards of Eric Snow, Damon Jones and Larry Hughes would be the only reasoning I need.

When Gilbert Arenas was a free agent I pleaded for them to throw all the money at him. Watching LeBron and Gil go at it and put on a show one upping each other would be amazing to watch every night. Now knowing about him injuries and gun totting make that hard to justify, but you have to remember he was coming off constant game winners, unlimited range and was considered a top 10 player. He got that payday for a reason my friends. Besides maybe on the Cavs he doesn't have the surgeries and legal problems.

Before the Magic beat them and made the Finals and everyone found out about them and before the Mo Williams trade happened, Jameer Nelson was playing his little heart out and no one knew it. I begged them to trade for him because his game play was a great fit for a Cavs point guard. Plus he was teammates with Delonte West and maybe he helps him keep his cool and not go crazy every off season. He could drive and shoot the three and throw stellar alley oops. Needless to say he stayed with the Magic and they beat us and he made the All-Star team. He did get hurt and still isn't back up to par yet, but once again maybe he stays healthy on the Cavs.

My last wish was for them to make a huge deal. Trade for an Andre Iguodala or Amare Stoudemire or Josh Smith (who was very attainable for awhile) or Kevin Martin, just any big name that we had a great opportunity to steal with those expiring contracts. Then pull what the Celtics did with Rajon Rondo and start Boobie Gibson at the point. Remember that Boobie just killed Detroit with LeBron and was a head filled with confidence and Cleveland loved him and we paid him like he was going to be our new second star. Then we trade for Mo, regulate him to the bench, kill all that confidence and he gets injured. Starting him with one of those All-Star caliber players and LeBron is a perfect situation for him. He does a little on the job training, keeps his confidence and that killer shot then hopefully blossoms much like Rondo. As you can see by his play now that he's been starting for them recently, that my assumptions are probably correct. Besides LeBron takes the ball up half the time anyways.

But maybe I was wrong with the pursuit of a great point guard for the Cavs. Maybe the main thing they needed was a great off guard. With LeBron taking most of the ball handling duties anyways the point guard is an afterthought in their system. I think that my last idea was probably the most beneficial in the long run. I mean it's not like they're getting Chris Paul in any trades so stick with Daniel Gibson or Delonte and run with a better quality perimeter player beside him. This idea sounds like a better option to me. Maybe I am wrong, but seeing as they are playing fine without Mo currently because Boobie is doing well. That and they are searching for another star player (Amare or Jamison are the flavors of the week for us again), I think it's safe to say we could have done well with me handling the general manager duties. The only two players I would have seriously targeted and gone after in the draft are Stephen Curry last year and Evan Turner this year. Mainly because they need help outside. I'm wishing they would have tanked last year or traded for Steph somehow and he is playing better every night. He had that connection to LeBron where 'Bron went and watched him and would have fit right in with them. Then I was hoping Evan Turner's broken back would have knocked him down to the Cavs but he's already back to form and playing stellar ball again. So I know he's going in the top three and the Cavs are once again not tanking for me so we have no chance to get him. I do think that Stephen Curry was someone the Cavs could/should have made a deal to move up and get. I think Mo Williams is alright but not worth the 8 million he is earning. Also I agree Cleveland has a need for a big man because, despite the amount of bigs they have on the roster, there is no future center there. Regardless Clevelanders, say hello to Kevin Martin.

My potential deal is trading Mo Williams for him straight up. We could throw in cash or a pick and/or another player (Danny Green/Anthony Parker) to make them bite. Might even be able to snag Donte Greene or another decent young player from them. The Kings do it because Tyreke Evans isn't a point guard and Mo is a great shooter to put next to him at two guard. Basically we trade an All-Star sub for a "franchise guy." Neither player rightfully deserves those titles, but Martin has a real chance to become and All-Star playing on this team. He's a shooter, has length at the guard position and he is young. The knock that he doesn't play defense doesn't matter because they could be protect him with our other defenders. Not only is he someone LeBron could defer to, he's someone LeBron should defer to in certain situations. He is from Ohio and is a pretty good piece to build around should LeBron actually leave. Also getting Amare, Chris Bosh or better yet David Lee next year is still a possibility with Kevin Martin.

I feel that in football when you restart, you take whatever is the best of what's left after cutting off the fat, and rebuild it wither it's the offense or defense. Then once one side of the ball is done you do the other. It's the same in basketball, you can do the back court or front court. They still have the deep bench, some players can be used to trade for a center if they miss out on one in free agency. Then you look for the draft, trades and free agency for the big man of the future. Maybe sign a Mike Miller for extra depth, still have the player from the Congo they drafted last year as another potential trade chip, except no one remembers he even exists.

EDIT/UPDATE: Gah! Click here Kevin Martin was just traded for T-Mac and Carl Landry! You're telling me that they wouldn't have rather taken Mo Williams and JJ Hickson? He could have been a Cav! Now he'll just fade into obscurity in Houston because no one's watching.

posted by: Jason