Checking out the NBA standings, one can see the Cavaliers are 28-19 on the season, good for second place in the Central Division and they currently stand fourth in the Eastern Conference playoff standings, which would get them home court advantage in the first round of this year’s playoffs. Yet, there is a lot of hand wringing about changes that the fans feel GM Danny Ferry must make to cure this team’s ills.
Most of that speculation centers around the acquisition of a point guard. However, people need to be careful of what they wish for. Eric Snow currently starts at that spot for the Cavs, and he doesn’t not provide the shooting fans clamor at that position. Nor does he provide the flashy passes some fans may want. But he does give the team a steady veteran who plays good defense. You see, playing the #1 spot for Cleveland is a little bit different than playing the point for other teams.
For one, coach Mike Brown runs most of his offense through LeBron James, his small forward. So, the point guard does not have the traditional play making responsibilities in Cleveland. The biggest need this team has is stopping opposing point guards who can penetrate from getting into the paint, so any point guard coming to the Cavaliers must be defensive oriented.
Fans who want guys like Stephon Marbury or Steve Francis are way off base. Those guys need the ball. Those guys need to be the primary option on their squads. That is exactly not what the Cavaliers need. Guys like Earl Watson or Jameer Nelson would be better options if you can trade for them. Which brings us to the next question…who would you trade?
Power forward Drew Gooden is the first name mentioned in talks, but the wine and gold cannot really afford to give him up. Although Anderson Varajao plays well coming off the bench, we hasn’t shown he can be effective playing 30 to 40 minutes per game. Everyone talks about the fact that Gooden isn’t signed for next year, but at this point the Cavs aren’t playing for the future. They want to get playoff experience and get as far into the postseason as they can. Besides, Gooden is a restricted free agent, which means Cleveland can match any offers the former Kansas standout receives.
I’m sure that Ferry would like to get a better reserve point guard than Damon Jones, who provides neither defense nor much playmaking assistance. That’s the move to make because it can be done without breaking up Brown’s playing time rotation. Even getting another guy like Eric Snow would be an upgrade because what the Cavs’ really need is a younger Snow, not a player who wants to be the star.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 