The Cleveland Cavaliers signed restricted free agent forward Drew Gooden to a three year contract the other day, putting another piece from last year back in place. The debate as to whether or not it is a good signing will be waged, but it doesn’t hurt to keep a starter from a team that won a playoff series on the squad.
Gooden is one of the favorite whipping boys for the fans since most people would like a Karl Malone type as the team’s power forward. But, the Kansas alum is a serviceable player, and sharing time at the #4 spot with Anderson Varajao isn’t a bad twosome to have at the position. I believe Gooden could provide more offense if the team ran a few plays for him. Actually, it would be nice if they ran plays for anybody.
Another year under Coach Mike Brown’s defensive system should improve Gooden’s ability to defend the pick and roll, a major weakness for him last year. That’s the main reason the former Jayhawk star would sit late in games in favor of Varajao. It’s likely Brown will go with a four man rotation at the 4/5 positions with Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Donyell Marshall.
The Cavs still have a glut of wings. Besides starters LeBron James and Larry Hughes, GM Danny Ferry still has Sasha Pavlovic, Luke Jackson, Stephen Graham, Ira Newble, and rookie Shannon Brown on the roster. They also still need a point guard. Eric Snow can probably still give the team 20 good minutes per game in the regular season. Who plays the other 28? It’s obvious the wine and gold have soured on Damon Jones. I’m sure Hughes can give them some minutes at the point, but he is not the long term answer at the position. Rookie Daniel Gibson might work out down the road, but not this year. This is still an area needing a solution.
The Cavs might still be able to get a good solid role player at this late juncture in the free agent period. Training camp starts in six weeks, so it is getting late quickly. Starting the season with basically the same team will help the Cavs get off to a good start, but the roster has to be upgraded to advance further in the playoffs.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 