The Cavaliers had a pretty good All Star weekend in New Orleans. On Friday night, Boobie Gibson hit 11 three pointers in the Rookie Challenge, scoring 33 points and winning the game MVP trophy. Gibson followed that up the next evening by finishing second in the three-point shootout. And last night, LeBron James won his second game MVP award in three years in the Eastern Conference’s victory. All in all, it was a good time for the wine and gold in the Big Easy. Now, it’s back to work.
James once again showed he is the best player in the NBA by almost getting a triple double in the showcase of stars. Also, his emphatic dunk over Dirk Nowitzke gave the East the lead they would never relinquish. The game showed how much better LBJ can look if the talent around him is close to his level. That’s not a blast at his Cavalier teammates, but the truth of the matter. Of the current Cavs, only Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been to an All Star game, and although I like Z’s game, it is more because of the position he plays more than his talent level.
LeBron was interviewed following the Rookie game on Friday night on TNT, and his frustration showed a bit in talking to Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley. He clearly has seen players like Jason Kidd, Shaquille O’Neal, and now Mike Bibby get traded in the past couple of weeks, yet none of them is coming to his team. He said he was most surprised by the Lakers getting Pau Gasol for virtually a package of subs and draft picks. I’m sure he was wondering why his GM couldn’t get anything like that done.
James knows getting another good player would likely mean another trip to The Finals and possibly a championship ring. He’s that good. I also understand Danny Ferry thinking about the future of the franchise. He will have more salary cap flexibility next season with the contracts of Donyell Marshall, Eric Snow, and Damon Jones coming off the books after the 2008-09 season. But Ferry has to see the frustration of his superstar player. Although I can see Ferry’s viewpoint, I definitely see James’ point. He wants a chance, and so do Cavs fans everywhere.
Other teams are trying to win, why can’t the Cleveland Cavaliers. The whole Jason Kidd deal was not a good one for the wine and gold because of the point guard’s age. He will turn 35 in March. The likelihood is that he will not be playing in three years, and there are those who are already saying he has slipped a bit. However, younger players are available and Ferry does have some expiring contracts available as well. Shannon Brown is a first round pick and his contract is up after the season. Ira Newble, Dwayne Jones, and Devin Brown’s deals end this year as well. D. Brown is a contributor, but he’s a role player. Certainly, the Cavs could package some of these players to add an above average talent.
Ferry should consider himself on the spot. The face of the franchise has basically told him to get him some help. James is good enough to bring a title to Cleveland if he has some help. He took this team to the NBA Finals last year. With what he and his teammates learned during last year’s run, he might be correct. Look at how the Cavs play on the road this year. Danny Ferry needs to do what he unable to do as a player; he needs to come through in the clutch.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 