Signing Gibson is Good First Move

The Cleveland Cavaliers made their first move of the off-season by re-signing guard Daniel Gibson to a five-year contract extension yesterday.  Gibson showed a lot of improvement from his rookie season by averaging slightly over 10 points per game.  Unfortunately for Boobie, he hurt his ankle just as he seemed to be hitting his stride at the All-Star break, gaining MVP honors in the Rookie Game, and finishing second in the three point shootout.  He then separated his shoulder in Game 5 of the Celtic series, thus missing the last two games of that round.

We will never know how much a healthy Gibson would have impacted the second half of the season.  Besides fitting in the new players who came in the mega-deal at the deadline, Mike Brown had to find ways to get Gibson make in playing shape so he could help in the playoffs.  You may remember the second year guard struggled mightily upon his return, but the coach stuck to his guns because he understood how important Gibson’s outside shooting is to the wine and gold offense.

Although this is the first move by GM Danny Ferry, it probably won’t be the last.  Remember, this team is still better than the one that went to the NBA Finals after the 2006-07 as a result of acquiring Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Delonte West, and Wally Szczerbiak.  First round draft pick, J.J. Hickson has shown promise in summer league action, showing a good low post game.  However, his minutes will depend on how quickly he picks up Brown’s defensive concepts.  On Mike Brown’s squad, if you can’t defend, it is tough to get playing time. 

If he develops, Hickson could be the young blood the team is looking for in the frontcourt.  It appears the front office can’t wait for that date in December when Anderson Varajao loses his ability to veto a trade, so they can unload him as soon as possible.  Remember that Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Wallace, and Smith are all on the wrong side of 30, and of course, all are a year older than they were last season.  It is doubtful the Cavs can count on the same amount of production from this trio in the upcoming season.

Ferry still needs to get another player who can put the ball in the basket on a consistent basis, and it would be golden if that person could also create his own shot.  Remember, the wine and gold have a lot of money tied up in the expiring contracts of Szczerbiak, Eric Snow, and Damon Jones.  The bad part about that is those guys won’t be real attractive until the trading deadline, and the Cavs can’t wait until then.  They can’t have another season where they are worried about jelling with 25-30 games remaining on the schedule. 

All in all, keeping Boobie Gibson is a very good move by the front office.  Ferry must do the same with West, because he has turned out to be the key player in the trade.  However, the GM cannot stop there.  The Cavs still need another all-star type player.  Ferry knows this as well.  Don’t be surprised if another move is made before training camp starts in early October.

JK