The NBA trading deadline is coming soon. The Cleveland Cavaliers right now have the association’s best record at 41-11, have beat the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers twice, and are currently on an 11 game winning streak, with a game against the lowly New Jersey Nets tonight.
Is there any reason for GM Danny Ferry to make a deal? If it’s the right one, of course he should.
The biggest question is, what would be the right trade?
Most of the speculation involves getting Wizards’ forward Antawn Jamison in exchange for Zydrunas Ilgauskas. While Jamison should top any wish list because he is a veteran who averages 20 points and 9 rebounds per game, and he hasn’t shown to be a problem for any team he has played for.
Giving up Ilgauskas is the sticking point, and not because Z has been a career long Cavalier, and is the team’s all time leader in games played.
Many assume whatever team receives the big man in a trade will renounce his rights, making him a free agent so he can re-sign with the Cavs. There is no guarantee that will be the case, and if it doesn’t happen, the wine and gold is one big man short.
Much of the success the Cavs have had against the Lakers specifically, and the league in general is their presence defensively in the paint. Suddenly, Cleveland is a very big team, especially with two seven footers manning the middle in Shaquille O’Neal and Ilgauskas roaming the paint and clogging the middle.
Last year, the Cavs had a problem handling the Lakers size with Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum. This year, not so much. They also couldn’t handle Orlando’s Dwight Howard in the playoffs, and this season (although it has only been one game), Howard got in foul trouble trying to handle O’Neal in the post.
Losing Ilgauskas forces Anderson Varajao to be the primary back up center. Varajao fills that role very well in small segments as well as when Mike Brown wants to go to a small lineup with LeBron James playing power forward. But “The Wild Thing” isn’t as effective when he’s banging against bigger bodies for an extended period of time.
So adding a Jamison at the expense of Ilgauskas helps the Cavs offensively, but hurts the team defensively. The head coach emphasizes defense at all costs. What do you think Danny Ferry will do?
Perhaps if he can get another big man somehow before the trading deadline, then Ferry might deal Ilgauskas, but if he can’t replace him, dealing Z would be too big of a risk to the Cavs’ title hopes. It says here the team with the best record in the NBA will stand pat.
Remember that basketball is the ultimate team game. The pieces of the puzzle have to fit together. Right now, they do and adding an all-star type player may do more damage than good. Ferry and Brown understand that, and most definitely will take that into consideration.
Forget about sentimentality when it comes to Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Yes, it would be a shame if he missed out on an NBA title in Cleveland after all these years, but the real reason not to deal him is it takes away a big man that the wine and gold can’t afford to lose. The combination of Shaq and Z still gives the Cavs very good play in the middle.
Unless you can replace Ilgauskas with another big man (read 7-footer), the Cavs are better off with him.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 