It has now been one month since “The Decision”, and Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert has been quiet since his initial salvo regarding his former star player and the future of the franchise.
New Cavs’ GM Chris Grant has made a trade for G Ramon Sessions and C Ryan Hollins, giving up Delonte West’s buyout clause in return, and he has also signed free agent F Joey Graham as a free agent. Graham is a defensive minded frontcourt player, while Sessions should help in new coach Byron Scott’s up-tempo offense.
You have to wonder what season ticket holders are thinking about now since they had to pay their money way back in February.
Although Scott hasn’t issued any comments on his roster, it seems the only starter etched in stone is J.J. Hickson, who made big strides in his second year, and reportedly has been working on getting some range on his jump shot in the off-season.
Mo Williams will likely start at one of the guard spots, but it is not clear if he will be the starting point guard, or come off the bench like Dallas’ Jason Terry, while Sessions runs the team.
And who starts at the off guard spot? Will it be Anthony Parker or perhaps second year man Danny Green?
Will Scott bring both veteran big men Antawn Jamison and Anderson Varajao off the bench, or will one start with Hickson?
And, of course, who replaces LeBron James in the starting lineup at small forward?
That’s a lot of questions for a team that is supposed to win an NBA title before the Miami Heat.
This is not to criticize Gilbert for sending the letter, because it was how the majority of Cavalier fans felt at the time. Add in the fact that the owner spent a considerable amount of time and money in an attempt to make and keep James and his friends happy, and you can understand the vitriol that came from Gilbert.
Really, he was in a no-win situation. He is being criticized by many in the national media for not standing up to James and telling him his behavior and that of his “entourage” was unacceptable.
However, had he done that and James still would have left, those same people would have hammered Gilbert for not doing enough to keep the star player with the franchise. He was open for criticism no matter how he handled James.
It seems like this was all in place no matter what happened this season, or no matter what the Cavalier franchise did for James and his people. The three players in question got together and set this up years in advance, which is a huge problem for the league, right David Stern?
It’s a problem for Stern because however powerful of a commissioner he may be, he’s no longer in charge. The players are now running the NBA, setting up their own teams; competitive balance is out the window.
Now it’s up to Grant and Scott to start the process of remaking this team. Don’t forget, the wine and gold have a huge trade exemption they received in the transaction made to get #23 more cash to spit on the franchise. They have to use a least a part of it this year, or else they lose it.
With less than two months remaining until the start of training camp, it is interesting to see what course the Cleveland Cavaliers will take this season.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 