The first shot has been fired in the rebuilding process for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The team has reportedly dealt Mo Williams and Jamario Moon to the Los Angeles Clippers for Baron Davis and a 2011 1st round draft pick, which figures to be a top ten pick this June.
The benefit for LA was they rid themselves of Davis’ bloated salary, after all the guard is 32 years old. They gave the Cavs the pick to take the salary off their hands.
As for the wine and gold, Williams has been injured all season and is a defensive liability. He was brought here to be a second scorer to LeBron James, and he did that, averaging 17.8 points per night in his first year, but that number has declined to 15.8 in ’09-’10, and then to 13.3 this season.
However, his game changed from his days in Milwaukee, which is why the Cavs traded for him. He was a slasher, a guy who went to the basket to score with the Bucks. In Cleveland, he became another guy who stood around the three-point arc like many others in former coach Mike Brown’s offense.
Moon is a 30-year-old role player who never received a good opportunity last season with Brown, and fell in Scott’s doghouse this season.
Davis probably doesn’t have a good term future here, and may even be traded again today before the deadline. He’s battled conditioning issues and injuries in the past, but when healthy and in shape was a very good player in the league.
He’s averaged over 20 points per game three times in his career, including 22.9 a night in 2003 with New Orleans.
Perhaps his career can be revitalized under Scott, who has had great success with point guards, but more than likely Davis will be moved before next season.
There is no question that the prize of the deal is an unprotected 1st rounder from the Clips. The only negative here is this is supposedly a weak draft, with few impact players coming out this summer.
Still, the wine and gold could still get two young players to help them going forward.
The other great thing about this transaction is that GM Chris Grant did not have to surrender the trade exemption picked up from Miami last summer. So, that trade chip is still available to the team either later today, or this summer prior to the draft.
So, in addition to the exemption, Grant will be armed with Antawn Jamison’s contract which will expire after next season.
Grant had to do something, even if it wasn’t something impactful for the future, because to do nothing in this horrible season would have been a public relations nightmare for the organization.
It’s the icing on the cake that the move he made was excellent. The only thing is cost the team was the additional salary of Davis, who makes more than Williams and Moon combined.
It would not be surprising to see another move this afternoon before the 3 PM deadline. Most likely, Anthony Parker will move to a contender for either another draft pick or a big body.
Also, the Cavs will probably buy out Leon Powe’s contract and therefore will have two roster spots open. Grant will be looking for big men from the D-League to fill that spot.
The Cavaliers needed to accelerate the rebuilding process, and they did so with this trade. It’s a good first step back to respectability.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 