Yes, Cleveland Cavaliers need to make some moves, but be smart -- Terry Pluto
Updated Nov 8, 12:04 PM; Posted 6:00 AM
By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
tpluto@plaind.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio – I’ve been receiving emails from fans who want to blow up what is left of the Cavaliers.
J.R. Smith? Cut him!
Kyle Korver? Trade him.
Tristin Thompson? Get him outta here!
George Hill? Him, too...goodbye!
Same with Channing Frye.
Kevin Love? He can leave, too.
It took less than two weeks into the regular season for the playoff dreams to be shattered.
After six games, Tyronn Lue was fired...the coach was not ready to deal with the coming collapse of the team.
And the theme of “winning and lessons" has turned into “losing and anguish.”
Obviously, the 1-10 Cavaliers need to trade some veterans and add younger talent.
They don’t have to worry about their first-round pick going to Atlanta this season. They’ll keep it. The pick is protected 1-10...the Cavs keep it if the Cavs are among the 10 worst teams in the league.
Cavs General Manager Koby Altman and other members of organization were at the Kentucky-Duke game, where some of the college game’s top prospects were on display.
I know the Cavs are doing major scouting overseas.
They aren’t kidding themselves. It’s a major rebuild.
PATIENCE NEEDED
Young players such as Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson and hopefully Ante Zizic are going to see a lot of action.
That’s the case already, except for Zizic. The Cavs finally used him in the 95-86 loss to Oklahoma City, and the 6-foot-10 center had 10 points and nine rebounds...in 16 minutes.
I also want to see more of David Nwaba.
Here’s my point: The Cavs not only need to use their younger players, they need to add more draft picks and young talent.
That requires trades.
Even second-round picks can be of value.
Hill is in the final season of his $19 million contract. He has $1 million buyout for next season.
Hill could be attractive to a contender once the calendar turns to 2019. Maybe the Cavs can secure a second-round pick and a younger player who is stuck on the end of a bench with a good team.
Korver and Frye are veteran 3-point shooters, ideally suited for a team such as...yes, the Lakers with LeBron James.
The Cavs made the huge deal with the Lakers last season, sending Isaiah Thomas and a first-rounder to the West Coast for Clarkson and Nance.
Huge contracts could make it hard to deal Smith and Thompson.
Love’s major foot injury puts a question mark next to his trade value for this season.
NO BIG RUSH
The Cavs have to be smart how they handle the veterans.
Some of them need minutes simply to show other teams they can still play – and enhance their trade value.
Others need minutes to keep the team from being an utter embarrassment from the opening tap.
Sexton is not ready for 40 minutes a game at the age of 19.
Yes, he had 15 points in 42 minutes in Wednesday’s game. But he also had only one assist, zero points in the fourth quarter.
He has so much to learn, and he is playing the most demanding position on the court. He is far more of an “attack guard,” as Lue used to label the scoring mindset of Kyrie Irving.
Nothing wrong with Sexton sharing time with Hill – even playing in the same backcourt – for the next few months.
The challenge for the front office is not to panic in terms of just dumping everyone yesterday.
It’s not as if the Cavs are winning too many games with their veterans – and spoiling their draft position.
They are losing while trying to win.
That’s OK.
Especially if the front office can then use some of these veterans in the next few months to add young players and draft picks.
