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Larry Sanders: The Imperfect Perfect Fit in Cleveland

By Spencer Davies

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At 26 years young, Larry Sanders has been on a wacky roller-coaster ride of a career in the National Basketball Association.

The former VCU Ram has displayed flashes of brilliance on the court, such as recording his first career triple-double in 2012 and finishing second in blocks per game behind Serge Ibaka in the same season. He also finished third for the Most Improved Player award behind Greivis Vasquez and first-place winner Paul George as well that year.

But ever since signing a four-year, 44 million dollar contract extension with the Bucks in 2013, Sanders has been plagued with hardships. In the first year of his deal, he was suspended 25 games for an altercation at a night club. Later that season, Sanders saw his year come to an end with a fractured orbital bone. About two weeks after the injury, he was suspended once again for five games for violating the NBA’s drug policy.

Fast forward to this season and Sanders has had similar troubles. One month ago, he violated the drug policy for a second time, resulting in a 10-game suspension. Even before his suspension started, Sanders informed the Bucks that he didn’t want to play basketball anymore.

Monday afternoon, rumors swirled all over the web about Sanders and the Bucks negotiating a buy out of his contract. The potential agreement would make the 6-11, 230-pound big man an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.

So who should go after Sanders if this comes to fruition?

The Cleveland Cavaliers. But why?

Back on Dec. 2, I covered the Cavs-Bucks game during my internship with FOX Sports Ohio. While watching an improved Giannis Antetekuompo and Brandon Knight go toe-to-toe with a much different Cavalier bunch in a tight back-and-forth contest, one player caught my eye in the early going- Larry Sanders.

Although he finished with a sub-par stat line, Sanders’ presence was felt in the paint on the defensive end. He was altering shots and making an impact down low.

About a month after that game, the Cavaliers went out and made a couple of big moves. Cleveland acquired J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, as well as seven-footer Timofey Mozgov to address their need of a post presence on both ends of the court. Since Mozgov was brought in, the Cavs have gone 12-4 and have been significantly better underneath the basket.

So why think about going after Sanders? Depth.

Currently, Timofey Mozgov‘s backup is Tristan Thompson. Kevin Love‘s backups are James Jones and Shawn Marion. What’s wrong with that picture?

Well for starters, Thompson is a power forward. Don’t get me wrong, he’s had his share of success backing up the center position, but where he truly flourishes is at the four.

Secondly, Brendan Haywood has been a huge disappointment as far as productivity goes. At 35 years old he’s not only shown diminished skills, but he also has yet to see more than 15 minutes in a game this season.

Lastly, and certainly not least, think about last Thursday’s game in Chicago. When Kevin Love was unable to play because of his eye injury, who was forced to back up the big men? James Jones, a 6-8, 34-year-old small forward that was forced to play 30 minutes at power forward due to a lack of frontcourt depth.

Bringing in Sanders would address the only roster hole the Cavaliers have left to fill

Bringing in Sanders would address the only roster hole the Cavaliers have left to fill. His defensive nature would be welcomed by David Blatt with open arms, and he’d bring an energy off of the bench that would allow Blatt to keep Mozgov and Thompson rested and ready to go when he needs them to.

Maybe an attempted title run with a title contender can rid Sanders of his rash decision making and revive his passion to play the game. Could LeBron James right Sanders’ floundering career and get him back on the right track?

On the other hand, Sanders could also continue his ways and screw up the Cavs’ locker room chemistry. Because Cleveland sports fans know what off-the-field issues can bring to a team (a la Josh Gordon). (Editor’s Note: Andrew Bynum is also fresh on Cavaliers’ fans minds.)

The point is that it’s unknown what would happen if Larry Sanders ended up in Cleveland, but David Griffin would be a fool if he didn’t pick up the phone and try to find out.

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