Would Jordan Farmar Fit The Cavs?

Despite the rumors of turmoil that continue to surround the team, things may be looking up for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since the return of LeBron James the team is 2-1 and new additions Timofey Mozgov and J.R. Smith have both made positive impacts on the court. Shooting guard Iman Shumpert could also return to the court, and possibly join the starting lineup, within the week. While these are all good signs, that doesn’t mean the Cavaliers are done trying to improve their team. General Manager David Griffin has previously stated that he would like to bring in another point guard, and one may be on the way in the form of veteran Jordan Farmar.

Waived by the Clippers last week after they acquired Austin Rivers from the Boston Celtics, Farmar was quickly linked to the Cavaliers. Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com first reported that the team had expressed interest in the point guard, and while Farmar has yet to clear waivers, there are several reasons to believe he could be a good fit in Cleveland.

The most pressing reason that Cavs fans want the team to bring in Farmar has been the play of Matthew Dellavedova. There’s no doubt “Delly” has been struggling this season after a promising rookie year. While he is shooting an impressive 41.7% from three, and has a solid 3:1 assist to turnover ratio this season, he is also shooting just 22% on two-point shots this year, a horrifically bad percentage. When you combine that with an free throw percentage of 64.3, down from 79.2% last year, and you have a player who has absolutely no business taking anything besides threes.

Another reason Farmar may be a good fit with the Cavaliers is his relationship with Head Coach David Blatt.

No one seems to be more aware of this than Dellavedova, who appears to be extremely hesitant to shoot inside the arc. This hesitance, combined with Dellavedova’s poor performance, allows teams to totally sag off him which in turn restricts his passing lanes and allows an opposing defender to roam to wherever he’s needed. In the age of drive and dish point guards this is an enormous problem, and even if that’s not a large part of Delly’s game he needs defenses to at least respect him to truly run the offense well.

These issues have hurt the Cavs even more lately as injuries had forced Delly into a larger role than expected until the last three games. While Dellavedova has played better lately, and Farmar hasn’t played particularly well himself this season (will get to that later), he should still be a significant upgrade over Delly on the offensive end, while at least approaching the same value on defense.

Another reason Farmar may be a good fit with the Cavaliers is his relationship with Head Coach David Blatt. Farmar played seven games for the Blatt coached Maccabi Tel Aviv during the 2011 NBA lockout, averaging 14.1 points per game and winning Euroleague Player of the Week. Farmar is said to have a tremendous amount of respect for Blatt and vice versa. Considering all of the rumors surrounding Blatt’s status as coach, it wouldn’t hurt the Cavaliers to add another voice that supports him in the locker room. As an NBA veteran with two championship rings of his own, Farmar will likely have the respect of his peers, despite what would likely be a limited role.

The final, and truly most important reason for the Cavaliers to have interest in Farmar is his play on the court. Coming into the league in 2006, Farmar has been inconsistent for several years, which is typical for a young player (and a reason not to completely cut ties with Dellavedova), but is a bit of a surprise this far into his career. He seemed to have found some stability after posting a few solid seasons in a row with the Nets and then the Lakers, but has struggled this season (although Farmar attributes that to his inconsistent role). One reason for this has been inconsistent shooting percentages on two point shots and free throws (sound familiar?). Farmar’s free throw percentages for a season have ranged from 58.4% to 90.1%, and his percentages on two-point shots have ranged from 39.7% to 54.6%. these are huge jumps and explain why he has been a very effective third guard some seasons and barely playable in others. Much of this has to do with his being somewhat undersized and a less than explosive athlete.

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Farmar does have many qualities that are consistently solid to exceptional every year. He is a very good outside shooter, with a career mark of 37.4% from three. While he is shooting a slightly above average 36% from deep this season, he was above 43% in each of his two seasons prior. Farmar’s free throw percentage has also been above 90% in two of the last three seasons, including 90.9% this season. Farmar is also a willing passer who understands the importance of ball movement from his years playing in Phil Jackson’s triangle offense. Finally, Farmar has used his quickness to become a solid defender who has a knack for pressuring opposing point guards several times as they bring the ball up the court.

When looking at Jordan Farmar, he seems to have many of the same strengths and weaknesses as the man whose role he could take, Matthew Dellavedova. While that may be true, the fact remains that Farmar is a better version of that type of player and therefore would be an upgrade over Dellavedova. While he has struggled this year, Farmar was clearly unhappy with the Clippers and at 28 years old he should be able to regain his form of recent seasons. Hopefully the Cavaliers are able to add Farmar to the fold as he would be another upgrade to a roster that has had several recently and may be ready to turn the page on their previous struggles.

Should the Cavs try to sign Jordan Farmar?

Next: Iman Shumpert Practices, Could Return Tonight. Good or Bad for Him?

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