Cleveland Cavaliers Interested In Jose Calderon And Andrew Bogut As Buyout Options
The Cleveland Cavaliers have two new buyout targets, Jose Calderon and Andrew Bogut.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have roster needs. They need a backup guard and backup big man, regardless of the exact position those players play. They need those a guard because Kyrie Irving and LeBron James can barely rest without one. They need a big man because if one of theirs goes down, they will only have two true bigs left on the roster. That’s why ESPN’s Marc Stein reporting that the Cleveland Cavaliers are hoping they can acquire Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jose Calderon and Dallas Mavericks center Andrew Bogut after a buyout isn’t surprising.
One of the biggest reasons the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t sign any of the guards that did a workout for the team on Wednesday is simple, when reading between the lines. None of those guys is really good enough to be seen as an upgrade over Kay Felder, veteran status or not.
That the Cavs, who have been in front of James’ one-man firing squad when it comes to their overt need for a backup point guard, didn’t sign Jordan Farmar, Lance Stephenson, Mario Chalmers or Kirk Hinrich leaves only a couple of players left for the Cavs to check out as free agents. Jarrett Jack, who is still recovering from a torn ACL, will likely hold private workouts sometime this month or next.
Norris Cole, for whatever reason doesn’t figure to be a part of the Cavs plans so that only leaves Shane Larkin and Nate Robinson as the other options for the Cavs at backup point guard. However, neither of those players is likely to be signed either.
No, what the Cleveland Cavaliers are likely doing, are waiting for a better player to emerge as a buyout option. That player could be Rajon Rondo of the Chicago Bulls or Deron Williams of the Dallas Mavericks. However, it could also be one of two new reported buyout targets for the Cleveland Cavaliers: Jose Calderon of the Los Angeles Lakers and Andrew Bogut of the Dallas Mavericks.
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Putting the obvious aside, Bogut isn’t a point guard and likely won’t take priority over one despite the fact that he’s one of the better passing bigs in the NBA. Bogut, who averages 2.3 assists per game, is mainly attractive because of his ability to be a rim-protector and an “enforcer” for the Cavs in the playoffs.
Bogut and James have had their scrums in the media, most notably over a play in Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals where James fell into a cameraman after a hard foul by Bogut and cut his head open. Afterwards, Bogut said James just jumped into the cameraman.
Honestly, if you listened to Bogut at any point in the Cavs last two seasons, you’d get the idea that the Aussie doesn’t like James very much. However, that could all change if the two end up on the same team and would need to change for the team dynamic to work. Bogut would likely only play in limited minutes for the Cavs and it’s possible he wouldn’t even play in every game. Nonetheless, he’ll have an important role as a reserve center.
Calderon, who was a starting point guard for the Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons and Dallas Mavericks from 2007-2008 to 2015-2016, is a player who thrives a facilitator and shooter. Despite his age, the 35-year-old Calderon is also still able to impact the game on the defensive end because of his veteran savvy and understanding of how to play team defense.
Within the Cavs second unit, he’s not the player that will keep the bench from being outscored by other benches but he can give Irving some much-needed in-game rest.
The biggest problem with Calderon and Bogut becoming players Cleveland Cavaliers is that the Cavs, who don’t have a trade package for either of them, are hoping for players that don’t want buyouts to be bought out from their contract. In fact, the only point guard that seems likely to be bought out is Rondo. That’s not to say that’s who the Cavs would sign. It’s just painting a picture of where things are for the defending champs.
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Would you want Andrew Bogut or Jose Calderon on the Cleveland Cavaliers? Let us know in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.