Cleveland Cavaliers: Why the 2017 offseason shows the Cavs vision

It’s easy to discount the 2017 offseason for the Cleveland Cavaliers as “meh.” They re-signed Kyle Korver, signed Jose Calderon and Jeff Green, and are pushing to bring Cedi Osman over from Turkey. After losing the 2017 NBA Finals and their GM, some might panic. I challenge you to see the bigger picture.

Jamal Crawford went to Minnesota for $4.5M/year. Tyreke Evans went to Memphis for $3.3M. CJ Miles sign-and-trade to Toronto. These were three targets Cleveland Cavaliers’ faithful thought would make sense (including me). Instead, they went for true defensive guys who are not old and do not have serious health issues. Jeff Green and Cedi Osman are exactly what the Cavs need to get back to the Finals. And the Cavs aren’t done. They will make at least one more move (using the rest of their MLE) and probably one more trade (sorry Shump) to get the roster ready for 2017-18.

Positionless basketball is here.

The Cleveland Cavaliers know that LeBron James is their second best (or their best) point guard. Instead of chasing a high-cost veteran like Rajon Rondo, they chose to replace an old (and overweight Deron Williams) with an old and very in shape Jose Calderon. What was Williams’ role? He played 10-12 minutes per game, but he barely handled the ball. He was almost a second floor general with LeBron in the LeBron + bench lineups. So, is Jose Calderon an upgrade over Deron Williams? Probably not. The better question is: will Jose Calderon do anything at all that hurts the team? That answer is no. Deron Williams still has some gas left in the tank, and that gas turned into terrible threes and some crazy turnovers in the Finals.

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Similarly, is Jeff Green an upgrade over Derrick Williams or Richard Jefferson? This is a resounding yes. Green, who’s been overpaid much of his career, can be a really good 7th or 8th man off the bench. In a bigger role, Green struggles to maintain any consistency. In a smaller role, say 10-15m a night on a contender, the Cavs (and this writer) believe Green will blossom. He’s 30, athletic, and can guard multiple positions. Jefferson and Williams both struggle there. So, Green will be a killer upgrade, able to play anywhere from the 2 to 4 and give LeBron a breather without anyone fearing the worse.

What about Osman? An unknown 22-year old, Osman brings a 6’8 frame and NBA athleticism to the Cavs. Green and Osman realistically are replacing Jefferson and Williams. While Williams did not play much in the playoffs, Osman likely won’t either. What’s different about Osman is that he’s 22 and has a lot of playing time in front of him. Choosing Osman over someone like Jamal Crawford shows the kind of vision in the Cavs front office that going old-ring chaser is not the answer to beat the Warriors.

Who’s left?

With many of the big players off the market, the Cavs still have some options. Assuming that the goal is to get more guys who can play multiple positions, the Cavs should look out west for their targets. Dante Cunningham and Luc Mbah a Moute are still available. Michael Beasley is still only 28. Gerald Henderson is there, though he might be too expensive. KJ McDaniels could even be a good option. The point is, it is clear the Cavs are more interested in versatile guys who are cheap and can grow within a system than proven scorers or guys with clear skills.

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With Iman Shumpert on the way out, the Cavs might be able to swing a sign-and-trade for someone like Gerald Henderson to make the money work. They could also move Shumpert for, wait for it, a DRAFT PICK since the Cavs have zero draft picks until 2075. There are still moves to be made, and even without a GM, the Cavs are in a position to make good moves.