15 worst free agent signings in Cavaliers history

Worst Cavaliers free agent signings No. 4: Ira Newble, 2003

The 2003 offseason was a pivotal one for the Cleveland Cavaliers, as they took a high school student named LeBron James with the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft. The story of those early LeBron years, however, was how the franchise failed entirely in placing other talented offensive players around him.

The poster child for that ineptitude was Ira Newble. The Cavs signed him in that same 2003 offseason, giving him a four-year, $15 million contract. Newble was fine on defense, playing physically in an era where that was rewarded, and the 6’7″ wing had a full rotation role for the next few seasons.

The problem was on offense, where Newble was basically forcing the Cavs to play 4-on-5. He played 4.5 seasons in total in Cleveland and averaged 4.2 points per game. Lest you think that was weighed down by lesser roles, the most he ever averaged was 5.9 points per game in 2004-05.

Newble was a terrible shooter, an incapable ball-handler and generally just couldn’t score. He managed to hang on in Cleveland because his tough brand of defense was a “coach’s favorite” but the Cavs would have provided a much better ecosystem for James if they had signed someone else to a four-year deal back in 2003.