The Cavaliers should give up on Sharife Cooper
Giving a two-way spot to Craig Porter Jr. doesn’t close the door on Sharife Cooper ever joining the Cavaliers on a full-time basis, but it pushes it nearly shut. With Ricky Rubio and Ty Jerome already on the roster, it’s unlikely the Cavs make room for Cooper.
It’s been an up-and-down professional career for Cooper, who is an excellent passer and can knife to the rim with ease. As he has aged his strength driving into the paint has only improved. The problem is that he is a truly terrible shooter and poor defender; he doesn’t bring enough to the table to justify his weaknesses.
Cooper has spent the last couple of seasons running point for the Cleveland Charge, and he has thrived in that role. On a rebuilding team or a G League team, Cooper has the burst and passing ability to excel; against meaningful NBA opponents, he doesn’t have the same advantages.
The Cavaliers wanted it to work out with Cooper. If his shot came around, he could be an offense-first guard to plug into some rotations. If his defense came around, he could step in and run the offense in lineups with plenty of shooting around him. Without either, it’s hard to envision a lineup where Cooper would be a net positive, and that means the Cavs need to move on.