Cavs Sign Hughes

[KevinL]

link

 

No details, no amount, basically no info except Hughes has agreed to a multi-year deal.

[Azazello1313]

makes some sense, but what everyone seemed to say they really needed was a shooter (allen, redd). hughes doesn't really fit the bill. i realize that those guys were snatched off the market by their old teams and maybe hughes was the best player left at that position, but he doesn't seem to fit what they needed most.

[darin3]

Cav fans should be doing backflips. This gives Cleveland arguably the best young backcourt in the league. Should LBJ actually stay in Cleveland, these guys will dominate for years.

 

The deal is supposedly 65-70 million.

 

If they get big Z back, this is a very, very good team. I can see the Cavs landing a guy like Cuttino Mobley for their desperate need for an outside shooter. Starting lineup of LBJ, Hughes, Mobley, Gooden and Z. That'll win some games.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2103569

[darin3]

makes some sense, but what everyone seemed to say they really needed was a shooter (allen, redd).  hughes doesn't really fit the bill.  i realize that those guys were snatched off the market by their old teams and maybe hughes was the best player left at that position, but he doesn't seem to fit what they needed most.

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This speaks the truth. But like I noted, the Cavs are still searching for that elusive shooter, and Joe Johnson's out there (probably too expensive and the Suns will keep him) and Cuttino Mobley's a distinct possibility.

[KevinL]

This speaks the truth.  But like I noted, the Cavs are still searching for that elusive shooter, and Joe Johnson's out there (probably too expensive and the Suns will keep him) and Cuttino Mobley's a distinct possibility.

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I don't think the Cavs will go after another shooting guard.

 

With Hughes & James, plus Sasha Pavlovic and Luke Jackson coming off the DL, any more minutes at the 2 will be very hard to find. While LeBron can handle the ball, he is at his best when he doesn't have the pressure to bring it up the court ... another PG to play alongside Eric Snow is the target here (besides Zydrunas of course).

[Azazello1313]

they still have cap room, right? i wonder if someone like corver would be a possibility..

[Big Country]

What FoxSports was saying about Hughes.. (they had him as the #3 available guard, behind Allen and Redd)

 

3. Larry Hughes, Washington Wizards

Status: Unrestricted, will be 27 on Jan. 23, entering eighth season

2004-05 numbers: 61 games, 38.7 minutes, 22.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, .430 FG; .282 3-point; .777 FT

Suitors: Washington, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Orlando and a variety of others

Final destination: Short of someone ridiculously overpaying him, it's hard to imagine him leaving the Wizards. He's a core leader, led the league in steals and is tight with fellow former Warriors, Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas

 

 

 

 

I guess they consider the Cavs offer ridiculously overpaying him....

[darin3]

I don't think the Cavs will go after another shooting guard.

 

With Hughes & James, plus Sasha Pavlovic and Luke Jackson coming off the DL, any more minutes at the 2 will be very hard to find.  While LeBron can handle the ball, he is at his best when he doesn't have the pressure to bring it up the court ... another PG to play alongside Eric Snow is the target here (besides Zydrunas of course).

 

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I see what you're saying, but still disagree. They need an outside shooter, especially with two of the game's best driver/slashers in Hughes & James. Snow's a capable "bring the ball up" PG. Mobley can bring the ball up just as good as Snow, but can drill the three with consistency. Pavlovic and/or Jackson don't have the experience or the pure long range touch the Cavs desperately need. If the Cavs DON'T land a shooter, they may be in trouble. Again. Adding Hughes was HUGH, don't get me wrong... but they really do need an outside threat to complement the 1-2 punch of LBJ and Hughes.

 

they still have cap room, right?  i wonder if someone like corver would be a possibility..

 

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Korver - not sure of his contract status and/or what tradeablility would be. He'd certainly fit into the Cavs' system, though.

 

What FoxSports was saying about Hughes.. (they had him as the #3 available guard, behind Allen and Redd)

 

3. Larry Hughes, Washington Wizards

Status: Unrestricted, will be 27 on Jan. 23, entering eighth season

2004-05 numbers: 61 games, 38.7 minutes, 22.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, .430 FG; .282 3-point; .777 FT

Suitors: Washington, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Orlando and a variety of others

Final destination: Short of someone ridiculously overpaying him, it's hard to imagine him leaving the Wizards. He's a core leader, led the league in steals and is tight with fellow former Warriors, Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas

I guess they consider the Cavs offer ridiculously overpaying him.... 

 

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$70M over 5 years may be a slight overpayment for Hughes, IMO. He won't score in the 20's in Cleveland. He'll see a dip in boards, too, as LBJ's a terrific rebounding guard. I can see 17 points, 5 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, 45% FG, 78% FT, 30% 3PT.

[darin3]

Wow... I had just read a couple articles yesterday talking about how happy Hughes was in Washington and that he didn't plan on leaving unless a real kick ass offer came, and even then he may decide to stay to keep the core in tact.

 

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Consolidating threads here...

 

I think the chance to play with Gooden, Z and of course LBJ was an offer Hughes could not refuse. Sure, Arenas and Jamison are nice... but Cleveland's in a better situation, IMO, than Washington.

[KevinL]

I think LeBron himself IS the shooter the Cavs need. Have you looked at his improvement from year 1 to year 2? As a rookie he shot 42%, 29% on 3's. Last year he shot 47%, 35% from behind the arc.

 

Mobley for his career is a 44% shooter, 38% on 3's.

 

I don't think the Cavs needed another shooter as much as they simply needed another scoring threat. Which Hughes is.

 

NBA titles can be won by teams of 2-3 star players. Lookout for the Cavs.

[darin3]

I think LeBron himself IS the shooter the Cavs need.  Have you looked at his improvement from year 1 to year 2?  As a rookie he shot 42%, 29% on 3's.  Last year he shot 47%, 35% from behind the arc.

 

Mobley for his career is a 44% shooter, 38% on 3's.

 

I don't think the Cavs needed another shooter as much as they simply needed another scoring threat.  Which Hughes is.

 

NBA titles can be won by teams of 2-3 star players.  Lookout for the Cavs.

 

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LBJ certainly improved... but he's not a "spot up" 3-point shooter. He needs the ball in his hands to make things happen. They still, in my opinion, need a guy that's a pure spot-up guy (think Steve Kerr).

 

As weak as the East will continue to be (save Detroit, maybe Miami and Indy), the cavs can certainly make some noise. I'm a believer - even more so now with Hughes on the payroll.

[Big Country]

I agree with points from both KevinL and Darin.

 

I agree that championships are won by having 2-3 star type players.

 

I also agree that teams need the proper role players, and the role the Cavs have not filled is the solid spot up shooter.

 

Take the Bulls of the early 90's.

 

They had the superstar in Jordan. He could shoot from outside if needed, but his main threat was his ability to drive and make something happen, eithr by scoring or finding an open man. (Cavs have LBJ)

 

They had the star in Pippen. He knew he was second fiddle to Jordan, and he accepted that role. He was a decent spot up shooter, was very good moving without the ball, but was also a good driver/creator. (Cavs hope Hughes fills this role)

 

They had Horace Grant to give them 10 and 10 and be a defensive leader. (The Cavs, if they resign Z, will need him to fill that role)

 

They had a decent ball handler that was MONEY from outside, John Paxson and Steve Kerr. (Cavs do not have someone to fill this role yet.)

 

Bulls had the three-headed monster at center. (Cavs will be doing this with the PF I think, utilizing Gooden, Traylor, Diop (if they resign him), Varejao and, if they bring him over this season, their 2nd rounder that they traded for, the big center Martyna Andrusvieckus.

[darin3]

I agree with points from both KevinL and Darin.

 

I agree that championships are won by having 2-3 star type players.

 

I also agree that teams need the proper role players, and the role the Cavs have not filled is the solid spot up shooter.

 

Take the Bulls of the early 90's.

 

They had the superstar in Jordan. He could shoot from outside if needed, but his main threat was his ability to drive and make something happen, eithr by scoring or finding an open man. (Cavs have LBJ)

 

They had the star in Pippen. He knew he was second fiddle to Jordan, and he accepted that role. He was a decent spot up shooter, was very good moving without the ball, but was also a good driver/creator. (Cavs hope Hughes fills this role)

 

They had Horace Grant to give them 10 and 10 and be a defensive leader. (The Cavs, if they resign Z, will need him to fill that role)

 

They had a decent ball handler that was MONEY from outside, John Paxson and Steve Kerr. (Cavs do not have someone to fill this role yet.)

 

Bulls had the three-headed monster at center. (Cavs will be doing this with the PF I think, utilizing Gooden, Traylor, Diop (if they resign him), Varejao and, if they bring him over this season, their 2nd rounder that they traded for, the big center Martyna Andrusvieckus.

 

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Agree with all points with the caveat that the Bulls of the 90's ran the triangle - something the Cavs will not run. All in all, though, the concept still works.

[Big Country]

Agree with all points with the caveat that the Bulls of the 90's ran the triangle - something the Cavs will not run.  All in all, though, the concept still works.

 

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Caveat noted, however the Cavs will have to use the similar principle offensive concepts as they do not have a dominating post scorer like the Spurs do in Duncan, which allows for an entirely different roster formation entirely.

 

The Cavs will still be running a lot of plays through Ilgauskas in the post, but the majority of the offense will be letting Hughes and James create in one on one or pick and roll situations, a style that demands a very solid spot up jump shooter to run the 3-point line on the weak side.

 

Very standard offense. Ball side screen and roll utilizing James or Hughes and Drunas or the PF (I prefer with PF for speed reasons, but Drunas is good on the pick and fade to get that 8-12 footer), and a weak side pick for the shooter, with the picker rolling into rebound/backdoor layup position.

[darin3]

In other news: bump Hughes' fantasy value down a half-notch. LBJ remains the same. Bump Arenas' up.

[skins]

I am very bummed. Hughes is a leader and outstanding. He will be sorely missed though I think Arenas was really the heart of the team last year. We need a shooting guard now.

 

Cleveland is gonna crazy fun to watch next year.

[KevinL]

They had Horace Grant to give them 10 and 10 and be a defensive leader. (The Cavs, if they resign Z, will need him to fill that role)

 

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Ilgauskas will score way more than 10 but will NEVER be a defensive leader. He's a defensive helper.

 

They had a decent ball handler that was MONEY from outside, John Paxson and Steve Kerr. (Cavs do not have someone to fill this role yet.)

 

Bulls had the three-headed monster at center. (Cavs will be doing this with the PF I think, utilizing Gooden, Traylor, Diop (if they resign him), Varejao and, if they bring him over this season, their 2nd rounder that they traded for, the big center Martyna Andrusvieckus.

 

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Traylor is released and Diop is nothing more than a project. But yeah, the Cavs have no dominant PF but Gooden & Varejau are both adequate and both provide different abilities ... Gooden can score while "Andy" is pure hustle / defense / rebounds.

 

p.s. my son wants me to add

[KevinL]

Ilgauskas will score way more than 10 but will NEVER be a defensive leader.  He's a defensive helper.

 

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Cavs sign Ilgauskas. Estimates have them about $7 million still under the cap.

 

They still need some help at PG and another big man or 2 for depth.

 

Roster:

PG - Eric Snow

SG / SF - LeBron James, Larry Hughes, Luke Jackson, Ira Newble, Sasha Pavlovic

PF - Drew Gooden, Anderson Varejao

C - Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Martynas Andriuskevicius (if he doesn't play in Europe another year)

 

Point guards John Gilchrist (Maryland) and John Lucas III are both playing for the Cavs in the Las Vegas Summer League. One of them could possibly provide some backup.

 

Newble & Pavlovic are both 6'7 but at about 210-220 lbs neither is quite big enough to bang at PF for an extended period of time. I really don't understand why they didn't keep (Robert) Tractor Traylor for just less than $2 million.

[Big Country]

Cavs sign Ilgauskas.  Estimates have them about $7 million still under the cap.

 

They still need some help at PG and another big man or 2 for depth.

 

Roster:

PG - Eric Snow

SG / SF - LeBron James, Larry Hughes, Luke Jackson, Ira Newble, Sasha Pavlovic

PF - Drew Gooden, Anderson Varejao

C - Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Martynas Andriuskevicius (if he doesn't play in Europe another year)

 

Point guards John Gilchrist (Maryland) and John Lucas III are both playing for the Cavs in the Las Vegas Summer League.  One of them could possibly provide some backup.

 

Newble & Pavlovic are both 6'7 but at about 210-220 lbs neither is quite big enough to bang at PF for an extended period of time.  I really don't understand why they didn't keep (Robert) Tractor Traylor for just less than $2 million.

 

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Not that the would shirk PG and look to sign someone to a min deal there, but the 8 million may be just enough to lure Eddy Curry if he decides he likes what the Cavs have to offer as a team.... (though, he'll probably get an offer in the $10-12 mill range somewhere else)