James immediately begins aggressively recruiting other NBA free agents to join the Heat, leaving the Cavaliers wondering . . . where was this effort while he was in Cleveland?
View full sizeLeBron James would make no promises to players the Cavaliers were trying to recruit to Cleveland, but now he's taking an active role in trying to bring players to Miami.LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Many people described LeBron James going on national television to announce his divorce from the Cavaliers as pouring salt in a new wound.
That may be how many fans feel but the salt to the Cavs in the entire ordeal was not the TV show. That came in the ensuing 10 days when they saw the type of contract James signed, and his actions after he left Greenwich, Conn.
When James signed his last contract with the Cavs, as is well-known, he opted to take less than the maximum contract and settled for three years so that he would be a free agent this summer. Though that may seem like a long time, from a development standpoint in the NBA, it isn't.
The Cavs were "on the clock" as it were, especially during the past two seasons as it was obvious teams like the Knicks, Nets and Heat were clearing cap space to get ready for a shot at James. The team bet "short" on a lot of roster moves in an effort to keep the team as competitive as possible at that instant.
This included making trades for older players like Ben Wallace, Shaquille O'Neal and Antawn Jamison, all deals that James pushed for because he wanted to win a title as soon as possible.
View full sizeZydrunas Ilgauskas is heading to Miami after talking with LeBron James.During the past two summers when free agents the Cavs were interested in called James, he was non-committal about his future. He hoped players would come play with him but he was not on the front of the recruiting lines. He was also unwilling to give any sign he was going to be in Cleveland long term.
These tactics cost the Cavs several players, most notably Trevor Ariza last summer, who did not sign with the Cavs after not getting a commitment from James.
Like leaving in free agency, this is absolutely James' right as a premier player. Forcing his team to spend money and stay competitive in the short term is him looking out for his best interests. The Cavs gladly accepted the gamble and nearly every other team in the league would have accepted the same circumstances to have a player like James.
But then James signed a six-year contract with the Heat and instantly began recruiting other free agents. He called up former teammates Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Jawad Williams.
Ilgauskas signed a free-agent contract with the Miami Heat on Saturday and will now play for a team other than the Cavaliers for the first time in his NBA career.
James also pitched friend Mike Miller. He waited at the airport for Derek Fisher's private jet to land so he could make a personal plea for him to come to Miami.
There's probably been a lot more that has not become public.
Again, this is of course his right and prerogative. A star player should want players to come to his team. And now that he's signed for six years, the free agents are comfortable in coming. It is no wonder Miller signed for five years.
What the Cavs want to know is why, despite doing everything James asked and attempting to trade for as many top players as they could, they were not afforded anywhere near the same opportunity as James is already giving a team he's been with for less than two weeks.
In his comments in ESPN's "Sunday Conversation" last weekend, James blamed Cavs owner Dan Gilbert for not considering the long term.
What the Cavs wanted to scream at the TV and have been seething about privately all during the Vegas Summer League is how could they when James himself had them shackled to the short term.
Dribbles
• It seems like it might just be a matter of time before the Cavs and the Minnesota Timberwolves make some sort of trade. What type of trade is still under discussion. Over the past several weeks the Cavs have talked to the Wolves about since-traded Al Jefferson and point guard Jonny Flynn, who Minnesota does not want to trade.
Two Wolves currently on the block, though, interest the Cavs. One is guard Ramon Sessions, made available when Minnesota signed Luke Ridnour last week. The other is young center and Canton native Kosta Koufos. The 7-footer who played at Ohio State was sent to Minnesota from Utah in the trade for Jefferson and the Wolves want to move him now. The Cavs are in the market for at least one developmental big man now that it seems clear Sasha Kaun will remain in Russia for another year.
Danny Green has had an up-and-down summer league. New coach Byron Scott and assistant Paul Pressey are impressed with Green's fundamentals and his ability to do a lot of different things on the floor. But with Scott's offense, both guards on the floor are needed to push the tempo and distribute on the fast break. Green has struggled with this, turning the ball over in bunches at times, and it is unclear how he'll fit in the new system.
"Danny is a solid player, He does all the little things so far," Pressey said. "His learning curve has to pick up a little faster because this is his second year going around. He's got to really get engaged to be a higher level on the floor."
Green has a non-guaranteed contract for next season and certainly is already feeling the pressure. He knows that how he improves between now and training camp may determine his future with the team.
"This is big for me, it will dictate what will happen in the season," Green said. "I'm trying to get to know the new staff and the system and I hope it can carry over to the season."
Two players who have made a positive impact during summer league are free agents Tasmin Mitchell and Pooh Jeter. Mitchell is a 6-7 forward more suited to play power forward but is the size of most NBA small forwards. That is why the four-year star at LSU didn't get drafted. But it is easy to see why he averaged 16 points and nine rebounds in the SEC last season despite being undersized.
Mitchell works hard on the floor and has excellent rebounding fundamentals. He also knows where to be on defense. His numbers in Vegas aren't stunning but he's very much in the running to get an invitation to training camp in September.
"I like his energy, he comes with it every night," Pressey said. "He's aggressive, sometimes maybe too aggressive, but I'll take that. He has the skill level to play small forward and power forward, the question is whether he can guard [small forwards] at some point."
Jeter is a spark plug who has done a fantastic job running the new up-tempo offense. Plus he's shown off a good shooting touch, including nailing a 3-pointer at the buzzer to win a game for the Cavs on Friday night. The issue as Jeter has tried to get into the league is that he's 5-11.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: bwindhorst@plaind.com, 216-999-5166