Cavs 2008/2009 Report Card

THE CAVS REPORT CARD

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat reporter, Brian Windhorst, came out with his grade of each Cavalier this weekend, for the 2008/2009 season. I think Brian does a nice job, but I also love a good debate, so following are my thoughts on each Cavalier as well….

LeBron James/Forward (signed for 2009 – Salary: $15.7M)

Brian’s Grade: A

CAVMAN Grade: A

File this under the “DUH!” category. LeBron did everything he could to ‘will’ his team to a NBA Championship. However, not enough consistent shooting help from the rest of the roster was proof that basketball is a TEAM game, and thus the Cavs fell short. As stated in my season summary post, James improved his game from last season, by developing a very effective jump shot to go with his inside game. Besides being named League MVP, being runner-up to the Magic’s Dwight Howard for Defensive Player of Year, is proof that he is a tremendous threat on both ends of the floor. Can James get better? Absolutely! But any improvement will just increase the gap between James and whichever player you want to consider as the second best player in the NBA.

Mo Williams/Guard (signed for 2009 – Salary $8.8M)

Brian’s Grade: A

CAVMAN Grade: B+

The deal that brought Mo Williams to the Cavs this past off-season was nothing short of brilliant. Mo Williams, for Damon Jones and Joe Smith (who was traded, cut, and then returned to the Cavs)? Please! Mo is the best point guard the Cavs have had in a LONG time and he quickly became the second-best scoring threat, next to King James. However, a lack of playoff experience showed and though Williams had some moments, his overall effectiveness was limited by streaky shooting. For the Cavs, advancing to the NBA Championship is a step they must take to meet their owner’s, and their fans expectations. That’s why I was a little less generous with my grading. To get an A, you need to be a part of a true championship run.

Delonte West/Guard (signed for 2009 – Salary $4.2M)

Brian’s Grade: A

CAVMAN Grade: B+

After an offseason dealing with some personal issues, West came into the season focused and ready. He is a scoring threat, a solid defender, and is fearless taking the ball to the hole. He also had to battle through a broken wrist in the middle of the season, and showed tremendous heart. For a guy who only became a starter after being traded to the Cavs in the previous season, Delonte West has been solid, and should continue to grow.

Zydrunas Ilgauskis/Center (signed for 2009 – Salary $11.5M)

Brians Grade: B

CAVMAN Grade: B

If I were grading his career in Cleveland, I would give “Z” an ‘A’. Ilgauskas has battled through a rash of foot problems in previous seasons, and yet returned to become one of the leaders of the team the past few seasons. At 7’3″, “Z” brings a rare combination of a big man who is a solid mid-range shooter. The few chinks in his armor were exposed though in the Magic series where he proved to be a little slow of foot as compared to his younger opponents, and often times was unable to get back in position in the low post after coming out on the block. Zydrunas has had a great career as a Cavalier, but after playing out the final year of his contract in 2009, it just may be time for “Z” to pass the torch. After that he can watch the Cavs while his retired jersey hangs in the rafters at The Q.

Anderson Varejao/Forward (free agent in 2009)

Brians Grade: B

CAVMAN Grade: B

Andy Varejao brings an infectious energy to the floor and has a nose for the ball. He is an improving defender and is a relentless rebounder. He cracked the starting lineup for the Cavs in 2009 after Ben Wallace went down with an injury, and never gave it back. He also has great on-court chemistry with LeBron James. If there is one flaw in his game, it is his jump shot. Too many times, Andy was left open by an opponent at 15 feet as opponents had no problem giving him that shot. In many of those cases, because of what seemed to be a lack of confidence in his shot, he passed up those open looks thus giving the Cavs only four players that an opponent had to defend outside the paint. Varejao claims he wants to sign a new deal with the Cavs this offseason, but will also test the free agency waters. If he leaves, the Cavs would miss his energy, but not his shooting or lack thereof.

Joe Smith/Forward (free agent in 2009)

Brians Grade: C

CAVMAN Grade: C-

Joe Smith (or Joe Beast, his rap name) provided good depth in returning to the Cavs late in the regular season, as the Cavs waited for Ben Wallace to get healthy again. He is a great worker and still can be productive, but his lack of speed on defense proved costly against an athletic team like Orlando. Instead of being able to get in position on a moving opponent, he was caught reaching many times and thus drew fouls quickly. When it became apparent that Smith could not stay with the Magic squad, he was relegated to the bench and didn’t even see the floor in the final game of the conference championship where one would think his height could have been valuable against the tall Magic guards. The Cavs do not need “more of the same” in 2009, so I would be surprised to see Smith in a Cavs uniform next season.

Wally Szczerbiak/Forward (free agent in 2009)

Brians Grade: C

CAVMAN Grade: C-

For most of the season, Wally was the first of the bench as the “sixth man”. Since he joined the Cavs via trade in 2008, Szczerbiak has struggled with shot inconsistency. He seemed to try to make up for it on defense, and did so rather well at times. Still, in a championship run, a team can’t afford to have a player who can’t be effective on both ends of the floor. His two air balls in the final game of the championship round were a microcosm of his short career in Cleveland. A few shots were made, but when it was really needed, Szczerbiak came up short.

Darnell Jackson/Forward (signed 2009 – $737K)

Brian’s Grade: C

CAVMAN Grade: C

Jackson had the benefit of playing four seasons at a big-time college program (Kansas), and was part of a national championship team. On a veteran team, Jackson wasn’t expected to make an impact, but actually passed J.J. Hickson, who was drafted before Jackson, in the rotation. Jackson showed some flashes of ability later in the season, but then was relegated to the bench in the playoffs. With a decent shooting touch and a respectable low post presence, Jackson should see more minutes next season and continue to develop.

Ben Wallace/Forward (signed 2009 – $14M)

Brian’s Grade: C-

CAVMAN Grade: D

An injury-plagued 2008/2009 season was only part of a disappointing year for Ben Wallace. He began the season as a starter, and when he went down for an extended period of time. The Cavs coaching staff, seeing how nice it was to NOT have a one-dimensional player on the floor (Varejao), elected to keep Wallace out of the starting lineup. He took it well and seemed content coming off the bench,which is not good for your second-highest paid player. Actually it’s good that he was a good sport about it, but bad that he was in that position. Wallace has stated that he is considering retiring, which is admirable because he could just play out his contract and take the $14M and then retire. Personally I think it’s time for the big guy to hang up the sneakers.

Tarence Kinsey/Guard (signed 2009 – $995K)

Brian’s Grade: C

CAVMAN Grade: C

Kinsey earned a slot on the team after being invited to summer camp. He did an acceptable job in limited minutes while filling in for an injured Delonte West, and then was shown the bench after that. Kinsey is lean and athletic and has a decent shot, but against the bigger teams, his size seemed to put him at a disadvantage defensively….which is a focus of Mike Brown. Still, if he continues to develop, Kinsey could certainly carve out a niche as a valuable guy off the bench.

J.J.Hickson/Forward (signed 2009 – $1.4M)

Brian’s Grade: C-

CAVMAN Grade: D

Sorry, but when you are a first-round draft pick, there are expectations that come with it. Hickson was given frequent opportunities to show what he could do, early in the season. He seemed to be developing and then against the Lakers Andrew Bynum, he showed how the lack of experience (he only played one season in college before entering the NBA) was a detriment to his defensive skills. He then had some back issues, which then ended his season. If he gets healthy, Hickson could develop into a nice player. However, he has a LOT of growing to do.

Daniel Gibson/Guard (signed 2009 – $4.1M)

Brians Grade: D

CAVMAN Grade: D

Hitting some key three’s in the conference finals is the only thing that kept Gibson’s grade above an ‘F’ for me. The memorable playoff run against the Pistons in 2007 now seems long ago, and although it helped his wallet with a new deal following that season, to me it seems to have hurt “Boobie’s” development as it appeared to make him believe he had “arrived” when he really only had just started the journey to becoming a solid NBA player. Gibson needs to stop reacting like any shot he makes is a momentous occasion, and start EXPECTING those shots to go in, eat some humble pie, and start working to become a valuable NBA point guard instead of a run-of-the-mill role-player with a star shaved in his head and a cute nickname. Sorry, Boobie….I feel better now.

Sasha Pavlovic/Guard (signed 2009 – $4.9M)

Brian’s Grade: D

CAVMAN Grade: D

How long ago it seems since the 2006/2007 season where….gulp….Pavlovic was a starter at-times. Like Gibson, Sasha parlayed that season into a new deal, and also like Gibson, since cashing that first check, he has fell short of expectations. Because of his height, his presence on the floor was requested by LeBron James during the 2009 conference finals, and of course Mike Brown obliged. However he still made little impact and his overall play has seemed to hit a plateau……one which is NOT at the level of needs to be.

Lorenzen Wright/Forward (free agent)

Brian’s Grade – D

Cavmen Grade – F

A veteran journeyman who made little impact during the season, then broke his thumb thus ending his season and more than likely his time as a Cavalier.

Thanks for your time, class, and follow the CAVMAN on Twitter at cavmen

Tags: Ben Wallace, Boobie Gibson, CAVMAN, Delonte West, Joe Beast, Joe Smith, LeBron James, Mo Williams, Sasha Pavlovic, Zydrunas Ilgauskas