Cavs Need Defense Up Front? Their Man Is Still Out There
Amar Panchmatia
Basketball News Services
The Cleveland Cavaliers were expected to do what they have done so far.
They had a gargantuan amount of cap room, there were lots of free agent shooting guards on the market, and they had an unsigned Zydrunas Ilgauskas. After being out-bid on max offers by Seattle on Ray Allen and Milwaukee on Michael Redd, the Cavs stole Larry Hughes from Washington. "Settling" for Hughes is what some observers would call it, but Hughes is a better 3-point shooter than most give him credit for. His percentage from downtown only dipped below 30 percent after suffering a broken thumb, and the year before Hughes canned 79 treys in only 61 games on 35 percent. That's the same percentage Redd had last year. On top of that, Cleveland re-signed their giant Lithuanian center, two-time All-Star Ilgauskas. While some believed the Cavs overpaid to bring back "Z," Cleveland got a bargain compared to the reported amount of dollars Philadelphia threw at Samuel Dalembert, a player not nearly as polished as Ilgauskas. With LeBron James, Hughes, and Ilgauskas as their premier players, the Cavs have a "big three" on par with anyone else in the league.
What they also have, however, is a ton of offense and, despite signing All-Defensive first teamer Hughes, not enough defense. Especially if you count score-first power forward Drew Gooden. There has been talk of the Cavaliers going after defensive-minded power forwards to improve their interior defense, especially since Ilgauskas has been somewhat of a liability on defense the past several years. Despite the claims, names such as Antoine Walker and Shareef Abdur-Rahim have been thrown out as possible replacements for Gooden if he is traded this offseason. Walker hardly fits the bill as a defensive power forward, while Abdur-Rahim's output on both ends of the floor is as erratic as Gooden's. Seattle restricted free agent Reggie Evans, who led the league in rebounds per 48 minutes with 18.8, is also known as a defensive "enforcer" who punishes perimeter players who dare penetrate to the lane. However, Evans is extremely challenged on offense. He averaged only five point
s a game as a starter for Seattle, and despite the fact that the Cavs have a vast array of weapons on the offensive side, they need somebody that can produce even a little bit of respectable offense.
So wait. They're looking for a power forward who rebounds, plays good defense, blocks shots, and can produce some offense to boot? What if they found out that there is a player out there who does all of that? And that he's an unrestricted free agent to boot?
That's because there is: Stromile Swift.
Swift's name was among the very first to come up last summer when the Cavs were trying to make up for the monumental gaffe which allowed Carlos Boozer to escape. Swift, however, was a restricted free agent at the time, and the Memphis Grizzlies had made it clear that they would match any and all offers. The Cavs went another route and acquired Gooden, who filled in quite nicely for the departed Boozer. Swift signed a one-year tender with the Grizzlies after receiving few (if any) outside offers from teams scared that they'd be wasting their time if Memphis made good on their pledge. However, after receiving no contract extension from the Grizzlies, Swift is on the open market, ready to go to either the highest bidder or whoever he wants to go to.
Memphis also wasn't able to afford Swift ample time as their starting power forward. Swift went #2 overall in the 2000 NBA Draft, right after Kenyon Martin, to the team when it was still based in Vancouver. His playing style very much resembles Martin's, as he is a high-energy player who goes up for the big momentum-swinging dunks, alley-oops, tip-ins, blocked shots, and rebounds. He may not have the vast array of offensive moves like Gooden does, but Gooden isn't nearly as explosive as Swift is. Also, don't forget that Gooden was an underachiever at Memphis and Orlando before arriving in Cleveland, where he put up a career year. That's because he averaged a shade over 30 minutes a night and played consistent minutes.
But that doesn't mean his game was consistent, and it wasn't. Swift, however, has only started in 70 of the 352 games he has played with Memphis in his five seasons, and he only averaged 21 minutes per game with Memphis. He went from learning the pro game as a reserve his rookie year to having to make room for 2002 Rookie of the Year Pau Gasol to playing in coach Hubie Brown's rotations. This resulted in inconsistent minutes, but Memphis knew he was too valuable for them to just allow him to leave. He may have also been too superfluous to warrant big money from the Grizzlies organization. Swift is a natural power forward at 6’9” and 230 pounds, but the Grizzlies seem set with Gasol there as the franchise cornerstone. If he craves a starting spot, the chances of him getting it in Memphis (and getting it consistently, every night) seem as unlikely as they were before.
But that does not mean that he doesn't deserve that starting spot. If players like Gooden and Boozer put up career numbers playing next to James, imagine Swift. With James and Hughes being in the top three in steals last year, the team will get plenty of transition opportunities. The "Stro Show" would have plenty of opportunities to run the open floor and display just why he is considered one of the best dunkers in the league. It may seem like more style than substance, but that feature in his game fits what is becoming a very athletic Cavs team. Martin, who brings the same brand of basketball to the table, averaged well over 30 minutes in Denver this past season, yet he “only” up 15.5 points and 7.3 boards. While those stats are on par with Gooden and inferior to Boozer’s, there is no doubt that “K-Mart is a superior player to both. That’s because he brings a brand new dimension to the game, a dimension that cannot be measured in stats. His pure athletic ability, heart, passion, and overwhelming intensity are what helped the Nuggets improve by eight games after signing him. Swift has been known to provide that third dimension that Martin brings, a dimension that players like Boozer and Gooden cannot take their game to. Combine that with what he brings on defense, and signing Swift makes too much sense for new general manager Danny Ferry.
The only problem is the amount of money a pure talent like Swift would command. Three teams have been actively after him: Houston, New Jersey, and, of course, Memphis. Houston may seem out of the running, as they only have the mid-level exception. Memphis can sign him for any amount despite their cap, but they are dangerously close to the luxury tax threshold. Do they want to sign a Swift, a reserve for them, for big money and pay the luxury tax? If so, that is there call. But you have to question Swift going back to a team where he won't get much playing time. New Jersey wants to right the wrong of allowing Martin to escape last summer by swooping Swift, but Abdur-Rahim seems to be at the top of their wish list. As far as Cleveland goes, many Cavs fans think that Anderson Varejao, a second round pick in 2004, is that kind of player. But Varejao is still young and raw. Putting the burden of starting at power forward for such a high-profile team on the young Brazilian would be too big of a risk. Plus, Swift is only 25-years old. With many teams salivating over Varejao's prospects in trade inquiries, he would become expendable if Swift realized his exorbitant expectations in Cleveland. The possibilities for Cleveland are endless.
Not to mention that a team that was put on national television in excess of 25 times last year would become the hottest ticket in pro hoops. And it wouldn't be just because of "The Chosen One."
