Marcus Camby might be the name on top of the Cleveland Cavaliers wish list
by Brian Windhorst / The Plain Dealer
Tuesday February 17, 2009, 9:52 AM
CLEVELAND -- The countdown is on for Thursday's 3 p.m. trading deadline. With the Cavaliers in position to challenge for the NBA Championship and a collection of assets, they will be involved in a lot of rumors. In his first three seasons at general manager, Danny Ferry made two deadline-day deals including last season's 10-player trade and two years ago had a three-team deal fall through at the last minute.
Over the next three days, the Plain Dealer will be tracking the behind-the-scenes happenings and be evaluating rumors as they break.
It's Tuesday and this is when stuff starts to happen. After having talks over the weekend at the All-Star Games, GMs come back and meet with their staffs and talk with their owners and key players when teams reassemble.
Amare Stoudemire is probably out of the picture.
A week ago at this time, the Cavs were seriously emerged in trade conversations with the Suns about Amare Stoudemire. It got to the point where there was a meeting with the team's "Committee" of veterans about the possibilities last week and how they would feel about importing Stoudemire. The Cavs made pitches and had back-and-forth with the Suns about what it would take. By the time news of this hit the mainstream by the weekend, however, the realities had set in.
The Suns had much better offers than what the Cavs were presenting and weren't happy with any of them. Some of this can be blamed on the Memphis Grizzlies, who changed the game a year ago when they gave away Pau Gasol to the Lakers. Later their owner admitted it was a mistake and their fan base has revolted. The Suns don't want to repeat that mistake but all the GMs are calling with the sort of phony offers the Lakers landed a real time All-Star with. That included the Cavs.
So the Suns have decided to change their head coach instead, firing Terry Porter and replacing him with Alvin Gentry, and seeing what the rest of the season brings. If it goes bad then Stoudemire could be moving in the offseason. This is probably the option that makes the most sense from the Suns perspective.
The Cavs still are comfortable with the team they have. LeBron James has made it clear he's happy with this roster -- as opposed to several times last season when he openly campaigned for changes -- and he believes they can make a championship run when healthy. For now, that is a guiding principle for the organization. If they can get a big-time player for virtually nothing -- i.e. expiring contracts, prospects and picks -- then they'll be aggressive. If not, there likely will be no trade this season.
Here's is an updated breakdown of players linked to the Cavs:
Marcus Camby, Clippers: A strong defensive player who can also score inside and out, this is the kind of big man the Cavs would want. Plus the Clippers probably want to dump salary. However, it is unclear whether he's truly available and recently the answer has been "no."
Chris Kaman, Clippers: Only included because fans keep asking about him. He's been out months with injury and has a contract that runs past 2010. 0 percent chance.
Vince Carter, Nets: Forget what you read elsewhere. Cavs are not interested. Doesn't sound like the Nets will make any trade.
Richard Jefferson, Bucks: There's a chance he'll be traded but not to Cleveland. Bucks already gave the Cavs a free big-time player.
Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, Wizards: GM Ernie Grunfeld told the Washington Times: "Over the course of the last four or five years, we established ourselves as a winning organization, and we want to keep going that way. Once we get everybody back, get all of our pieces together, we can be a very competitive team." In other words, no trade.
Brad Miller, Kings: The Cavs could've had Miller anytime in the last month if they wanted. They are still considering it but aren't sure if he's that much of an upgrade considering the risk to team chemistry. He's also not having a very good year, is in questionable shape, and is coming off a drug suspension.
Tyson Chandler, Hornets: He's an intriguing name, however the Hornets will want a quality big man or two in return and it is questionable how effective his complete game is.
ray:
