The State of the Cavs Bench

[FiveThous]

As long as he had a no interview clause in his contract Im not against it for the vet min, the ball is constantly moving when hes on the floor, cant hate that.

[Andy7207]

So who else kind of wants to bring Luke Walton back after this season?

There. I said it.

Walton-Livingston-Speights-Ellington was actually a pretty awesome lineup last night.

[BigErieCavsFan]

Walton-Livingston-Speights-Ellington was actually a pretty awesome lineup last night.

I think those guys are really enjoying playing together. It's really nice having a non-dleague bench of vets.

[Jon]

I like having a bench. Some continuity would be nice from season to season, so I wouldn't mind seeing some of them stick around; but mostly I hope we fill out our roster with some guys who can actually contribute something. It's not asking much.

[BigErieCavsFan]

I've always liked Livingston and Speights so I would really like to see them stick around as 7-8th guys if we can get them for a good price. Was never a big Walton fan (had that respectful hate for Bill too until he became a comedic anouncer and then I liked the guy), but it looks like I might turn the tables on Luke too the way he is presenting himself. Didn't know much about Ellington, but like what he brings more than my man Boobs. Much more fun to watch lately...

[rabman_gold]

I like that we have a bench for the first time since 2010. Don't you miss actually having NBA players see those minutes? The only problem is what everyone else is saying: A temporary solution to the means.

Speights is a decent fit ATM. But he's playing with a purpose. Big men are like that before paydays. If we really want him, that's a problem discussed for the off-season. Once we hear both sides' stances, we'll see their positions. Will it be like Andy's negotiation? Or Gee? Or Boobie?

Ellington is the somewhat lesser version of Prime Wesley Person, like Rch said. The fact he's a great role model is also good, but if he can be kept is a different story. Once we get the main pieces in 2014, getting guys like this aren't actually as hard as it seems. We were just a little cheap with salary so we could bargain with teams throughout the year.

Livingston was a great pickup for us. But he's not bound to us. He may very well leave and move on. And it's fine. Again, he's a shell. Getting a guy with his type of skillset is the equivalent to getting a veteran with diminished skills or an average player who is rather skilled with the ball but not as mobile. Again, dime a dozen, we just weren't in the market as a team because we had bigger fish to fry.

Miles? He's the example of pickups that we can always make. If a guy doesn't make it easy by signing with us (and is restricted), we'll find someone who's looking for another chance. That's how Miles came here and Gee got his deal reluctantly. And eventually, some click and some don't.

Conclusion: Grant is basically Danny Ferry 2.0. He has way more time to build the empire. The pieces for the powerful bench will follow. Note that this was just a temporary bench. Once he has the time to make a real contender's bench, it might scare off some of our current contenders.

Ex. Ferry turned:

2006	2007	2008	2009
D. Jones	E. Snow	D. Gibson	D. West
S. Pavlovic			J. Moon
D. Marshall		J. Smith	A. Varejao
A. Varejao			Z. Ilgauskas

[Len]

It seems our team composition has helped during the past years

1: Have a shitty rebuilding team, and give playing time to D-Leaguers and other players team may not look at as options. Then look to dump for flexibility or contracts. (Sessions, Mo Will, and John L.)
2: Then be able to use them as trading chips by showcasing their talents because we are devoid of talent.

Now our bench is playing well and it may effect OUR cap flexibility.

1: We signed Livingston, who was cut by the WIZARDS. He comes here, plays well, and now will he demand a pay day?
2: Speights, playing like a legit Big man. How much do we pay him?
3: Ellington is what Boobie should be, therefor do we dump Boobie and pay Ellington?
4: Walton's contract ><, but I believe he has a positive effect on our players.
5: Reference #3, Boobie just gone now?
6:CJ Miles, no opinion, whatever happens happens.
7: I'm fine with and when Gee goes to the bench, as he knows his role, works hard, and is on a friendly contract. No qualms with him.

Rest of the bench is totally expendable.

[Kizzle]

Its simple man add some vets who know their role and have been doing it well for years and your team gets better immeadiately. Wayne and Spieghts been around a while on good and bad teams. Theyve been here before. We need I think a starting guard like that and wed see our 5 become pretty damn good

[SRStark20]

If we don't trade Walton, I would not mind one bit bringing him back on a one year deal for the vet min.

He's not a fantastic player. He's not a good player. He's barely average. But, he is a guy that I like having around Kyrie, Tristan, and the rest of the young guys, both on and off the court.

[Cavatt]

If we don't trade Walton, I would not mind one bit bringing him back on a one year deal for the vet min.

He's not a fantastic player. He's not a good player. He's barely average. But, he is a guy that I like having around Kyrie, Tristan, and the rest of the young guys, both on and off the court.

He isn't a goto anything, but he does make others look good. The problem was that he had little to work with before now. It is the same with Shaun. These guys aren't scorers, but they can help other guys score more easily. The might as well keep these guys until they need the roster spot.

[wuck]

He's barely average.

I think you're being generous...but there's no denying that he has fit in pretty well considering his limitations. I'd rather have players talented enough at SF/PF to take all his minutes, but he has contributed this year much more than I expected. Definitely a good chemistry guy and a team-first player.

[MYoung23]

Or if it's a one year contract the Cavs use to hit the salary floor.

Salary floor isn't an issue. When a team is under the salary floor the difference gets distributed amongst the players on the roster.

[godfather]

So who else kind of wants to bring Luke Walton back after this season?

There. I said it.

I seriously do. No joke.

Maybe I misheard, but didn't Fred mention that in the month of Jan, we were 7th in NBA in bench scoring. Just saying, I think one, or two, or three guys might be worth keeping around with that kind of production.

Yes, obviously there's going to be a lot of changes going forward, but common, some of these guys are worth giving another look.

[Tank God]

I want to keep Ellington, Livingston, and Walton if we can sign them all for small deals. They'd be great veterans to have on the team. Speights, on the other hand, isn't worth keeping because of the wins he's causing in addition to the contract he'll command that will not mesh with our 2014 off-season plans.

[IWantAKouki]

Frankly I love Livingston, Speights, and Ellington. If we could keep them all moving forward, I'd be happy. Love to see Luke stick around too just because he's a good guy in the lockerroom and on the court if absolutely need be.

Ellington is the prototypical three-and-D player but is capable of putting it on the floor, too.

These guys could make up the bench and I'd be happy (along with Waiters and TT playing spot bench minutes as they have been).

Of course it will be tough to keep all of them, particularly Speights, for a price that won't hurt our flexibility. Ideally we found these players next year...