http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/sports/15414930.htm


Cavs likely to sign David Wesley
Veteran guard slated to take physical today, could get one-year deal
From staff and wire reports
The Cavaliers appear close to finalizing their roster for the upcoming
season.

According to team sources, free-agent guard David Wesley is expected to take
a physical in Cleveland today, and if everything checks out, he will likely
sign a one-year deal with the Cavs over the weekend.

The 13-year veteran can play point guard and shooting guard, giving the Cavs
depth behind Eric Snow and Damon Jones. Wesley averaged 9.9 points and 2.9
assists in 71 games with the Houston Rockets last season.

Over his career, mostly spent with the Hornets in Charlotte and New Orleans,
the 35-year-old Wesley has averaged 12.9 points and shot 37 percent from
3-point range.

If the Wesley deal is completed as expected and Drew Gooden officially
signs, the Cavs will have 16 players under contract. One player will have to
be released before the start of the season and the competition for the final
spot will probably come down to Eddie Basden and Stephen Graham, who both
have nonguaranteed contracts.

-- Brian Windhorst
__________________________________________________ __________________________
_______________

With the addition of Wesley and barring any trade it rounds out like this:

PG - Snow, Wesley, Jones, Gibson
SG - Hughes, Brown, Jackson, Graham or Basden
SF - James, Pavlovic
PF - Gooden, Marshall, Varejao
C - Z, Pollard

I like the mix offensively and defensively. More flexibility with a lot of
combinations to throw at teams. Interesting what a difference a few players
can make. This is certainly a better team than last year. Give Ferry credit
for signing James and Gooden (without overpaying Gooden and getting him for
only 3 years), the draft picks of Brown and Gibson, the Pollard and Wesley
veteran signings. Though the off season did not provide the excitement of
last year, we head into this season as a 50-win team that has been together
(GM, coach and players) for only one year. This team, barring injury, can
only get better.

Keith

On Fri, 1 Sep 2006 22:42:24 -0600, "Keith Jones" <kejones1@cox.net>
wrote:


i think that you left out newble.

i wonder if this means ferry is resigned to keeping jones until the
start of next season & hope jones regains his stroke which means
he'll play or improve his value in a mid-season trade.

"i can spell. i just can't type."

"barry" <toisan_boy@nospam.yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:6s5kf2d104anu9lb6g9mo56qunv9nsa5qa@4ax.com...
take
likely
Cavs
2.9
Orleans,
to
final
_
this:
of
players
credit
for
Wesley
together

I realized this after I posted and was going to correct it but you beat me
to it ( I was counting 15 players not 16). When did the roster go up to 16?
Or didn't it? Anyway, we really have a glut at SG and PG. guess you could
consider Newble, Graham or Basden SF. Brown at 6'1" would really be better
suited to a PG. I still think somebody will be traded for a second round
draft choice (Jackson, Pavlovic). I hate to see them give up Pavlovic for a
2nd rounder. He is younger, healthier and had no college experience so I
like his upside. Jackson I would like to see go, though he really has only
gotten a limited opportunity but looked awful, IMHO.


I think adding Wesley may help us match up two defenders against smaller,
quicker guards. I believe Wesley will not start but see more minutes than
Snow since he is more offensively minded and can stretch defenses by
shooting 3's. My feeling is Jones is such a defensive liability that will
not see many minutes (I am just guessing) except to be spotted at times or
to catch defenses asleep (he has shown he can come in cold and hit 3's). I
am not sure how this will: 1) get his shooting eye back, 2) justify the
large contract, or 3) increase his trade value. His signing still puzzles me
since Brown stated initially he wanted to build the team around defense and
his defensive deficiencies were no secret in Miami. Gibson will most likely
play garbage minutes and would be better off in the D league.

Keith

On Sun, 3 Sep 2006 13:48:25 -0600, "Keith Jones" <kejones1@cox.net>
wrote:


we have 16 players but graham & basden don't have guaranteed contracts
- one of them will be gone for sure barring a trade. if basden can hit
the open 3 he's our poor man's bruce bowen - and combines the best of
newble's and jones' useful skills into one package. *IF* he can make
the club in that kind of role, that would give us a lot of flexibility
and make newble superfluous.


*that's* why he was listed at 6'3-4". now we have the TWO shortest
SG's in the league in brown and wesley.


besides emphasizing defense, i'm not sure that coach brown has had
developing our younger players as a high priority during his tenure so
far.


we've gone over this before; jones was at best their 3rd choice after
watson and jarevicious (sp?)(and if you want to argue that jaric was a
serious candidate, 4th choice) since there was no way we were going
to re-sign mcinnis. and ferry wouldn't have offered the extra if
denver hadn' t mucked up the works by overpaying (sensing a pattern
here?) for watson.

i'm hoping they can unload jones for some other overpaid player whose
skill set gives him to contribute and a chance at playing meaningful
minutes.


"i can spell. i just can't type."

----- Original Message -----
From: "barry" <toisan_boy@nospam.yahoo.com>
Newsgroups: alt.sports.basketball.nba.clev-cavaliers
Sent: Monday, September 04, 2006 12:36 AM
Subject: Re: Wesley to be signed


to
the
from
have
both

<snip>

I like the idea of making Newble anything. In fact, I like the idea of
making
Newble an asterisk* if it could be done. Is Basden a 3-point threat?
He was 1-7 last year.

better

I thought Wesley played point but he is listed as a SG.

<snip>
or
I
me
and
likely

Let me see if I understand this correctly.............we signed Jones last
year
when we had cap money because otherwise we would have lost that money
(since it cannot be carried over into this year) and not signed anyone? But
why four years for a one dimensional player whose strong suit was not
defense?

I don't understand Denver with Kmart, Watson (who did not play and then
was traded), and now Nene? How can teams like Denver and NY operate
this way not only ruining their own salary caps but setting ridiculous
precedents other players wish to follow (eg. Nene=Gooden)? I still don't
know how NY signed Jeffries?

The article by Windhorst you referred to says the Cavs are over
the cap and will be for years. It will be nice when the Newbles, and
Snows and Jones's are moved or contracts end. When will we get a shot
at anothe FA?

07 is supposed to be a great year for FA's but I don't think many teams
are in a position to offer big $$$$$$$$.


I guess that is the best we can hope for. He doesn't fit here.

Keith

On Mon, 4 Sep 2006 22:35:52 -0600, "Keith Jones" <kejones1@cox.net>
wrote:

<snip>


i was looking at his college stats and scouting reports. he shot .386
from the 3pt line as a senior and was a two-time C-USA defensive
player of the year.

he's more a slasher - he allegedly has problems hitting his jump shot
off the dribble (or coming off a screen) but is a decent spot-up
shooter. i expect them to work on his 3pt shot in camp.

i don't see him ever starting, but if he can hit the 3 he'd be a great
addition as a role player for us - can come in and play clamp-down
defense and play an offensive role keeping defenses honest by not
being able to double down with the guy guarding him, or being more
reluctant to collapse when lebron or hughes is driving the lane.

but you have a see a pattern in how we picked up backcourt guys who
can play defense.


exactly - another reason we kinda need a bigger defender to match up
with a SG that has some post moves.

<snip>


no - but we needed to sign another PG to back up snow because we
weren't going to re-sign jeff mcinnis (and for the record, i was
always leery of getting him given the history and rep of being a PITA
while playing for dean smith at UNC. i'm sure dean smith was happy to
see mcinnis leave early).


we also had a glaring need to improve our perimter offense in terms of
3 pt shooting. Z isn't exactly a defensive monster, but coach brown's
defensive concept made him more productive. i don't think jones'
defense is actually much worse than the matador defense mcinnis
displayed on the pick and roll.

so at the time, i'd say it was more a case of - let's get anyone other
than mcinnis. also, with both hughes and lebron having point skills,
getting a guy who could hit the 3 seemed like a reasonable
acquisition, as the team he was on had its own lebron-type in dwayne
wade - again, given that the 3-4 other guys we really wanted went
elsewhere.


if denver can't unload kenyon martin, they're pretty screwed IMO -
that contract is a major albatross. i imagine that the shorter # of
year contracts are going to become a trend for the superstars - it'll
improve their overall earning potential while protecting the signing
team should the player get hurt.


the problem is that to make that work, we're likely going to have
make a ollie-for-snow type trade - taking on a more expensive contract
in return. as dumb as some GMs are - they're not likely to give away a
good player and take a retread in return unless the guy's a head case
the way players like mcinnis & darius miles turned out to be. as we've
got decent chemistry i'd hate to see the addition of a head case screw
that up.


"i can spell. i just can't type."

"barry" <toisan_boy@nospam.yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:k9lrf2588nbqi24ml8un1tt1as8lf7obsb@4ax.com...
last

Thanks, for the thorough explanation. I knew some of the info and agree with
your explanation of the rest. I think coach Brown is making it very clear
that if you don't play defense, you won't play major minutes. I agree with
no head cases to destroy chemistry. Keeping the core of the team intact I
think is a wise move. When you think back to the whirlwind of changes that
have taken place at all levels since Lebron joined the team, it is enough to
make your head spin. Continuity and familiarity should make us a better
team.

We have had a few lively discussions here (where is everyone else?). I don't
know what ever led to the problems we had last year. I know some of my
negativity and predictions got under some people's skins. I had high
expectations. As it turned out, they actually exceeded my expectations last
year. And I guess I felt you took some cheap shots at me. Anyway, it's water
over the dam. Life's too short. I hold no grudges (I don't like Albert
Belle's Ghost). I have found you to be a very knowledgeable, resourceful
and thoughtful participant who refuses to use capital letters. Anyway,
don't let this go to your head, I can change my mind tomorrow. Just kidding!
Here's to an upcoming season where my expectations are even higher and
hopefully, everything will click and we will have more to agree upon than
disagree. Afterall, we're both displaced or misplaced Clevelanders that
still kept our allegiance to Cleveland sports teams.

Keith

Keith Jones wrote:

SNIP


Sorry. Was on vacation for a few days.

I am optimistic for a good year also, and actually like the Wesley move
(provided he didn't instantly go over the hill) - he played very solid
for Houston last year, with a defensive minded coach.

I don't think Ferry is done, but if he is, he didn't have a bad
offseason. I think either Newble, Jackson, Pavlovic, or Jones (or some
combination plus a second rounder for a second rounder) are on their way
out the door. Ferry will not give up a pick. He even picked up extra
picks moving contracts last year (Mike Wilks).

On Wed, 06 Sep 2006 22:55:28 GMT, Dan Hosek <none@nowhere.not> wrote:


the more i think about it the more i think it's an astute acquistion,
he'll play enough to be an elder statesman and positive locker room
infuence he's reputed to be. and he's poised to take minutes wherever
he can get them:

- as backup PG and being the 3pt threat in the role jones was hoped to
fill - and maybe take gibson under his wing and help groom him for
that role down the line;
- at SG if hughes gets hurt and/or if brown suffers through rookie
teething pains or gets hurt also;


i'd love to see ferry move newble & jones but i don't see who we
could do so without taking an overpriced player with a multi-year
contract in return.

the four guys in question have $11 mil out of this years cap, $7.5 mil
in 2007 & 4.3 mil in 2008. that stings a bit but is still much better
than being stuck with someone like a kenyon martin.







"i can spell. i just can't type."

barry wrote:

Okay. Bizzarro thought. Do they use the amnesty rule on Snow?

Oh, and the Nuggets just signed Reggie Evans to a 5 year deal. Who is
running that nuthouse, and can I have his job?