6-On-6: Free Agency Edition

This year’s NBA Free Agency period has been unlike any other with bags, bushels and Brinks trucks full of cash being handed out to literally anyone and everyone who can navigate a roundball. And the biggest name hasn’t even signed yet, let alone begun to negotiate his deal with his hometown team. Fortunately for the Cavs, in contrast to his two previous stints as a Free Agent, LeBron James is in full on “chill mode.” LBJ has the luxury of kicking back with his pals in the Bahamas, content to wait to see how many untold millions his Klutch Sports co-client, Tristan Thompson, can furiously pull down like so many offensive rebounds.

Still, plenty of other names, both big and small, have cashed in on the pre-cap-explosion extravaganza, and while many have been content to stay put, several others have made for greener pastures. For this supersized, “cash money” edition of 6-On-6 (in the spirit of Free Agency, why go 5-On-5 when you can get one more?), we discuss the best fits, the worst fits, just how explosive the Canadian Dynamite situation is, whether the Cavs can afford any more swish from J.R., who else they might shake out of the woodwork with CavsDan’s tree of money, and (per Nate’s suggestion) get creative on how the Haywood contract could really be used…

1) Who was the best Free Agent signing so far?

Nate Smith: We talking best Player? Value? Fit? Best player is clearly Aldridge who anchored that Portland team for years, and is a top 15 NBA player. Do I think he made a mistake going to a team with an ancient backcourt? Yes, but he’ll carry the torch, and he, Danny Green, and Kawhi will be a great core even when Duncan, Manu, and Parker retire. Best value is Kyle O’Quinn, who was buried on an awful Magic team last year. He was still in the top 25% for defensive field goal percentage at the rim, and has shown that he can be a defensive presence when motivated. He also has a nice mid-range game from 3-10 feet (49%), and a shot out to the three point line (28%). He will be perfect in the triangle. At $4 mil a year? He’s a bargain. Best Fit? DeMarre Carroll, who does everything Toronto needs, and lets Terrence Ross come off the bench.

Robert Attenweiler: Locking up Kevin Love for $110 million over five years could turn out to be a real coup for the Cavs. The Cavs will be in salary hell for the rest of LeBron James’s career, so it’s not so much that Love’s deal gives the team so much more room to maneuver. What it does, though, is two-fold: for the team, it’s addition by subtraction of any of them, including Love, having to talk about where Kevin Love might sign next year and, should Love prove more comfortable with his role in Cleveland this season, the Cavs have locked up James’s second and third options for several years on what will look like very reasonable contracts when the salary cap starts climbing.

KLove will look to get more comfortable next year… well maybe not this comfortable…

David Wood: If we’re discussing the best overall contract (money and skill count equally), I’m going to go with the Spurs re-signing Danny Green for four years, $45 million. Green is in his sixth NBA season, but he had two scratch years in Cleveland, and has never played more than 30 minutes a game for a season. He has also played about 74 games every year with the Spurs. That’s pretty damn durable, and I’m sure that at least four of the missed games each season were Pop’s treat. Furthermore, Green has shot over 40% from 3-point land for five straight seasons. He has the mind and skills of a 28 year old, and the body of a 24 year old. I don’t know any context where that isn’t sexy. His shooting is going to age well, and if he gets old man strength, his great defense might even let him stop some of the smaller 4s in the league. Some haters might say he is a product of the “Spurs System,” but who cares? The Pistons just gave Reggie Jackson, “no one else on my team has a first step,” $80 million over five years. The Raptors gave DeMarre Carroll, “my open threes were a product of Korver’s God-like court gravity,” $15 million a year. Everyone is a product of some system. The league is messed up right now, and fortunately for the Spurs, Green got shafted.

Mallory Factor: I know the popular answer here is probably either LaMarcus or some bargain FA. But the answer should really only be one signing — Greg Monroe. LaMarcus is great, and even with the cap jump, some of these FA signings have been absurdly expensive (meaning bargains like David West, Lou Williams, Jae Crowder, and Patrick Beverly will look THAT much cheaper next year) but in reality, only a couple teams jumped serious notches due to their FA signings, and above and beyond all the rest is Milwaukee. What was once a team lacking any interior scoring, consistent motor, and post youth, now has all three. Monroe may not be a stud defender, but he’s capable, and he’s never played for a competitive team. If (and when) Milwaukee starts to slide into the upper echelon of NBA teams (and trust me, as Parker, Giannis, and Middleton progress, they will) having the steady Monroe with that trio will only make them that much formidable. Watch out, Cavs — Milwaukee’s-a-comin’. (Oh yeah, shout out to Nate’s fav — Thad Young. Dude signed a very reasonable contract. Brooklyn may have a steal on their hands).

Cory Hughey: The Spurs not only added an elite stretch big in his prime by wooing LaMarcus Aldridge, but they also castrated a conference contender in the process, and sent the Blazers to lottery land. As far as the best bargain, I’m going with Bismack Biyombo to the Raptors on a two-year, $6 million deal. Biyombo is an elite rim protector (2.9 blocks/36 minutes), and he’s going to get paid less than a fifth of what Tristan Thompson is going to sign for. He was underused in Charlotte, and should be able to soak up many of Amir Johnson’s minutes at a bargain rate.

.@Raptors Sign @bismackbiyombo0 To 2-Year, $6 Million Deal http://t.co/Q56Rj8uofv pic.twitter.com/Ck5TzZwQLC

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) July 4, 2015

EvilGenius: Though it’s kind of a cheat (and also kinda boringly brilliant) the two biggest signings also happened to be the first two made once the clock struck midnight last Wednesday morning. In the same fashion that the Cavs did last year with Kyrie, the Pelicans and Spurs respectively swooped in and solidified the future of their core superstars as quickly as possible, offering max deals to their young cornerstones. Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard will be fixtures for their franchises for the foreseeable future. With regard to the best signing that changed uniforms, LaMarcus will probably make the most impact in terms of influencing the balance of power in the West, but the best value is a toss up between Brandan Wright going to the Grizzlies and Kyle O’Quinn joining the Knicks. Paul Pierce might have snuck in here for me if DJ hadn’t run off with his new BFF, Chandler Parsons. Alas, The Truth will not set the Clips free… Does Doc have any more kids who can ball?

Spencer Rivers is waiting in the wings at UC Irvine…

2) Who was the worst Free Agent signing so far?

Nate: Enes Kanter isn’t signed yet, but his deal reportedly starts at $15.5 million per.  RPM rates him as the 60th best center in the league (one spot ahead of, ahem, Anderson Varejao). And his -3.87 DRPM is one spot behind Andrea Bargnani. Yep, Enes is the worst defensive center in the NBA. Barf. Teams seem terrified of letting guys sign offer sheets this year, and he’s the perfect example. Anyway, honorary mention has to go to the Kings who got trade-raked by Hinkie. Sacramento gave up Nik Stauskas, Carl Landry, Jason Thompson, a first round pick, and the right to swap picks in two other drafts, just to clear cap room. The Kings then got played for leverage by every free agent they tried to sign. Well, except for Rondo (one year, $9.5 million). The Kings could hire Jim Buss, and it would be a front office upgrade. Rajon, Boogie, and George Karl? How much do I have to pay for a locker room cam?

Robert: Rajon Rondo’s one-year $10 million deal with the Sacramento Kings may not be the worst (cough… Reggie Jackson… cough) but it sure is a head-scratcher. If you’re a glass half full person, you could argue that Rondo has a chance to re-establish himself on a team where he is a definite upgrade at the point guard position, and where he has a legitimate star in DeMarcus Cousins. You could argue that maybe George Karl can coax a Gary Payton-esque season from Rondo. But, Rondo has shown no indication that he can turn around his steady, post-injury decline and, unless the Kings trade for Kevin Garnett to be the team’s unquestioned dominant personality, this team seems too dysfunctional to do anything of consequence, making Rondo’s signing seem more like an empty band-aid wrapper than a band-aid.

David: Why did Stan Van Gundy sign Reggie Jackson to a contract worth $80 million? Here’s my guess. This summer Stan Van has locked himself into a dark gym with Andre Drummond. No, they aren’t working on free throw shooting, even though they should be. Stan has pumped Drummond up with Diet Pepsi and is teaching him the old white man’s game of head fakes, “my bad” arm gestures, and 3-point heaves. He decided to sign the 22nd (Brandon Jennings is 21) ranked point guard according to real plus-minus to a max contract, because he is too focused on transforming Drummond to focus on anything else. Jackson does drive to the hoop quite well though. He got 7.3 ppg doing so with Detroit. However, Tony Wroten and Ish Smith got 8.1 and 7.2 ppg on drives, respectively. How much do those two make? Wroten is getting just $2,179,354 and Ish is unsigned as of now.

Mallory: This one is a cinch — of all the eye-popping deals out there (Reggie Jackson, Draymond Green) — one stands above the rest. During the regular season, DeMarre Carroll was the perfect role starter amongst the machine that was the Hawks. A good defender, Carroll fit beautifully next to a ton of guys who could do a little (or, in some cases, a lot) of everything. Carroll is actually a pretty nice shooter, with a career percent hovering around 46. In addition, he’s a very good defender, who nobly took on LeBron during the losing cause that was the ECF. Still, and I cannot stress this enough, Carroll is NOT a borderline all-star. He shot particularly well from three last year, likely due in part to the system in which he was playing, and he’s not exactly a stud with the ball in his hands. In short, $15 million a year for a guy who, when his contract ends, will be well into the wrong side of 30, with low upside and lacking elite skills beyond systematic defense, seems like a steep price, (particularly when compared to guys like Tobias Harris, Khris Middleton, and Draymond Green, all who are much, MUCH younger than Carroll). If you’re going to splurge in this market, at least do it on a guy who can shock you in the best possible way.

Cory: I’ll keep this one short since there are six of us. Reggie Jackson is going to make more next season than Steph Curry, Tony Parker and Ty Lawson. Off of the top of my head, Jackson is probably the 18th best PG or so in the league. Who else was going to pay him close to $16 million per season, when there are seriously only like three teams with potential openings at the position.

$80 million for Reggie Jackson is $70 million more than "the other one" made in a 21-yr career http://t.co/R9jwgRZfN2 pic.twitter.com/zRkC94ysV5

— ESPN (@espn) July 6, 2015

EG: Though I cringed at a few head-scratching deals like the Cans giving Omer Asik $60M for five years, the depleted Blazers going hard after one-way player, Al-Farouq Aminu for $30M for five years, and the Pistons blowing all their cap space on the underwhelming tandem of Reggie Jackson and Aron Baynes, the worst deal (probably financially, but certainly emotionally) was the Kings’ decision to add just a bit more crazy to their nuthouse with a one year inking of Rajon Rondo. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… this has to be straight up the biggest troll job of an owner to his soon-to-be-former head coach in the history of sports. If the NBA had a “Hard Knocks” style show (something they really should consider and entertain), the 2015-16 Kings would be the ultimate candidate to kick it off and shatter Nielsen ratings on a weekly basis. All joking aside, what possible upside exists here for Vivek Ranadive (beyond an elaborate scheme to have George Karl institutionalized)? Even on the remote off-chance that Rondo has a good year, there’s no way he’s sticking around. There’s got to be a better way to spend $10 million… right? It’s an Evil kind of hard knock life in Sacto, “Cuz…”

3) How much is Tristan Thompson really worth?

Nate: What’s any of us really worth? It’s a depressing question. I asked Google.

As of 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency set the value of a human life at $9.1 million. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration put it at $7.9 million — and the Department of Transportation figure was around $6 million.

So Tristan Thompson’s demands for $15.8 million a year seem a little silly. I’m being facetious, but you can’t pay him more than Kyrie, can you? The risk the Cavs run now, is that they let him dangle, and someone signs him to a big one or two year offer sheet, and they lose his rights. So I don’t know. How about just matching Draymond Green’s contract and then letting Tristan use the @CavsDan jet three or four times a year?

Robert: One thing we’ve learned from this year’s free agency is that a player’s worth is definitely a relative thing. Is Draymond Green a better player than Thompson? I think, by most standard measures, the answer would be “yes”… but when Reggie Jackson signs a 5-year, $80 million deal with the Pistons, that kind of throws the whole “better” debate out the window, doesn’t it? In a vacuum, I’d say that Thompson is worth more than Jackson, and is in the same ballpark — if somewhat less — than Green. But, every player is worth what his value is to his team and, more importantly, what he can get. So, I have no doubt that Rich Paul is pushing for a contract that exceeds Green’s, and the Cavs don’t have much leverage in negotiations when they a.) like that player b.) their star player likes that player and c.) their star player’s agent represents that same player. Eventually, both sides with whittle down the potato’s worth of space between them to nothing and Thompson will sign… for more than anyone but Thompson, Paul and James think he’s worth.

David: I heard news that TT wasn’t going to sign a deal until Draymond Green had signed his. I’m not sure if this is true. Maybe, TT wasn’t planning on signing until all the other power forwards got overpaid, so he could ask for his over payment with less guilt. I go back and forth on TT. He is an otherworldly offensive rebounder. He grabbed 3.3 o-boards a game this season. He can switch onto pretty much anyone in the game and hold his own. However, he only scored 8.5 a game during the regular season, and has no ability to create his own shot or run the fast-break on his own. Draymond, on the other hand, can score at will sometimes, and be a facilitator. The Cavs need to decide how much they value TT’s offensive rebounding. If they think it makes up for his inability to score, then they should give him Green money. If they don’t think that, I would lock TT in a gym, and force him to hit 3s and throw precision passes to open corner guys. When he fails to execute those moves, pay him $65 mil over five years.

Mallory: This is a tough one to answer: the truth, fair market value of TT is probably somewhere around $12-14 mil a year — the apparent going rate for good young PFs (Thad Young, Tobias Harris, and Asik on the lower end, Monroe on the high). None of those guys are quite as young as TT, minus Harris, and probably don’t have his upside. Still, statistically speaking, they’ve all achieved more during the regular season, and proven, day in and day out, that they can be a force in a few different ways. That’s not to say TT isn’t valuable, because he is — the guy is a rebounding machine, a great defender inside and, surprisingly, out, and has even become passable on offense. All of those virtues are worth something in the NBA. And yet, guys like TT are probably 80% replaceable, and at 80% of what he’s apparently demanding. But, and this is the kicker, LeBron wants him around. And, sadly, LeBron holds pretty much every card imaginable here. I hate to be beholden to one player in the way that the Cavs are to LeBron, but he’s the best player in the world, and unfortunately, that’s where the Cavs are right now. (Side note — read the excellent Grantland article, posted today, about just how perfectly LeBron can hold the Cavs hostage.) Given how willing Gilbert is to spend, it’s not insane to imagine TT signing the max. And if it makes Lebron happy? It’s worth the price.

Cory: What is TT really worth? I’m against giving a big eight-figures per year if he can’t protect the rim, switch on the pick and roll, or stretch the defense. Thompson can do two of those things well. Sure Steph Curry lit him up in the Finals, but he does that to everyone. Thompson probably is worth $13-$14 million per year with the heightened cap anticipation. I assume tall Wallace from The Wire will sign a contract that matches Draymond Green’s $85 million contract, over five years. Is it overpaying? You bet. Considering max contracts are going to reach $30 million plus per season, it’s not that bad.

EG: I guess the easy answer (though probably not the one that @CavsDan wants to hear) is that TT is worth “whatever keeps him as a Cav for life, and makes LeBron happy.” When the rumors were swirling immediately following the Love deal announcement, and the numbers circulating were five years, $80M, I thought “wow, that’s a lot of cash to spend on one position.” Turns out, that would have been the Cavs getting off easy, since now it looks like TT is really asking for somewhere between “Draymond money” and “Kyrie money.” I guess they should be happy he’s not asking for “LaMarcus money” though (well at least not yet…). In a vacuum, (or on most any other team in the league) TT is probably worth about five years, $75M, which is still a pretty penny for an elite rebounder with limited offensive skills. But, on the Cavs, he’s unfortunately worth whatever keeps LBJ happy. I think he ultimately winds up signing for five years and $85M (“Draymond money”), but maybe with a player option on the fifth year and some other built in incentives. Any more than that, and he starts becoming a contender for question #2…

4) Will J.R. Smith be back?

Nate: Yes? I don’t get the sense that any other team in the league wants to deal with his goofiness. Cavs will address him after all their other free agency stuff is done. Expect two years, $14 million. Maybe a partially guaranteed third year and an extended warranty on than scooter JR rode during the Finals.

Robert: Right now, I’d still say that anything is possible in terms of J.R. Smith. I’d be no more surprised to wake up tomorrow, and see that he’s signed a three-year $21 million deal to stay with the Cavs, as I would that he agreed to take a one-year veteran minimum contract to play with the Mavericks, say. I still suspect that he’s found and will continue to find the market for him to be relatively cool, and he’ll look for the security of a longer-term deal, even if it pays him a slightly lower salary per year than the deal he just opted out of. Unlike with the Thompson negotiations, the Cavs seem to be willing to bring Smith back only at a price that makes sense to them. I think he fits on this Cavs team, though, so I think both sides — barring a trade that makes Smith redundant — agree to something that works for both sides.

David: No. Mo Williams is back, and he averaged more points than JR this past season in about the same amount of minutes. While Mo isn’t the defender JR is, I’m confident he can consistently hit the 3s Smith would get streaky on. And, if he isn’t hitting 3s, Williams is able to get to the paint. He can also run an offense, something JR never thought to do because assists don’t get counted as points.

Mallory: This is a question that I flip-flop on daily. On the one hand, JR is inconsistent, has massive lapses in judgement, and, at his worst, is downright horrible (see: the NBA Finals). And yet, he was a surprisingly consistent and steady hand for the Cavs during most of the season, and nearly all the post season. Were the Cavs capable of benching him in favor of another player during his cold streaks in the finals, they likely would have, making his shortcomings forgivable. But this is reality, and that didn’t happen. The fair price for JR is probably somewhere in the realm of $4-6 million, for 2-3 years. Will JR sign for that? Tough to say. Do the Cavs want to be locked in with JR for 3 years? Probably not. But the dude wants to get paid, and wants some financial security, and those are two things the Cavs have to be willing to meet if they’re going to remain in tandem. My final answer? Depends on the Haywood trade, but, surprisingly, I think JR re-signs.

Cory: The longer he goes unsigned, the more likely his return seems to me. Cap space is drying up across the league by the day, and with JR’s reputation, he’s probably never been on multiple teams’ free agency boards in the first place. I’d assume he resigns with the Cavs along the lines of two-years, $15 million, with a player option for the second season.

EG: I’ve had this sneaking suspicion that the writing was on the wall for JR the minute he decided against opting into the final year on his contract. There’s a reason the Cavs are kicking the tires on potential deals for guys like DeMar DeRozan, Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford. Ironically, if JR were still with the Knicks, there would have been no question of him opting into nearly $7M. Yet, given the situation, he decided to roll the crazy dice in his head. If the Cavs strike out on bringing in another three-point sharpshooter, I could see them waiting JR out and maybe even signing him for less than he would have made. But is that really a sound idea? After all, an upset JR could revert to the problem child JR, and before you can say “your shoelace is untied…” the Cavs could be treated to a nasty dose of “bad JR.”

5) What remaining Free Agent should the Cavs try to acquire?

Nate: Sonny Weems, dunker extraordinaire, who learned how to shoot while he was in Europe. Either Weems or Jamariolante “Boobie” Geegauskus, you know, for old times’ sake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDi1r4LAJ4o 

Robert: I still want to see J.R. Smith return but, barring that, I guess I’m intrigued-ish by Gerald Green. He’s already played nine seasons in the league, but won’t turn 30 until January 2016. After being named the 2013-14 Most Improved Player, his numbers dipped slightly last season, but he’s a good option shooting the ball from three, and would give the Cavs some additional athleticism on the perimeter, where he could play both the two and the three. His defense has never been anything to write home about, but you could say the same thing about Smith before he came to the Cavs and made a real commitment on that end of the court.

David: I’m on the Ish Smith train these days. Did you know he attempted the most drives per game this past season (13.5), and only played 27 minutes a night? He shot 44.4% on his drives, but when a guy is trucking it to the paint every time he gets the ball, teams are bound to game plan for it. The Cavs would be his ninth team. Also, his name rhymes, which is what I’m looking for in my fifteenth man.

Mallory: It’s so hard to keep track of who’s out there right now, I can’t give an honest-to-goodness, legit response. The Cavs really only need two things at this point — a deep bench big, and a swing who can also fill in for a stretch four. The answer? Teletovic. A big, strong, surprisingly spry defender, a guy like Teletovic would fit the role into which James Jones stuck his wiry frame. Unfortunately, Teletovic (and pretty much anyone) isn’t quite the prolific shooter that Jones is. Fortunately, Teletovic (and like-minded players) is younger, faster, and capable of doing quite a bit more on the court. Still, this is a stretch — I’m (and this is a MASSIVE shocker to me) kind of okay with James Jones returning in this role. He’s a lights out shooter, was actually a half-decent defender, and is smart as a whip. And, so long as Andy and Kevin can remain on the floor, any stretch four probably won’t see the court much. As for the swing position? Lets go to question 6…

Nobody rocks Christmas kicks like Mirza…

Cory: All the Cavs have to offer at this point is what remains of their mini mid-level after signing Mo Gotti and veteran minimum contracts. The Cavs do provide something for the free agency scrap heap though. If you’re an aging vet, no team in the league gives you a better shot at reaching the Finals than the Cavs. The Thunder, Warriors and Spurs have to get through one another to get there. The Cavs can also offer a high-profile spotlight for a free agent who was forgotten this year, and wants to bump up his value for next. Assuming they’ll add a wing, I would be fine with the following list in no particular order: John Jenkins, Wayne Ellington, Caron Butler, Landry Fields, Gerald Green, Chris Copeland, Jason Richardson or Tayshaun Prince.

EG: Aside from just re-signing all of their own remaining FAs (LBJ, TT, Delly and possibly JR at the right price and length), there are just a couple of guys that still intrigue me out there. KJ McDaniels could be a really interesting get (but they’re not getting him on a minimum or what’s left of their exception). If Amare has anything left in the tank, he could be a decent asset coming off the bench. While I’m not a huge Tayshaun Prince fan, he did have an upswing in his three-point stats last season, and there would be no end to the “King and Prince” jokes we could concoct. I’d still love to see the one remaining Herculoid (not on the GSW sidelines), Wayne “Duke” Ellington, return to the Cavs. And one sleeper pick to keep an eye on (in case the Cavs wind up using AV in some blockbuster trade) is Kevin Seraphim, who could provide some length and energy off the bench.

6) What could the Cavs get with Brendan Haywood’s contract?

Nate: Kevin Martin and a giant warehouse of unused NBA promotional material: Kevin Love arm slings, unclaimed Gerald Green shocker fingers, old Wally Szczerbiak Tiger Beat posters, and a Dion Waiters Cavs bobblehead that yells, “and-1!” at random points during your day.

Robert: The chance to finally get Nick Young (and the pu pu platter that is Byron Scott’s current doghouse) on the same team as J.R. Smith.

David: The Cavs should trade the Brendan Haywood contract to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Martin and Chase Budinger. The Wolves would also have to throw in once a week conference calls with Kevin Garnett. During these calls, Garnett would teach young Cavaliers how to trash talk. Young guys would learn important lessons, such as whether or not it’s more offensive to make fun of a guy’s mom or his girlfriend. Or, even his dad. Furthermore, Kevin would be required to give the Cavs an update on Anthony Bennett’s current bra size. This would be no problem for KG, since he already tracks GDB’s brassiere sizes on a dry erase board in the trainer’s office to motivate him.

Mallory: Is Jamal Crawford really that bad? Isn’t he basically just JR Smith, but better, more consistent, and more capable when handling the ball? Nate asked this question expecting some crazy answers, and yeah, I could sit here all night with the Trade Machine, searching for the hidden gem… But why would I? Crawford is a perfect fit. He’s long(ish), he can (kind of) defend (when he wants), he can (sort of) play three positions, and he can really shoot the ball (when he wants). I mean… This is our guy, right? *Looks at 14/15 stats* … Oh… Damn.

Cory: How about a subscription to Dollar Shave Club for LeBron? I’ll never go bald (it might be the only thing I have going for me at the moment), but if I was, I would probably just accept it and shave my head. I’m not a big fan of having some stranger with their hair dyed nine different colors touching my head, and I’ll spend thousands of dollars getting terrible haircuts for the rest of my life. I’m kind of jealous in a way. It appears that LeBron’s full hairline from the preseason was related to his role in the upcoming Judd Apatow flick Trainwreck. It disappeared as the season went on, then returned after the Finals, once he started plugging the premier of the film.

EG: In the spirit that was started by bringing Mo Williams back for a shot at the ring, maybe the Cavs can get the NBA to provide a special provision to divvy up pieces of the Haywood exception to an assortment of teams to bring back Drew Gooden (only if he grows the ducktail), Alonzo Gee, Ryan Hollins, Boobie Gibson, the rotting corpse of Carlos Boozer (just to be hung from the humongotron for pre-game shows) and the ghost of Jiri Welsch. Heck, they could even get an international exception to bring back Jamario Moon and Delonte from the Venezuelan Liga Profesional de Baloncesto (or wherever they are these days)… Alternately, they could just package the Haywood contract along with JR, and send them to the Kings in exchange for any sane players that want to leave the asylum before all hell breaks loose. I see you working Vivek… I see you…