Resisting the Urge

The Cavs have been linked to quite a few different players of late, from the recently released Nate Robinson and Jordan Farmar to China’s Bobby Brown and Will Bynum. Heck, there’s even been talk about bringing in Golden Buckeye candidates, Tayshaun Prince and Ray Allen. The Cavs, though, should resist any temptation to mess with the roster right now. I know, I know. This from the guy who said about a dozen times that you can never have too many “bullets in the gun,” but after my lamentations about roster construction earlier this year, David Griffin went out and brought in three rotation players that have markedly changed the talent level of the starting lineup and the bench. Those moves worked, LeBron got healthy, and now the team is winning. So don’t screw it up! The Cavs brass should resist the urge to mess with the roster. They should respect the streak, learn from team history, and not sacrifice the team’s future.

For one thing, there’s a higher order force at work here. The Cavs are on a streak, and in the words of Crash Davis, “Respect the streak. You know why? Because they don’t – -they don’t happen very often.” You don’t change things when you’re winning. You don’t cut your hair when you’re on a streak. If you have a lucky shirt you wear during a streak, you invest in Fabreeze before you wash it. If you’re showering with your wife’s fru-fru jasmine and ginger lady shampoo on a streak, you buy a gallon of it so you don’t run out. If your team is winning with no 15th player on the roster, you leave that spot open for the invisible Prophet Elijah. To reference a very dated and annoying commercial, Cavs are wearing the Doctor Scholl’s right now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84838260&x-yt-ts=1422327029&feature=player_detailpage&v=qGErnbAVqGs

Yes, the Cavs do have some asterisks on their streak. They beat a slumping Bulls team. They caught the Clips on the night that Doc Rivers reunited with his son, and Doc played him with no practice to disastrous results. The Thunder scratched their starting center because of a Migraine minutes before the game. And the Hornets left their focus and will on the charter plane. But who cares why?. The Cavs are winning, and you don’t mess with a streak. You don’t even look at prospective players. In fact you don’t even talk about the “s” word. This is me not talking about it. Forget I even wrote these last two paragraphs.

Another reason the Cavs shouldn’t make any more moves is because now that they’re winning, there’s too much dark history that could repeat itself. I still contend that one of the worst decisions in team history was the decision to trade Zydrunas Ilgauskus for Antawn Jamison. It went along with the generally crappy the way the team treated Z throughout that season. The team had won 13 straight before that trade. After the trade, they lost three straight, threw in a six and eight game win streaks, and finished 18-10 after starting 43-11. (Four of those losses where at season’s end when resting their stars). Despite the winning that followed the trade, the move upset the chemistry in the locker room and Z’s confidence when he eventually returned a month later.

The Cavs lost their edge after that trade, and were never quite the same. As you remember, they ended up losing to Boston in the second round of the playoffs, and King James took his talents to South Beach. I believe the lack of loyalty shown towards Z by the Cavs that season was a much bigger factor in LeBron’s “Decision” than anyone realizes. This team the Cavs have going right now is something special. It needs to be nurtured — given room to grow. The Cavs need to support this fledgeling team like a farmer lets a baby chick grow into a dominant rooster. Show Kevin Love and prospective free agents that the Cavs take care of their players when they’re playing well, and that they don’t make B.S. lateral moves. Team chemistry is a magical element: no one knows how to conjure it, it’s easy to screw up, and everyone knows when it’s missing. When you have it, don’t mess with it.

Finally, the Cavs should avoid big roster shakeups because the offseason is only five months away. The Cavs have one free roster spot, now, but there’s already talk that the Cavs might move Brendan Haywood and his non-guaranteed 2015 balloon payment contract before the trade deadline. Jason Lloyd explained some of this thinking.

Assuming Kevin Love is still here, the Cavs will commit at least $58 million next season in salary just to Love, LeBron and Kyrie Irving. Add in Anderson Varejao’s $10 million for next season, new deals for Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert (each of whom will be coming off their rookie deals and seeking at least $10 million) and the Cavs’ payroll next season will explode through the cap (projected now around $66 million) and tax apron. That means Haywood’s contract cannot be used in sign-and-trade deals, which eliminates the Cavs from pursuing any free agents with his contract.

While all of that is true, there are no guarantees with Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert. Additionally, the Cavs can still use Haywood’s contract to trade for players already under contract. And there will be plenty of teams looking to move guys that are under contract in order to clear room to sign free agents next summer and in 2016. Trading Haywood’s contract pretty much eliminates the Cavs only tool to maneuver while over the tax threshold this July. That tool is much more useful for sustained franchise success than a 14th man. And it’s not like they have to use the whole $10 million.

If the Cavs do want to bring in more than one player, and we don’t want them to get rid of Haywood’s golden ticket contract, who should leave? LeBron’s buddies, Mike Miller and James Jones aren’t going anywhere. That leaves only two other end of the bench guys to move: Matthew Dellavedova and Joe Harris. We all know how I feel about Delly, and we all know how much some people hate Dellavedova.

There are two types of Cavs fans in this world: fans who love Dellavedova and fans who don’t understand basketball. While Delly’s not a scorer, he’s one of the most unique players in the league in that he can contribute with passing, defense, and rebounding at the point guard spot without having to score. It makes him a perfect guy to play when the Cavs are at full strength and are featuring high usage players like LeBron, Kyrie, Kevin Love, and J.R. Smith. Think Eric Snow and Allen Iverson (and their NBA finals appearance).

I don’t know if Joe Harris has the defensive chops to be the three and D guy the Cavs need him to be, but he’s had his moments on offense. And it would be nice for the Cavs to have one young guy on a cheap contract to develop. Dan Gilbert can’t pay luxury tax forever. Joe’s best game was probably the 12 point performance against Atlanta early this year, where he shadowed Korver all over the court, so he he’s shown ability in flashes. Do you cut him to bring in another end of the roster guy? I don’t think so. If the Cavs add a third point guard or another big with their 15th spot, and then Ray Allen wants to climb aboard the bandwagon? Well, maybe you cut Joe, he plays in Canton over the spring, and you bring him back next fall. If the Cavs have a three-point situation in double overtime in the playoffs, and Blatt looks down the bench, who would he rather see? Ray Allen or Joe Harris?

Argh. I’ve already talked myself into this. Forget that last paragraph. I’m repeating the mantra, “don’t tinker… don’t tinker…” …But if the Cavs do tinker, it should just be a very minor move. Hassan Whiteside has shown that teams can find good players in the D-League. Cleveland should try to find another one… “OUCH!” I just triggered my shock collar. “Don’t Tinker!” I tell myself. I need to get it tattooed on my arm. If I have this hard of a time resisting the urge, it must be hell for David Griffin.