On Feb. 22, 2007, Smith said: "I'm not going to take a step back and fall for what I call fool's gold. It shines and it glitters, but it just doesn't stick or pass the test."

 

Can anybody tell me who Otis Smith was talking about when he said that less than two years ago?

 

And, bonus points to the person who can tell me what the rumored trade was that brought about that quote.

 

He was talking about Vince Carter.

He was talking about Vince Carter.

 

That was too easy...any guess on the trade rumor that was being tossed around?

I also feel that the Cavs will make some more big moves.

 

I'm not sure if the Cavs are going to have the salary to make any "big" moves.

Who on that team plays defense to lock down a Kobe, Lebron, Wade? You are totally looking at it from an offensive standpoint. That does not win championships. I see an undersized point guard that is going to have trouble against a guard in the post, a shooting guard who has never shown a commitment to defense or rebounding, a power forward playing at the small forward, a power forward that will have trouble covering the perimeter and a dribble drive and a young but good center that is a good defensive player.

 

You act like they had that guy last year...They didn't.

 

Besides, Pietrus was their best defensive player last year, and he's still there.

I'm not sure if the Cavs are going to have the salary to make any "big" moves.

 

Sign and trade with Varajao, plenty of teams have inquired the last two years and teams over the cap that want him could swing a deal. Surprisingly enough teams also really like Hickson and Gibson. You wouldn't even want most of these old scrub FA's. Boozer definitely, but he will need money the Cavs don't have. I'm still holding out hope for CV31, I think it's a buyers market this year as few teams have cap room, and alot of players will have to take either the MLE or BAE. The BAE is really the better deal though for a FA this year. You get less money, but you can opt out after a year, and next year all kinds of teams will have major bread for FA shopping.

^That is the truth. Lot of teams are in bad shape cap wise this season because they are holding out until next off-season. Whats really hurting the Cavs now is Big Z, if they can move him to a team in need of an upgrade at the five for some low salary guys to free up some cap, that would be ideal. Problem is Ziggy's contract is pretty big, and I'm not sure many teams have the cap room, or would even want to invest in him.

 

Also, the Cavs probably need to keep Z because Shaq I'm sure will see limited play throughout most of the season, just to keep him fresh for the playoffs. So in a way they hurt themselves with the Shaq deal. After getting rid of Pavlovic and Ben Wallace, Cleveland does't really have anymore guys who would free up salary with a move other than Z. In ways, Ziggy is just as servicable as Shaq, and I feel the Cavs main problem in the post season was finding someone other than Lebron that could score. IMO I felt they should have went after VC since the Nets were just looking to dump his salary anyway. They would have accepted Pavlovic and Ben IMO. That would have gave the Cavaliers another solid scoring threat to go with Mo-Mo, and Bron Bron, then you would still have Varejo and Z. As you said Hickson isn't that bad, he could have contributed down low. It will take me until I start seeing the benefit of the Shaq trade before I will think it is anywhere close to being the right move for Cleveland to make.

^That is the truth. Lot of teams are in bad shape cap wise this season because they are holding out until next off-season. Whats really hurting the Cavs now is Big Z, if they can move him to a team in need of an upgrade at the five for some low salary guys to free up some cap, that would be ideal. Problem is Ziggy's contract is pretty big, and I'm not sure many teams have the cap room, or would even want to invest in him.

 

Also, the Cavs probably need to keep Z because Shaq I'm sure will see limited play throughout most of the season, just to keep him fresh for the playoffs. So in a way they hurt themselves with the Shaq deal. After getting rid of Pavlovic and Ben Wallace, Cleveland does't really have anymore guys who would free up salary with a move other than Z. In ways, Ziggy is just as servicable as Shaq, and I feel the Cavs main problem in the post season was finding someone other than Lebron that could score. IMO I felt they should have went after VC since the Nets were just looking to dump his salary anyway. They would have accepted Pavlovic and Ben IMO. That would have gave the Cavaliers another solid scoring threat to go with Mo-Mo, and Bron Bron, then you would still have Varejo and Z. As you said Hickson isn't that bad, he could have contributed down low. It will take me until I start seeing the benefit of the Shaq trade before I will think it is anywhere close to being the right move for Cleveland to make.

 

Shaq is just a one year stop gap. He can play 25 minutes a game in post and Z can play the rest. A team only trades for him to buy him out, ala Ben Wallace, Fabrico Oberto, Bruce Bowen. Buy him out for less, every one wins as he gets to come back to the Cavs.

 

I think Varajao is an underrated trade chip. If you don't have the money to get a big time FA PF, he can be had for relatively cheap. This is just me, but I think the Bobcats and the Cavs make a deal. They've always hinted that they wanted Varajao, and they have two players I think the Cavs would have a big interest in that they may let go. One is Raja Bell. Charlotte pretty much drafted his replacement in Gerald Henderson, so maybe he could be gotten. The other is Gerald Wallace, if the rumors that he and Larry Brown don't see eye to eye are true. Wallace is the best player they have, but Brown AND Jordan are hard headed.