Larry Hughes to Cleveland

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[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Larry Hughes to Cleveland
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[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]By [/font][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Nick Prevenas
7/7/05[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Larry Hughes [/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Sources tell NBADraft.net that the Cleveland Cavaliers will sign Washington Wizards' free agent guard Larry Hughes. The deal he will likely sign is reportedly worth an estimated $12 million a year and will run through the 2010 season. The deal won't become official until July 22, the first day of free agency.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]After losing out on Michael Redd and Ray Allen (both of whom resigned with their original teams), the Cavs have landed their shooting guard and LeBron James' running mate. Hughes fills a massive hole for a team in need of perimeter scoring and defense.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hughes averaged 22 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2.9 steals a game in his breakout season for the Wizards. He was also named to his first All-NBA Defensive First Team. His stellar play was one of the main reasons the Wizards were able to surprise nearly everyone and snag a 5-seed in the 2005 playoffs. Their first-round defeat of the Chicago Bulls was the first Washington playoff series victory since 1982.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]While Hughes was one of the league's most sought-after free agent 2-guards, there are concerns surrounding him. First, durability is a issue. He missed 21 games last season due to a broken thumb. He's missed large chunks of time during his seven-year career due to other various injuries. He's only played more than 70 games in a season twice, in 1999-2000 and again in 2001-2002. [/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Second, for everything he does well, he does not shoot a high percentage from 3-point range. Last season, he shot 28%, which is a slight improvement over his 27% career average. This weakness was especially evident during the Wizards' playoff defeat to the Miami Heat, where he shot 33% from the floor and 25% from three. One of Cleveland's big weaknesses last season was their inability to knock down open threes, and at this point, it's hard to say whether Hughes will help fill that void.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Third, the 2004-2005 season was clearly Hughes' best season as a pro. Some feel that he might've kicked it up a notch in a contract year. He's bounced around a little, playing for three teams (the 76ers, Warriors, and Wizards) during his seven-year tenure. Some even considered him a mild disappointment until the past two seasons. Personally, I think Hughes has always had the ability to put up numbers like he did last season, but he just needed the right situation to prosper. Now we'll be able to see whether he can continue his fantastic play teaming up with King James.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]These possible concerns are far outweighed by the positives he brings to this Cavalier ballclub. He is tremendously gifted athlete and can effectively defend three positions. His ability to force steals creates many easy baskets for his teammates. He's also a terrific penetrator who can create open looks for his squad. He's a versatile player who brings a lot of good things to the floor and will allow LeBron James to run wild at the small forward spot.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]This is a big move for the Cavs, but they're far from finished. They still need to sign a quality point guard (both Antonio Daniels and Earl Watson's names have been mentioned). In a pinch, Hughes can fill in at the point, but he's built to play the off-guard. They also need to decide what to do with Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Depending on what happens with Big Z, they've expressed interest in signing another athletic bigman to go alongside Drew Gooden (Dalembert, Swift, Brown, etc.). Signing Hughes is a big first step, but new General Manager Danny Ferry still has a lot of work ahead of him.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Where does this leave the Wizards? Their promising young nucleus has lost a big talent in Hughes. Jarvis Hayes will be expected to shoulder a much bigger scoring load and take over Hughes' role alongside Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison. They'll still be an exciting team to watch, but they'll be hard-pressed to replicate their 45-win output of 2004-2005 without Hughes' contributions.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Clippers and Nuggets had also expressed interest in Hughes.[/font]



http://nbadraft.net/prevenas044.asp
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[thegrahamcrackr]

Updated: July 8, 2005, 12:51 PM ET
Deal believed to be worth $65M to $70MBy Chad Ford
ESPN Insider



Larry Hughes has come to terms with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a five-year deal, his agent, Jeff Wechsler, told ESPN Insider Chad Ford.


"Larry intends to sign a contract with the Cavs when the moritorium ends," Wechsler said.

Wechsler wouldn't comment on the actual numbers of the deal, but it's believed to be a five-year deal between $65 million and $70 million.

Wechsler told Insider that he informed Washington Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld on Thursday that Hughes is going in a different direction.


The news comes as major blow to the Wizards, who were confident they could re-sign Hughes. However, the Wizards took a risk that Hughes would allow them to match any offer. Instead, Hughes began negotiating with the Cavs early in the week and worked out a deal on Thursday evening.

For the Cavs, Hughes gives them a great scorer and defender to put at the two alongside LeBron James. He isn't a great shooter (something the Cavs desperately need), but he's a fantastic ball handler and rebounder making him -- like LeBron -- a very versatile piece in the puzzle.

With Hughes on board, the Cavs will now focus their atttention on bringing back free agent Zydrunas Ilgauskas. They're also in hot pursuit of Lithuanian point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, widely regarded as the best international player not playing in the NBA.

The Wizards now have to start over from scratch. The team now has a gaping hole at the two to fill and must also deal with the likely departure of Kwame Brown. The Wizards can get about $9 million below the cap if they don't re-sign Brown. However, the market for two guards is getting thin.

The last major two guard on the market is Joe Johnson. However, Johnson is a restricted free agent and most teams believe that the Suns will match any offer. There's also talk from multiple league sources that Johnson is in serious negotiations with the Atlanta Hawks about signing a max offer sheet.

That leaves Bobby Simmons, Cuttino Mobley and Latrell Sprewell as the top two guards left on the board. The Wizards could also, at this point, try to work out a sign-and-trade with Brown that brings them back a top-flight shooting guard.

 

[JPlay]

Bad move for the Cavs. He's a bad shooter and more of a slasher. They need perimeter shooting on that team. They already had Dujaun Wagner to play that slashe role.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Bad move for the Cavs. He's a bad shooter and more of a slasher. They need perimeter shooting on that team. They already had Dujaun Wagner to play that slashe role.

Agree, except Wagner more plays towel waiver than slasher for them.

Ferry freaked out when Redd and Allen resigned with their teams. He needed to do something to prove to Lebron that he wasn't going to sit on the cash. Any deal for Hughes I would have questioned, especially one this rich.

 

[Russ Smith]

Bad move for the Cavs. He's a bad shooter and more of a slasher. They need perimeter shooting on that team. They already had Dujaun Wagner to play that slashe role.

I'm a big Hughes fan but he's a bad fit with Cleveland for the reasons you say, they need guys that can knock down jumpers when teams double LeBron, and that's not Larry. Larry is a quality player, can score, rebound, pass and defend, but they needed a better shooter. Unless they're going to run up and down the court a lot more this year in which case Hughes will be ok.

personally I was hoping Larry would stay in Washington, he fit their style really well.

The problem with Larry beyond his jumpshot is he can't play a full season he always gets hurt. Great guy though, loved him in HS and college and his time with the Warriors, he's not your typical spoiled rotten rich athlete who doesn't appreciate where he is, he dealt with so much so early because of his younger brother's heart condition, he learned to appreciate what he had.

I wish him well but I do think it's not the best fit for him or Cleveland.

 

[sunsfn]

The Cavs must have the word that Simmons is going to resign with the Clips or they could have gone after him.

 

[George O'Brien]

The idea that Atlanta is going after JJ is bit of a reach. Sounds like JJ's agent is blowing smoke. Look at Atlanta's roster. All they have is wings.

I would think that Atlanta could be a major competitor for Dalembert. They really really need a center and it is not 100% certain that the Sixers would go to the matt for Dalembert.

 

[abomb]

I'm a big Hughes fan but he's a bad fit with Cleveland for the reasons you say, they need guys that can knock down jumpers when teams double LeBron, and that's not Larry. Larry is a quality player, can score, rebound, pass and defend, but they needed a better shooter. Unless they're going to run up and down the court a lot more this year in which case Hughes will be ok.

personally I was hoping Larry would stay in Washington, he fit their style really well.

The problem with Larry beyond his jumpshot is he can't play a full season he always gets hurt. Great guy though, loved him in HS and college and his time with the Warriors, he's not your typical spoiled rotten rich athlete who doesn't appreciate where he is, he dealt with so much so early because of his younger brother's heart condition, he learned to appreciate what he had.

I wish him well but I do think it's not the best fit for him or Cleveland.

I totally agree with you Russ. I too have liked Larry Hughes since jump, but that is a lot of cash for a guy who quite possibly be, a system guy in WAS. Sounds like Ferry panicked.

A-Bomb

 

[Joe Mama]

The Cavs must have the word that Simmons is going to resign with the Clips or they could have gone after him.

I like Simmons, but he really isn't a shooting guard. He doesn't have very good ballhandling skills. He can, however, take smaller players into the post, shoot well from the perimeter, and rebound the ball. I would take him over Q, so I would think he gets a contract this summer that slightly better than Q's.

Joe Mama

 

[coloradosun]

Ferry freaked out when Redd and Allen resigned with their teams. He needed to do something to prove to Lebron that he wasn't going to sit on the cash. Any deal for Hughes I would have questioned, especially one this rich.

Sometimes desperate people do desperate things. Ferry did overpay because they did not want to come out of this offseason empty handed.

If they were in a position to wait Michael Finley would have been a good pickup for the Cavs.

 

[Joe Mama]

Sometimes desperate people do desperate things. Ferry did overpay because they did not want to come out of this offseason empty handed.

If they were in a position to wait Michael Finley would have been a good pickup for the Cavs.

I'm sure that they doubted that Michael Finley would want to come play for them. I thought it was assumed by most that Finley was going to sign for someone he considers a championship contender. Even with him the Cleveland Cavaliers do not fit into that category. He'd be much more likely to go to a team like Phoenix (if JJ is not re-signed), Detroit, or Miami.

Joe Mama