Lebron is clearly whining a bit, but he isn't asking the Cavs to go out and acquire superstars. He is asking them to sign some vets to the bench so that he can coast a bit more in the regular season. Obviously if Smith and Anderson don't get hurt, I don't think Lebron is belly aching this much about back-ups. I mean the Cavs back-up PG is a 5'9" rookie that was the 54th pick in the draft. How many defending champions have someone like that as the only back-up PG on the roster?
This strikes me as James venting because he is playing a ton of minutes and he doesn't want to be out of gas come the NBA Finals.
Who can they sign though? Is there a playmaker that is out there that is an unrestricted free agent that would provide what James wants? Would the Cavs have to trade someone? Who?
Mario Chalmers and Jarret Jack are both unsigned. They went unsigned over the summer because they were hurt. Not sure their current injury status, but either of them would be a perfectly fine back-up PG if healthy.
Norris Cole is also available. There were reports that they are trying to trade for Rondo, I wonder if that is what Lebron is referring to. I'm sure the Bulls would be glad to move Rondo but can the Cavs make room for his salary?
It would be pretty interesting to see Rondo there. He does seem like a risk not worth taking for them though (unless the bulls cut him and he signs for waivers). Nobody has really come up with an asset they could trade for these guys aside from a 2021 first round pick or an injured smith (who the cavs probably need for the playoffs)
Jack was in camp with the Hawks and got cut for some pretty low profile options so it seems pretty doubtful he is the answer to me.
Chalmers was kind of a marginal player before tearing his ACL. Is he going to be playable as a backup for a team like the Cavs?
Chalmers was the starting PG for the Heat in their final 3 Finals appearances (he was a contributing rotation player in the first of the 4 straight). He would be fine as a back-up playing 15 minutes a night with the occasional start when Irving gets a night off. In the playoffs, when Irving is up to around 40 minutes a night, Chalmers playing 8 will be fine.
Jack was cut by the Hawks because he wasn't healthy enough yet. I mean right now he is basically just a year removed from an ACL tear. Stein from ESPN has a report a couple of weeks ago that Jack was nearing a return and would be trying out for teams in the near future.
Obviously health is the main issue with those guys, but when you are talking about such a limited role, they don't need to be as good as they were pre-injury to still be effective players on a team like the Cavs.
Would you describe a 34 year old jack coming off major surgery as a "playmaker" would you consider chalmers that? They don't seem to be the same thing that Lebron is referencing here (although perhaps they could help out in the conditions you are listing. It just sounds like Lebron wants more than that.
Read all of his statements in context and it is clear what James is getting at (it is below). Chalmers or Jack (if healthy) absolutely fit what he is saying. They are guys that can help the Cavs get to the playoffs and then will hardly play. I mean he specifically identified Raymond Felton and Michael Beasley. Felton is playing 22 mpg and averaging 7.6/2.6/2.5. Beasley is playing 16.5 mpg and averaging 8.8/3.6/1.1. James isn't talking about world beaters here. He is talking about someone that can play a few minutes here and there with the occasional spot start and that won't lose you a game. He specifically identified Felder and Liggins as young guys that are being asked to do to much before they are ready. It is clear he thinks the Cavs need a veteran back-up, which is what Williams would have been had he not basically retired (without actually retiring).
"We're not better than last year," he said. "From a personnel standpoint."
Meanwhile, James listed other free agents who could have been had -- Raymond Felton, who signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, and Michael Beasley, who was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks -- as players who could have helped the Cavs make it through the regular season.
"It's great to have bodies," James said. "Obviously, in the playoffs, you go down to what, eight max? And if somebody gets in foul trouble, you go to nine. You're not playing back-to-backs. You have two days in between. You're able to lock in."
"It's like when you don't have bodies. It's tough," James said. "The f---ing grind of the regular season. We're a top-heavy team. We have a top-heavy team. We top-heavy as s---. It's me, [Kyrie Irving], [Kevin Love]. It's top-heavy."
"I'm not singling out anybody," James said. "I'm not. Yeah, we won [the championship], but f---, you know what, let's see if we can do something."
He said he has already voiced his thoughts about the roster to general manager David Griffin face-to-face, and realizing how it could look to call for a point guard with Felder and DeAndre Liggins on the roster, James said it would not be fair to expect either of those young players to fill such a significant role on a title-contending team.
"We need a f---ing playmaker," James said. "I'm not saying you can just go find one, like you can go outside and see trees. I didn't say that."
"I don't know what we got to offer," James said. "I just know me, personally? I don't got no time to waste. I'll be 33 in the winter, and I ain't got time to waste. That's what I'm talking about.
"Listen, when I feel like physically and mentally, me personally, can't compete for a championship no more or I feel like I can't do it, then I won't have this problem. But until that happens, and it don't seem like no time soon ..."