NBA Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers Looking At Stephon Marbury And Josh Smith
The Cleveland Cavaliers are on a quest right now to beef up their second unit. Reports are filling up the airwaves and prints that the Cavaliers are looking to sign some free agents just to address their need for a playmaker. While this may seem like a desperate move from Cleveland, there are a lot of potential free agents out there that could definitely help the Cavaliers.
According to ESPN, the Cleveland Cavaliers are working out with Lance Stephenson, Kirk Hinrich, and Mario Chalmers. Those three would be a fine addition based on the Cavaliers’ need, However, all three come with some substantial risks. Mario Chalmers is coming off a major injury while Lance Stephenson is a high-risk and high-reward player because of his on-court antics. Sources are saying that Cleveland might not pull the trigger on any of these guys.
However, a recent article by Fansided has speculated that there are more free agents out there that the Cleveland Cavaliers could take a look at. A lot of the names being thrown around are players that fans might be familiar with. There’s Jimmer Fredette who is currently torching up the Chinese Basketball League and also Caron Butler who LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers have some history with.
However, two names stand out that might be quite interesting to the Cavaliers. The first one is Stephon Marbury. The guy had a stand-out career in the NBA before taking his talents to China where he became somewhat of a basketball god. Marbury’s best days are definitely behind him, but he is still a good scorer and capable playmaker at the ripe age of 39. These attributes are exactly what the Cleveland Cavaliers need as the back-up point guard for Kyrie Irving.
Stephon Marbury may also be inclined to try the NBA one last time. He never had much success in making his team successful, and helping out the defending champions and winning the big one with the Cavaliers might be a great incentive for him.
From those who have seen him play in China, Stephon Marbury can still shoot the ball. He was always a scoring point guard but still has the ability to facilitate the offense quite nicely. With limited minutes, Stephon Marbury can help the Cleveland Cavaliers get quality time whenever Kyrie Irving and LeBron James gets a breather. If Stephon Marbury can still play even a semblance of how he used to, then the Cleveland Cavaliers should definitely look him up.
One question though is whether or not Starbury has a contract in China that will disallow him to do this. The Cleveland Cavaliers need a playmaker now, preferably before the all-star break, to build the chemistry of the team up before post-season begins.
Next up is Josh Smith, the capable wingman who is surprisingly another player that was forced to go to China. Josh Smith’s unreliable jump shot and three pointer probably sealed his NBA fate. However, if he is used by the Cleveland Cavaliers as their sixth man, then the ultra-athletic Smith could definitely shine.
Smith is a great defender and could spark the Cavaliers’ bench with his athleticism. He is a good shot blocker which will be important when Cleveland eventually faces the Golden State Warriors. The big knack on Smith is that he keeps shooting three pointers and that may be a big problem to the more disciplined Cleveland Cavaliers. However, if Cleveland can get him for a pretty penny, then his defensive prowess and ability to guard multiple positions might just be the bargain that the Cavaliers need.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have less than a month to make a trade, but a little more time to get free agents. If the Cavaliers pass the trade deadline without LeBron’s requested playmaker, then looking out to China might be Cleveland’s next project.
[Featured Image by Aaron Gash/AP Images]
