Trying To Replace Delonte West
How much of a contribution Delonte West will bring to the Cavs this season is anyone’s guess. Between his legal issues, his likely suspension from the league and just trying to get his personal life and mental health back in order – it’s going to be hard for D-West to focus on a championship. Cleveland is now forced to go forward without him. If the Cavs are planning to compete with Boston and Orlando, somebody in the backcourt other than Mo Williams is going to have to step their game up.
Replacing West will be tough. Last season, he averaged 11.7 points and 3.5 assists while shooting nearly 40 percent from the three-point line. He is an extremely quick and talented player who can play both guard positions. Scanning up and down the Cavaliers’ roster, the guard slot is a little thin. If there is anyone on the team that needs to come up big this season is free-agent pickup Anthony Parker. The former Raptors guard/forward put up similar digits as West in ’08-09 (10.7 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.4 apg, 39 percent 3P%). Parker is a smart player and experienced player and has the ability to knock down shots. I think the Cavs envisioned Parker coming in as a complimentary player off the bench, but are now banking on him to carry a lot of the backcourt load.
Because Parker is not athletic enough to hang with NBA shooting guards all game, they’ll probably have to move him to the small forward position and slide LeBron over to the two. Boobie Gibson will see a lot more time at both guard slots and is expected to hit open shots when James and Shaq get doubled. Other than Gibson, Parker and Williams, there isn’t really anyone in the backcourt. The Cavs are really going to have to look into bringing somebody in now, instead of waiting on Delonte. Even with West on the team, the Cavs failed to provide help for LeBron during the playoffs. King James was forced to throw up 35 ppg in the postseason just for the team to compete.
If the guard situation doesn’t improve in Cleveland, I could see them meeting the same fate as last year. There’s only so much ‘Bron can do. At some point he’s going to need help.
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October 5th, 2009 at 11:03 am
12t says:
This is just another example of why the cabs should have taken a chance on Iverson. Shaq’s been clambering to play with him for years & vice-versatile on AI’s side.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Reddi Red says:
“Replacing West will be tough”
so is it really believed that dwest won’t contribute this year??
i think this is being blown up a bit more than necessary.
newsworthy – yes
beatdown worthy – no
a month into the season i believe we will see delonte put up similar numbers as last year.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Reddi Red says:
@ 12t:
you’re nuts!!
chemistry destroyer, meet egomaniac. you two play good now, ya hear!!
lmao
we would “witness” a systematic meltdown in CLE and pls believe your boy Bron would mos def be outta there 10-11, and without a chip i’m pretty sure he is anyway.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:19 am
sh!tfaced says:
Cleveland needs to wait and see what happens with Delonte, he’s too important a piece for the Cavs to lose. You just can’t replace a player like him because he has fit so well playing with LeBron and the rest of the team.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Shrink This says:
I think Delonte will be back and contributing in the not so distant future. The fact that he’s back with the team now and is being subjected to its day to day structure will help him out.
Parker will fit in nicely as planned as a backup. Coach might want to minimize his guarding of LBJ in practice every day though as I can’t imagine getting destroyed regularly can help his own mental health very much…
October 5th, 2009 at 11:24 am
D.H. says:
@Reddi Red
I don’t think that LeBron and Shaq would let AI get away with destroying anything, other than the opposing team. IMO, if AI was going to be a good fit anywhere, it would be on a veteran team focused on winning. AI is not a good fit on a young mediocre club that will likely lose more games than they win.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:44 am
BERN BROGDEN says:
Writing Delonte off already?
Wow.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Dan Dickau says:
Anyone who thinks AI would be a good fit on the Cavs may have never actually watched a basketball game in their life.
Delonte is fine. He missed time last year because of his broken wrist he suffered trying to pull a “lebron chase down” block against Chicago. And honestly when he came back he was a little timid, not quite himself and not as aggressive as before the injury.
And, Delonte isn’t a great defender against people like Rashard or Hedo. You have to remember he’s not tall, 6’2″ I believe, so while he can handle some of the smaller guys he cant D up against the teams we really need him to (lakers, magic, boston) Which is where Moon, Parker and Powe come into the mix.
Let’s all stop pretending that Delonte West is the Cavs main piece of the puzzle to a championship. I’m a little disappointed at how overblown this is and that no one’s really looking more into it. But I guess when the Cavs aren’t the team you watch every night it’s tough to really know them that well.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Kobeef says:
I am probably the only person with this opinion but I think Anthony Parker is the best SG the Cavs have and they should start him.
Parker can be very effective off the ball which is something you can’t say about West, Gibson or Williams (all undersized SG’s who need the ball to be effective).Parker also makes up for Mo’s lack of playmaking (jacking?).
Parker’s role on the Cavs will be similar to Varejo – doing the dirty work so that your stars (Shaq, Lebron, Mo) can score and make the big plays.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Stillattic says:
vice-versatile?
what the hell is that?
October 5th, 2009 at 11:58 am
ERIC says:
Historically, when AI plays on All-Star teams or Olympic Teams (more specifically the Tournament of the Americas in Puerto Rico in 2003) with other stars, he defers and is a terrific distributor.
Also.. The Cavs are not built for long term contention. signing old players like Shaq and Anthony Parker, with Varajeo’s awful contract, Delonte’s mental health issues will result in LeBron leaving the Cavs at season’s end. I’m not sure where he’ll end up, but I dont see him in Cleveland after this season.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Notorious says:
@Kobeef, actually you are not the only one.
Been reading on True Hoop and they have had an interesting sit down with the Mavs stat guru and he says the Cavs will be much better with Parker in the line up. I tend to agree with you as well, I believe Parker is taller as well to help handle bigger guards/forwards.
Plus, I dont believe Delonte is done for the year. But he should come off the bench if/when he returns.
October 5th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Flip says:
Didn’t think they’d ever miss Pavlovic…. but hey, he did average 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the 06/07 regular season when he was a starter for the Cavs.
October 5th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Dan Dickau says:
@kobeef too
Parker is probably a better option for the Cavs to start. Again, people underestimate how easy it is to score on the Cavs when you get wide open shots because everyone is doubling the King, and now even the Big Cuyahoga.
People also don’t realize that every player we picked up this off season is better than our best bench players last year (Gibson and Szczerbiak). People are overlooking the Cavs roster moves this off season, which is fine by me.
First pre-season game Tuesday night for the Cavs. I’ll be there. I’m going to try to get a tryout with the team as well, because being a shooting/point guard I could probably help with their depth problems.
October 5th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Scott says:
I like Parker, as a Raps fan, he’s been a good guy to have on the squad. His playmaking abilities will surprise a lot of people, as he at one point became the Raps starting SG/backup PG for stretches last season.
The problem that Parker has and that he really can’t fix is his age. On offense its not noticeable, but on defense is where he shows his age. Parker has trouble gaurding quicker gaurds, and star SG’s just eat him up for lunch, not even dinner.
The reality is that the Cavs should’ve gone after Marquis Daniels if they thought they needed a true starting SG.
Parker is ideal to come off the bench. But starters minutes at this stage of the game are going to be hard on AP. I’d like to tell you that Moon can come in to compensate for Parkers lack of D. But Moon is a year to year guy, one year he’s up, the next year he looks like he took the summer off.
October 5th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
KN says:
Look, it’s way too early to write off Delonte. He’s had these issues before (Last year’s training camp he was out for I think 2-3 weeks), and still came back to contribute big time.
The fact that he IS back in camp, that he has been in communication with the team, is a good sign. Regardless of what happens, however, I do agree that the Cavs could and should add another guard if at all possible. Doubt it will happen though – remaining FAs are not good at all.
October 5th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Scott says:
Why didn’t they go after Von Wafer?? Makes you think.
October 5th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
doc says:
I aint hear shit about Delonte missing the season.If he had all this shit going on in his mind last year and play he gonna do the same shit this year.And even if he dont play he average 11 points.You put any fringe starting 2 guard next to Bron and he can do that shit.Yall asking yourself can bum ass Candace Parker replace him.
October 5th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Dan Dickau says:
I read that Rip Hamilton said he wants to be traded to Cleveland, and if it doesn’t happen he’s going to call up Billups so they can get together and cry in a hotel room.
October 5th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
POPPI GEE says:
GM ain’t really that great. Coach is horrible.
Think most of the season will really be on how healthy and effective the Big Dookie can be.
Anderson Vagino gonna mess around and injure Shaq with that flippity floppin style of his.
Just like Atl. this team has a squad that is coaching themselves and I just don’t see them in the finals, perhaps they will go beyond expectations but I doubt it.
Personally just for the media frenzy alone I would have love to see A.I. added to the mix. Always videogames.
October 5th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
BERN BROGDEN aka says:
You gotta see what Parker can do at the starting spot.
You gotta tinker with the line-ups to see what you have.
But, remember, the only team that gave the Cavs a problem was Orlando and the Lakers. That’s where Parker’s length (and Moon) will come in handy, no homo.
They won 66 games last year with one of the SMALLEST backcourts. Yeah, 66 wins with 6-footers running the offense. That’s saying sumptin. Delonte can hold his own but he can’t effectively gaurd Hedos and Rashards and others who fit that mold – for 48 minutes. He’s too small for ‘em.
Parker got a nice shot off screens and spot up joints, plus he’s a tough defender. But he can’t get it poppin’ off the dribble…something you want in an all around 2-guard. Something else you want, besides sanity and abiding by the law, is height/reach – something Delonte doesn’t quite give you.
I don’t think people are over-blowing the issue though. He’s definitely an important piece to the team.
MO, DELONTE, SHAQ, POWE and LEBRON — I could easily see that as a legitimate starting 5 or crunch-time 5.
Let’s not hype up Moon and Parker just yet. We’ve seen what they can do. They’re good pieces on a winning team. Are they starters on a championship squad? Verdict’s still out. But The Season’s right around the corner.
October 5th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
karizmatic says:
Parker is going to have to step his game up. Boobie might do well in spots. I am adamantly against moving LBJ to the two because Parker has deficiences. Unless it’s against Kobe or Wade. In any other case I think it makes Cleveland a worse team.
October 5th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Reddi Red says:
@ Dan Dickau -
“I read that Rip Hamilton said he wants to be traded to Cleveland,”
LOL
WHERE’D YOU READ THAT???? plus, what could we (Pistons) possibly want from CLE besides Bron or Shaq??
Maaaaaaybe Z, but thats about it.
October 5th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
karizmatic says:
Oh just to add to this they should have done a sign and trade and goy Ben Gordon in the offseason.
October 5th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
dwight coward says:
Play the Big Shaqtus at 2 guard. Problem solved.
October 6th, 2009 at 10:33 am
12t says:
My phone turned versa into versatile. Didn’t spellcheck so I missed it.
I have seen plent of basketball & a Cavs starting line-up of Mo Williams, AI, Parker, Lebron & Shaq would easily run the west. Lebron is an unselfish player. Surrounding him with outside scoring in Mo & Parker means he’d have consistant kickouts on drive, Shaq for the inside dumpoff and AI to assume a share of the crunch time buckets.