Assorted thoughts on Jarrett Jack to Cavs

Two days removed from the Earl Clark addition, about which I published 700 giddy words, Chris Grant made another move, this one much more unexpected. The Cavs and Jarrett Jack have agreed to terms on a 4-year, $25.2-million deal, with a team option for year No. 4. The move was first reported by Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times.

What follows are unorganized initial thoughts on the move.

Pro: Cleveland adds a Sixth Man of the Year candidate

Golden State’s not a playoff team last without Jack. A sixth man who started 4 regular season games, Jack averaged 12.9 points, 5.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 29.7 minutes per game. On his 5th team in his 8-year career, Jack shot 45.2% from the field, 40.4% from 3 and 84.3% from the line, all super-efficient numbers. Per 36 minutes, Jack netted 15.7 points and 6.7 assists. He finished with 14 first-place votes for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, finishing 3rd behind J.R. Smith and Jamal Crawford.

For a 6’3″ guard, Jack’s an incredible finisher and all-around offensive talent, with an ability to attack, score in isolation and distribute. A very physically imposing, strong guard, his Draft Express profile from 2005 noted Jack might be the best defensive point guard in that year’s draft, one that saw 3 — Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Raymond Felton — selected in the top 5.

In the NBA, Jack’s been a solid role player from Day 1. He’s played in at least 79 games all but 1 year; he missed 21 games in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season as a member of the New Orleans Hornets. He’s a career 11-points-a-game scorer, who’s averaged 4.4 assists and 27.9 minutes. His career high for scoring is 15.6 points in 45 games for the ’11-12 Hornets. Given his consistency, I’m comfortable in not attributing his success last season to ‘contract year’ status.

In last year’s playoffs, Jack really flourished. His minutes jumped to 35.5 per game, in part thanks to Stephen Curry’s bum ankle in the San Antonio series, and he averaged 17.2 points per game on an unreal 50.6% from the field. It was the first time Jack won a playoff series; his only other postseason appearance, in 2010-11 with the Hornets, ended in 6 games to the Lakers.

Con: Terms of the deal

My only reservation with this contract is its length — 3 years with a team option for a fourth. Jack turns 30 in October, but Cavs fans can take assurance in a) Jack’s worth ethic, and b) his relatively clean injury history. Still, a 32-year-old guard, probably still coming off the bench, could make Cleveland fans uneasy 28 months from now.

At the same time, Grant’s not going to receive the luxury of underpaying. For one, Cleveland’s not New York, Miami or L.A. And, secondly, this team’s simply not a title contender. The Darren Collisons of the world are not headed to Cleveland on tragically underpaid $1.9-million contracts to chase a ring, at least right now.

So, I guess I talked myself out of that concern?

Question: What does this mean for backcourt rotation?

This move leaves a lot of rotation questions for Mike Brown. In Golden State, Mark Jackson often, and with success, used a 3-guard lineup of Curry, Jack and Klay Thompson to suit his team’s up-tempo style. But Brown loves his big guards — think Larry Hughes and Sasha Pavlovic, the latter of whom started over 100 games as a Cavalier because he’s 6’7″ — and it’s hard to imagine him resorting regularly to a Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and Jack backcourt.

And, in that case, who gets the crunch-time minutes alongside Kyrie? A cold-blooded scorer like Jack or Dion, and what does that mean for Dion’s future in Cleveland? I’m assuming Brown will ride who’s hot on a night-by-night basis, but still an interesting subplot headed into what’s bound to be an increasingly interesting season.

Then, there’s those behind Kyrie, Dion and Jack. C.J. Miles is likely to return on an affordable $2.25-million player option, but you’d have to think Wayne Ellington’s now the odd man out. The Cavs declined to extend a qualifying offer to Ellington before free agency started, yet hinted at a desire the UNC product return. With 6’8″ guard-forward Sergey Karasev and maybe even No. 33 overall pick Carrick Felix looking for minutes, I’m not sure where Ellington fits in.

Pro No. 2: Cap flexibility remains for summer of 2014

Cleveland still has plenty of room to potentially slide in a max contract next summer, as Fear the Sword‘s David Zavac explains here. Anderson Varejao has a partially guaranteed team option of $9.8 million for Anderson Varejao in 2014-15, as well as team options of $4.5 million on Earl Clark and $3.25 million on Alonzo Gee.

By my calculations, even if the Cavs pick up team options on AV, Clark and Gee, a very unlikely scenario, Grant would still have about $14 million in cap space to play with, if the cap were set at $62.5 million. A note: That does not account for any 2014 draft selections, or any additional free agent acquisitions. Scratch Clark and Gee, a much more feasible scenario, and that frees up $7.75 million more in cap space.

Where Dan Gilbert’s wallet will start to take a beating in luxury taxes is 2015-16, if the Cavs happened to land a max free agent next summer. Irving and Tristan Thompson are both in line for lucrative extensions next October, which would kick in for the ’15-16 season. The following October, Waiters and Tyler Zeller, depending on how they develop, could be in line for similar raises. And the following October, the same for Anthony Bennett and Karasev. Oh, the joys of the lottery!

Conclusion: I like the Jack signing!

OK, it took me 900 words, but I like this deal. One reservation I did not include above is Jack’s tendency to sometimes dominate the ball, especially in late-game situations. This Cavs team needs scoring, so I welcome any offensive addition, but it also needs to be made clear, particularly in the last 5 minutes of games, this is Kyrie Irving’s team.

I’m done this time.

Follow me on Twitter @PatrickJDuprey.

3 reasons to love the Earl Clark signing

About 86 hours into free agency, Chris Grant made his first move. Enter Sporting News’ Sean Deveney.

Source tells Sporting News that Lakers F Earl Clark has signed a 2 yr deal w the Cavaliers for $9 million

— Sean Deveney (@SeanDeveney) July 4, 2013

And TNT’s David Aldridge.

Earl Clark deal with Cleveland has team option for second year, per source.

— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) July 4, 2013

Boom. And here’s 3 reasons why I love this deal.

1. It’s all about the $.

A team option for year No. 2 of this deal means zero risk for the Cavaliers, a team clearly trying to preserve at least enough cap space for next summer to make a run at a max free agent. If Clark fails to meet expectations, Grant can easily wash his hands of the former Louisville product a year from now, and we’re right back where we started.

Should he so desire, Grant could still throw $15 million a year at a Nikola Pekovic, Paul Millsap or Andre Iguodala and remain firmly under the cap, though I’d guess those are unlikely. Or, Grant could fill out his roster with short-term deals and rookie contracts, then leave ample room for a major splash next summer, should LeBron James explore the market. Until this year’s rookie class is signed, the Cavaliers actually have $0 on the books for next season, just team options.

On Clark’s end, after a breakout year in an ugly situation, I expected more potential suitors. Clark had never played more than 12.5 minutes per game before last season, and still only averaged 7.3 points with the Lakers. But his age, 25; size and versatility, 6’10” and can play the 3 or 4; and range, 34% from 3 last year and improving, make him an appealing target.

Now, he’s in Cleveland on essentially a 1-year, $4.5-million deal. And you know he’ll work his ass off because it’s very much a contract year.

2. Versatility, baby.

That Mike Brown loved this kid enough to help lure him to Cleveland, after coaching him for only 5 regular season games in L.A., tells me a lot. Mike D’Antoni said last year that Clark could guard all 5 positions. With Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao at the 4, early reports indicate the Cavs plan on using Clark at the 3. Clark should compete with Alonzo Gee and No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, another stretch 3-4 at 6’7″, for a starting spot.

A thrown-in part of the Dwight Howard deal, Clark averaged a very respectable 11.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per 36 minutes. L.A.’s most commonly used 5-man lineup — Clark, Howard, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace and Steve Nash — left Clark at the 4 for close to 340 minutes. D’Antoni loved Clark so much, he started him in 36 games, often over 4-time All Star Pau Gasol.

Clark immediately becomes the best perimeter defender on the Cavs’ roster. In a conference with LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson, he’ll draw a range of assignments.

Consider these words from ESPN L.A.’s Dave McMenamin, who covers the Lakers.

The ’12-13 season was bleak for LAL, but Earl Clark was like the flower that grew through the crack in the concrete. Good luck in CLE, E-Z

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 4, 2013

3. Another weapon for Kyrie, Cavs.

Just add another face to a team loaded with young, quality talent. I’m not suggesting Clark is as important to Cleveland’s long-term future as Kyrie Irving, Thompson, Bennett or even Dion Waiters, but it’s not every day you add a playoff-caliber role player. (I’m not concerned with his dismal postseason stats against the Spurs — 3.5 points, 3 rebounds and 37% shooting — given how short-handed L.A. was for that series.)

I anointed Clark one of my 5 second-tier free agents to watch last week, before I knew Cleveland had interest. If there was any doors open on a Luke Walton or Omri Casspi return, those are, thankfully, shut. With team options on both for 2014-15, I’m guessing Clark and Gee will spend 2013-14 fighting for one spot, unless the Cavs strike out next July.

This move was made because of Clark’s defensive prowess. But he can grow as a 3-point shooter — hopefully enough to stretch the floor for Kyrie-AV pick-and-rolls and Tristan post-ups — and rebounder.

By no means is this a blockbuster move. But be excited, fellow Cavs fans.

Follow me on Twitter @PatrickJDuprey.

3 free agents I’d love to see in Wine & Gold

Cleveland Cavaliers GM Chris Grant has quite the rainy day fund to play with, or not play with, this summer. Within the past 2 days, Marreese Speights has declined a $4.5-million player option, and Grant decided not to extend $3-million qualifying offers to Omri Casspi and Wayne Ellington, effectively making all 3 unrestricted free agents. Cleveland owns a $2.25-million team option on C.J. Miles, who was reportedly on the block on draft night.

So, if the Cavs pick up Miles’ option, Grant will have about $30.25 million tied up in 7 players; if not, about $28 million tied up in 6. That does not include any of the team’s 3 draft selections — Anthony Bennett, Sergey Karasev or Carrick Felix — all of whom I’d expect in a Cleveland uniform on opening night.

The salary cap for the 2013-14 NBA season is set for around $58.5 million, and the floor, or minimum teams must spend on players, about $52.65 million, according to Grantland’s Zach Lowe.

Grant has money to burn. But he also has to be smart — next summer’s free agent class, and of course the possibility of LeBron returning, is much better, plus Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson will be due considerable extensions about 16 months from now. So Grant either has to a) front-load any hefty deals, or b) sign veteran guys to 1-year deals.

That said, here’s 3 lower-tier free agents Grant could have at a bargain.

No. 1: Greg Oden, 25, C, free agent

To me, this is a no-brainer low-risk, high-reward type of move. Oden, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2007 Draft, played a year at Ohio State. Alongside Miami, who’s restricted in the amount of money they can offer the 7-footer, Cleveland’s the team most commonly mentioned in the Oden sweepstakes.

Cleveland passed on Nerlens Noel and Alex Len in Thursday’s draft, and thus need a center. The Cavs are not players in the Dwight Howard chase, and, despite a HoopsWorld report to the contrary, I refuse to believe Grant’s serious about signing the sideshow that is Andrew Bynum, who played the same amount of games as Oden last year.

Yes, Oden has not played since the 2009-10 season, and has only played 82 games in his entire career. But consider these stats from his 21 games in ’09-10: 11.1 points on 60% from the field and 77% from the foul line, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in 23.9 minutes. Per 36 minutes, that’s 16.7 points, 12.8 rebounds and 3.5 blocks; in 35.8 minutes per last year, Dwight Howard averaged 17.1 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.

It would be unwise to expect these numbers from Oden right away, or even at all, but even glimpses over 15 quality minutes a night is worth a few million. A rim-protector and quality finisher in close, Oden would also give the Cavs the 3rd No. 1 overall selection on their roster. If he can be had for $8-10 million over 2 years, with a team option for the second, I’m all for it.

No. 2: Corey Brewer, 27, SF, Denver Nuggets

I’ve loved Brewer’s game for as long as I can remember. Tennessee’s Mr. Basketball in 2004, a 2-time national champion at Florida in 2006 and 2007, the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player in ’07, and an NBA champion in 2011 — though he only appeared in a combined 19 games, regular season and playoffs, for the latter.

Energy, defense, intangibles, more energy. Perhaps George Karl’s up-tempo style was the perfect fit for Brewer; he averaged 12.1 points in 24.4 minutes last year. But he’s also shown he can score in a slower style — he started all 82 games for Minnesota in 2009-10 and netted 13 points per 30.3 minutes.

Mike Brown would love Brewer’s length — he’s 6’9″ — on the perimeter, but how he’d fare defensively in the post, at only 188 pounds, against guys like LeBron James, 250; Carmelo Anthony, 230; and Paul Pierce, 235, is another story. Either way, if the market for small forwards collapsed and Grant threw $3-4.5 million annually at this guy — Brewer made $3.25 this year — I’d be thrilled.

No. 3: Shaun Livingston, 27, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers

Grant doesn’t have to look outside his own locker room for candidate No. 3. A Christmas Day signing in 2012, Livingston contributed, probably too much, to the Cavs this year — he averaged 7.2 points, 3.6 assists and shot 51% from the field in 23.2 minutes. The former No. 4 overall pick even started 12 games as Kyrie Irving missed time late in the year.

The fact that Livingston was able to return from this and, 6 years later, is still a solid role player in this league tells me everything I need to know about the guy. I love his 6’7″-frame on the perimeter, his ability to back down smaller point guards and score over the top, and his effectiveness in delivering the ball to his bigs. By all indications, he’s a quality teammate and an even better backup point for Kyrie, a spot the Cavs had struggled to fill prior to his arrival.

Fox Sports Ohio’s Sam Amico reported June 1 the Cavs like Livingston, but his camp was likely to seek a deal larger than they’d be willing to pay. I’m not saying throw $4-5 million annually at Livingston, but if he finds the market a bit cooler than he expected, I’d be more than happy with a 2-3 year deal worth $2-3 million per. Health is no longer much of a concern; Livingston appeared in 66 games for 2 teams last year, 58 in the lockout-shortened campaign the year prior, and 73 in 2010-11.

Follow me on Twitter @PatrickJDuprey.

Why the Cavs should trade No. 1 to Minny

We’re less than 48 hours from the NBA Draft, and I think the Cleveland Cavaliers should trade the No. 1 pick to Minnesota. Not for Kevin Love, but for Derrick Williams, the No. 9 and No. 26 selections.

For what it’s worth, the Cavs offered up the No. 1 pick and the No. 4 picks in the 2011 and 2012 drafts, Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters, for Love, only for the Wolves to decline, according to ESPN’s Andy Katz. I’m not even sure I like that deal for Cleveland. Trade 3 impact players for 1, albeit a much better one, who played 18 games last year.

Anyways, here’s a few reasons the Cavs should dump the No. 1 for Williams & Co.

This draft sucks.

We’ve all read the reports in the media that quote league execs and scouts who say this is one of the worst NBA Draft classes in years. There’s no LeBron James, no Dwight Howard, no Kyrie Irving, probably not even an Anthony Davis.

Cleveland’s, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford, narrowed its targets at No. 1 to Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel and Maryland’s Alex Len. Both are athletic bigs with some of the same question marks, namely health and limited offensive skills.

My feeling is, if you’re not 100% sold on a guy, cut your losses and play the safe way out. Plenty of teams have inquired about the No. 1 selection — most persistently Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Portland, according to Ford — so why not work the sides against each other and see who wants it most?

Derrick Williams is not a worthless piece.

Sure, Williams has not stood out in his first 2 seasons in Minnesota, but, statistically speaking, he’s improving. He averaged 12.0 points per game last year in only 24.6 minutes, fourth-most on a team whose leading scorer, Kevin Love, only played 18 games. His 14.6 PER is slightly below average, but was fifth-best on the Wolves, behind Nikola Pekovic (62 games), Love, Andrei Kirilenko (64) and Ricky Rubio (57).

Per 36 minutes, he was a 17.6-points and 8.1-rebounds guy last season. He’s 6’8″ with fantastic athleticism, who can play the 3 in bigger lineups and the 4 in small ball. There’s still plenty of concerns: his 43% shooting is reminiscent of a guard, not a 6’8″ athletic type who should play at the rim. And he shot 33% from 3 last season, but even more concerning was his 2.5 attempts per 24.6 minutes.

Williams improved in just about every major statistical category over his rookie season. After the All Star break last year, D-Will averaged close to 15 points per alongside Rubio. Imagine what he could do with Kyrie & Co.

Also, he’s still 22 and was the No. 2 overall pick in 2011. And he’s got Josh Smith potential.

More picks, more picks, more picks!

OK, so I’m still high on Williams. But you also add 2 picks in this year’s draft — Nos. 9 and 26 — giving you 5 picks in the top 33. At No. 9, the Cavs could consider 7-footers like Steven Adams from Pitt, Kelly Olynyk from Gonzaga or Cody Zeller from Indiana (oh, dear God, no), swing players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from Georgia, Sergey Karasev from Russia (whom the Cavs reportedly like) Michael Carter-Williams from Syracuse or C.J. McCollum from Lehigh.

My point: There’s still plenty of good options at No. 9, and you also pick up a late first-rounder at 26. And who’s to say all four of those picks can’t be additional trade chips to attract temporary veteran talent, i.e., a Luol Deng, a Paul Pierce, a Danny Granger and so on.

Lots and lots of options, Cavs fans. Stay tuned.

Follow me on Twitter @PatrickJDuprey.

DRIBBLES: Byron Scott’s future in Cleveland.

So Saturday night, while most of America was fixated on the Final Four — and most Ohioans on the Buckeyes’ in said Final Four — the Akron Beacon Journal‘s Jason Lloyd dropped a bombshell: head coach Byron Scott’s job may not be as secure as most assumed. His story, which you better read if you have yet to, directly cites concerns from at least two players and another member of the organization, all anonymous, about Scott’s rotations, reluctance to use timeouts and the team’s overall poor defense.

As a fan, many of these concerns are ones the Cavs’ Twitterverse has spent the last three years lamenting. I would agree that Scott’s received a bit of a pass, from the Northeast Ohio media and even many fans, given the tough hand he’s been dealt: LeBron James’ departure, inconsistent lineups due to injuries to the team’s top talent, etc. The offense has improved, but the defense is a shed of what it was during the Mike Brown era, going from proverbial first to worst; the Cavs are surrendering a woeful 110 points per 100 possessions, according to 82games.com.

But, in Scott’s defense, the team’s best defensive player — Anderson Varejao — has suffered season-ending injuries each of the past three seasons, playing in a combined 81 games. Cleveland’s franchise talent, Kyrie Irving, himself a putrid defender, missed 15 games last year and 22 (and counting) this year. And No. 4 overall pick Dion Waiters, another core piece, has missed 14 games.

In a game this week against Boston, Scott fielded a backcourt of Chris Quinn and Daniel Gibson. Before a few weeks ago, Quinn had not played NBA ball since the 2010-11 season in San Antonio, and Gibson’s logged more than two dozen DNP, Coach’s Decision’s this season.

I do not want to sound like a Scott apologist, but the potential cons of firing Scott far outweigh the pros. Lloyd would know much better than I, but Scott seems to have a good relationship with Kyrie — look no further than their friendly trash talk prior to this year’s 3-point contest — like he did with CP3, and I fear dumping Scott tosses two years of development out the window. I mean, look what Scott’s done with Tristan Thompson — last year, Cavs fans were openly questioning whether the team made him a mistake in drafting him No. 4 overall, and now he’s a candidate for Most Improved Player of the Year.

******

Regardless of whether the Cavs land LeBron in the summer of 2014, the 2014-15 campaign, I believe, is the season everyone has circled. Kyrie will have three years under his belt and will face restricted free agency the following summer, if the team’s yet to lock him up long-term by then. Same with Thompson. And Varejao, assuming he’s still around and the team picks up his $9.8 million team option, will be trying to prove he can stay healthy before hitting the market for probably his last contract.

Add at least two more lottery picks and at least one regular contributor via free agency to a core of Irving, Varejao, Thompson, Waiters and maybe Zeller — the jury’s still out — and, with the right hand, that’s at least a playoff team capable of winning a first-round series. Miami’s ‘Big 3’ presumably will have dissolved, and with a shuffling of talent, who knows which teams will be players and which will not.

This is a long ways down the road, sure, and maybe I’m just grasping at straws. But I do think the Cavs, a very young, developing team, could benefit from consistency. Is there a coach out there, one better than B. Scott, that’s worth risking so much over? I just don’t see it.

Follow me on Twitter @PatrickJDuprey.