The Bibby Effect

By Justin Albers
Basketballss132002@yahoo.com
CLEVELAND- It has been less than a week since the official start of NBA free agency, and yet several moves have already been made. Steve Blake signed with the Blazers, Derek Fisher headed back to the Lakers, Grant Hill made the move to Phoenix- just to name a few. But the Eastern Conference champions from a year ago want to get into the mix and make a move to help the franchise.
The Cavs had an over-achieving season when they reached the NBA Finals a year ago, we all know that. That was especially true when they met the Spurs without guard Larry Hughes; it became LeBron James versus the world. General Manager Danny Ferry wants to make sure his team is prepared for a much improved Eastern Conference, besides the fact that he would rather not be swept again this year.
It was rumored that the Cavs tried to trade away Hughes and Eric Snow on draft day, but both deals fell through. Now there have been several different trade propositions that would allow Cleveland to acquire PG Mike Bibby from the Sacramento Kings. Reports in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Saturday said the Cavs offered forward Drew Gooden and guard Damon Jones, with a third team- possibly the San Antonio Spurs- causing the deal to fall through.
The question I see stemming from all of this talk is “How much SHOULD the Cavs give up in order to get Bibby?” Mike Bibby is a fantastic player. He is at an age (29) where he should be solid for the next several years. However, Cleveland has to be careful about giving up a guy like Drew Gooden. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is getting old and Anderson Varejao, assuming he is re-signed, will never been an offensive threat. That would leave Cleveland with a strong exterior and nobody that can score close to the basket. If possible, the Cavs should get rid of Larry Hughes, Damon Jones, and a future draft pick to get their hands on Bibby, and hold to Gooden for dear life.
Gooden is a player that was outstanding in college when he played for the Kansas Jayhawks, but most experts said he was not big enough to be a good NBA player. He is beginning to prove them wrong. Gooden was a large part of the Cavs Finals run last year, and has become a solid scoring threat in the low post. He is still not a great defender, but he makes up for it with he great hustle. Just imagine Cleveland with a triple threat of James, Bibby, and Gooden- the Cavs could be looking at a trip back to the NBA Finals sooner than expected.