I an staying away from West altogether. Don’t think there will be a lot of PT for him this year and he has not flourished in CLE

For fantasy draft I’m not using a higher than late round pick on him. Besides the risk Delonte also has more (indirect) competition for playing time I would think with Parker and Moon.

What’s the story on Barkley then?

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West was arrested Thursday after officers pulled him over for speeding on a motorcycle while carrying two handguns and a shotgun in a guitar case.

Prince George’s County police spokeswoman Sgt. Michelle Reedy said Friday the Cleveland Cavaliers player was arrested about 10 p.m. Thursday.

Reedy said West was riding a Can-Am Spyder motorcycle north on the Capital Beltway in Upper Marlboro when he cut off an officer, who pulled him over.

Police said a handgun was found in his pocket, another in his pant leg and a shotgun in a guitar case strapped to his back.

The 26-year-old West, who lives in Brandywine, was charged with speeding and weapons counts. Reedy said West was released on his own recognizance early Friday.

Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry said the team was aware of the situation.

“We have been in communication with Delonte and his family,” Ferry said in a statement. “We are gathering more information and will not have further comment until the appropriate time.”

Who does this fool think he is???

Cedar Point is awesome. No argument there. Millennium Force is a powerhouse of a ride. Unfortunately for Cavs fans though, is that Lebron has stated that his loyalty is to Akron, not to Cleveland or Sandusky. And for the record, I have eaten at a Cheesecake Factory in Cleveland off of Cedar Road! I’ll have to find the other one next time I’m in town.

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/60948/20090803/cavs_cant_sign_two_major_free_agents_in_2010/

I admire your knowledge and reference to the NBA salary cap rules, but the ONLY shot Cleveland has at retaining Lebron James is to add a player of star caliber such as Chris Bosh. Other media outlets besides the one above have also reported that Cleveland will be unable to sign a second FA to a max deal next summer due to these recent signings. Cleveland has to do EVERYTHING right to keep Lebron. In my view, Lebron would bolt Cleveland for NY or Brooklyn even if those teams can’t add a Bosh or Wade or Amare either.

If I were Ferry, if the ONLY way to add Bosh next summer and also keep Lebron would mean that I couldn’t resign Varejao and would have to pass on both Moon and Parker, then I would do just that. To be successful in 2010-11 and beyond, Lebron, Bosh, Mo Williams and Delonte West is a solid core. Even if your remaining 9 players aren’t the greatest, you still have a lot of talent at the top like the 08 Celtics had. Then you can round out the roster with a bunch of 1 year deals for veteran minimums. Instead of the Eyenga draft pick, Ferry could have added Dejuan Blair to complement J.J. Hickson at the 4 spot for the upcoming season, taken a chance on veterans like Antoine Walker or Michael Sweetney who would jump at the chance at making a comeback for the league minimum, and still have enough there to have a shot at playing well into June.

Point is, I’ll confess that I’m not up to speed on how exactly all of the numbers work out, but if Ferry wanted to, he could have set himself up to be able to sign Lebron AND a second FA this summer to max money. He decided not to, and that will guarantee Lebron’s exit.

29. Can a team sign all the free agents it wants (up to the cap limit) and THEN re-sign its own free agents using the Bird exception?

Yes, but there’s a restriction. A team’s free agents continue to count as team salary (against the salary cap). This charge is called the “free agent amount.” So there may not be enough money under the cap to sign another team’s free agent, because the team’s own free agents are taking up all their cap room.

That’s why I said above “LeBron’s cap hold”. If there wasn’t this rule, you would have seen free agents moving all over the place in the last few years.

Cleveland not amusing? Cedar Point, the Roller Coaster Capital of the World, is in Sandusky, only an hour west. Also, there are 2 Cheesecake Factories in the Cleveland area, so this is and should be an NBA mecca.

Im a Magic fan so I want Cleveland to be as bad as possible, but I think they will be able to sign another max contract guy next summer. The main issue I think will be whether or not LeBron wants to stay in CLE, and if so, can they convinced FA’s that LBJ will be staying… Cleveland isnt the most amusing market, so I dont think any max player w/ options would want to go their if LBJ isnt already committed… Last thing any FA would want is to be the victim(Like BD) if LBJ pulls an Elton Brand, and then they’re sitting there stuck in Cleveland when they could’ve been in a better, more appealing market like NJ/NY/MIA or wherever for the same money….

Players under contract:
Mo Williams – $9,300,000
Anderson Varejao – $7,000,000
Delonte West – $4,658,500
Daniel Gibson – $4,015,000
JJ Hickson – $1,528,920 (assume his option picked up)
Darnell Jackson – $854,389.
Just those six players = $27,356,809

LeBron’s cap hold will be the max salary for a 7 year player, which will be 30% of the salary cap of $58M = $17,400,000. Now you’re at $44,756,809.

Let’s be generous and say Cleveland picks #30 in next summer’s draft. That’s a cap hold of about $851,000. $45,607,809.

That’s 8 spots on the roster; you have to have 12 in the offseason, so they have roster holds of 4 rookie minimums, which next summer will be $473,604  $1,894,416 $47,502,225.

From a $58M salary cap, that leaves $10,497,775 to sign a free agent(s), plus you’ve renounced your Mid-level and Bi-Annual exceptions. (Forgive me if my math is wrong or off, but this is my rough estimate of Cleveland’s cap next year assuming I’m reading Larry Coon’s rules right.) No way in H-E-upside-down 7’s that Bosh or Wade leaves for that number, and that roster has a couple of holes anyways (since Parker and Moon aren’t there).

Ferry signed Parker and Moon so they can win this year, and even next year their salaries (totaling $5,825,770) are quite tradable if need be. I can’t blame Ferry for signing them because he has to 1) win this year, 2) keep LeBron, and 3) have a semblance of a roster the next few years. Parker and Moon can help on all three levels. Now if you want to get on him for paying Varejao all that money now and through 2014, go right ahead.

Someone help me out here because I’m willing to keep an open mind, but barely. How can you justify signing both Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker to two year deals, when by doing so you have GUARANTEED that in the summer of 2010, Cleveland will be unable to offer max dollars to a second marquee free agent? Why are Cleveland fans not calling for Danny Ferry’s resignation?

Do I think adding Parker and Moon makes the Cavs a better team in 2009-10? Yes I do, it makes them marginally better. Last year they went 66-16, this article is prognosticating along the lines of 68-14. But are Parker and Moon good enough players to justify jeopardizing the capacity to land a Bosh or a Wade in 2010? Absolutely not. Not by a longshot. Myopia times infinity.

For all of the talk about how the Magic were just a bad matchup for the Cavs in last year’s ECF, what is underreported is the simple truth that the Cleveland Cavaliers choked. I can’t view it by any other way. When you go 39-2 at home, and blow a 15 point lead in game 1 at home, then you have choked. And you could sense it was about to happen. It wasn’t the Cavs fault that Detroit didn’t show up and Cleveland began to feel that they were better than they were. It didn’t help matters that Atlanta wasn’t at full strength and the Cavs once again ran roughshod over an opponent. But at 60-48 as the first half to game 1 of the ECF was about to come to a close, Mo Williams drains a 60 footer. And that was it. The Cavs began to felt like they could walk on water. They didn’t know how to handle it when a team actually didn’t fall down after getting down big, and the Magic fought back and the rest is history.

The Shaq deal was great, although it was about 4 months late. But better late than never. But then Ferry decides to get cute at the end of the first round and contradicts the “win now at all costs” mantra by drafting Christian Eyenga who will not be coming to the states at least for another year. You don’t do such a stupid move, not with proven guys like Dejuan Blair and Sam Young and Chase Budinger and Jodie Meeks available. Some of those guys will be starting for their teams this year, and Ferry blew it.

Ferry was able to lure in Powe with the first year guaranteed, the second year not guaranteed. If this wouldn’t have worked with Moon and/or Parker, I would have said thanks but no thanks. Do your homework and find guys who could still contribute something but would be willing to come aboard for 1 year deals at the veteran minimum to strengthen your bench(such as, a former teammate of Shaq’s on the 2006 championship Heat team that was second on the team in scoring for the NBA finals!). Lebron has already come out and said recently that his loyalty is to Akron, NOT CLEVELAND!!! How on earth does Lebron stick around if Ferry won’t have the cash next summer to sign another star??? Moon and Parker were not worth it!!! They could still be a championship contender in 2009-10 without those guys and still retained the necessary cap space for summer 2010.

In conclusion, the long and short of it is, Danny Ferry can kiss Lebron James goodbye. This will be his legacy as Cavs GM. I agree with the Brooklyn Nets possibility, gotta love the young core there with Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, Terrence Williams, Yi Jianlian and Brook Lopez.