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If Cleveland Cavalier fans thought the contract extension of Kyrie Irving, the free agent signing of LeBron James, and the trade for Kevin Love wasn’t enough to get excited about this surly will. Reports have come out stating that the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers are discussing a deal which centers around Dion Waiters and a future first round draft pick for the inconsistent All-Star Center Roy Hibbert.
Tyler Spence was the first person to not only report the trade talks between these two teams, but was the first person to announce the Cavalier’s interest in Roy Hibbert. This trade could put the nail in the coffin for other title contender’s fear of the Cavs. Not only do they have three top All-Stars (James, Love, Irving) but also have great young contributors in Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson. They also have top veteran players in Anderson Varajo, Mike Miller, Shawn Marion, James Jones, and rumors of Ray Allen coming to Cleveland as well. Obviously Waiters would disappear from this roster if the trade ends up happening, but with Hibbert, the Cavs would now have four All-Stars with 3 of them under the age of 27.
The biggest potential weakness for this Cavs team (potentially the only weakness) is low post defense. Kevin Love is underrated when it comes to his defensive abilities, even disrespected by the media and fans who constantly seem to knock his defensive play, constantly saying he is a liability on the defensive end. Roy Hibbert would instantly boost the Cavs low post defense as he average 2.2 blocks per game last season with Indiana. Until the playoffs, many NBA analysts believed that Roy Hibbert had taken that next step and was beginning to fill the role as not only an All-Star but potentially the NBA’s top center. His lack of constancy towards the end of the year and the playoffs have allowed teams like the Cavaliers to come in and potentially trade for the 27 year old big man. Losing Waiters in the trade may hurt, but not only could Roy Hibbert help fix the one knock of this Cavs team, but if he can hit his average of 10.8 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game, this Cavs team will not only be the best offensive squad in the NBA, potentially the best defensive squad in the NBA, but will certainly be the best rebounding squad in the NBA (centered around Love’s 12,5 RPG, LeBron’s 6.9 RPG, Thompson’s 9.2 RPG, and Varajo’s 9.7 RPG).
Another key is the health of Anderson Varajo. Varajo is an injury prone player and if the Cavaliers can add Roy Hibbert, rookie head coach David Blatt can give the 32 year old Varajo less minutes which, in a perfect world, will help him stay fresh and healthy throughout this season, a rarity for Varajo.
This trade also allows the Cavaliers to cut ties with the out spoken Dion Waiters. Waiters has shown a lot of potential, often being compared to a poor mans Dwayne Wade, but rumors have surfaced about the tension that resides between Irving and Waiters and who the leader is between the two. Waiters also came out this off-season stating that he did not want to come off the bench for the Cavaliers, and that he deserved to be a starter. Waiters does not seem like the kind of guy who is comfortable being the fourth or fifth scoring option for his team. His actions have shown that he desperately wants to be the number one guy, and sadly for Waiters, this Cavs team is just to deep for that to happen. Many people even believe that Minnesota’s newly acquired rookie Andrew Wiggins was shipped out of Cleveland because of Waiter’s comments about not wanting to come off the bench for the Cavs. Shipping Waiters out of Cleveland could be beneficial for the locker room, but there are some problems with getting rid of him.
1) LeBron James has made it very clear that he wants to play with Dion Waiters. He has worked with him throughout the off-season and has come out and said that he is excited to help improve Waiter’s on-court performance and on/off-court leadership skills. LeBron James was also rumored to have told the Cavs to not include Waiters in the Kevin Love trade. As this off-season has shown, James is truly the one in control in Cleveland. What he wants he gets and if he wants Waiters on this roster than expect Waiters to remain a Cavalier.
2) Waiters is under contract longer than Hibbert and for half the cost. Hibbert is owed $30 million over the next two seasons. Waiters is owed $15 million over the next three seasons (half the cost of Hibbert with one more season under contract).
3) The Cavs are not very deep at the SG and PG positions. Waiters can come in and play PG which is key because Kyrie Irving is also extremely injury prone, never playing a full season in his three year NBA career. The backups to Waiters and Irving include Mike Miller, Matthew Deledova, and rookie Joe Harris. This is not deep and getting rid of Waiters for Hibbert could hurt this team’s depth.
All in all it seems that there are a lot of positives and negatives to this trade. This trade could help make the Cavs a top defensive team to add to their top offensive expectations, as well as help keep Varajo healthy. If the Cavs get Hibbert, it could also insure that James and Love play their true positions (James at SF and Love at PF). David Blatt has mentioned a few roster scenarios where James would be playing PF and Love center. As this trade is just in the beginning stages, nothing is for certain and we are a long time away from any trade being finalized. One thing is for certain though, the Cleveland Cavaliers are doing everything in their power to help LeBron James win not just one, not just two, not just three titles, but maybe even those six or seven he talked about in Miami.
David Harris is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Facebook or twitter.