As if the Cavs didn’t have enough star power already, they’ve added Shawn Marion and they still have their eye on Ray Allen. Here’s the latest out of Cleveland..
- Even if John Calipari had known LeBron James would eventually return to the Cavaliers, the University of Kentucky coach told Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal he likely still would have signed his seven-year extension to stay with Kentucky in June. “They came back because it was good for them and their careers and they knew they needed more developing and coaching. That was by me. That’s what they wanted,” Calipari said. “So that made it a tough deal to say, ‘I’m just going to leave these guys here.’ With who? It may be somebody I don’t know that wouldn’t do the things for them that they needed to do.”
- James’ return to the Cavs also completes the journey of agent Rich Paul, writes Joe Drape of the New York Times. “He used to listen to me and how I was going to get out of the inner city and make a difference, and I used to listen to him say how he was going to get out and make a difference,” James said. “Those conversations turned to how we are going to do it, and then to, why not do it together? I wanted him to be with me.”
- The Cavs have come a long way. New additions Mike Miller and Marion probably rank in the top six to eight of the best free agent signings in team history, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Before this summer, the highest profile free agents the Cavs signed were Larry Hughes and Andrew Bynum. Otherwise, some of their best free agents pickups were Craig Ehlo and Gerald Wilkins (link).
- The Cavs have been heavily connected to Allen, but that’s not what they need at this time, writes Adi Joseph of USA Today Sports. After agreeing to pick up Marion, Miller, and James Jones, the Cavs should be focusing on adding two much more difficult-to-fill positions: backup point guard and center. Besides, Miller and Jones are great shooters, as are All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.