Looks like Cavs are getting Hughes

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Larry Hughes to Cleveland

By Nick Prevenas
7/7/05


Larry Hughes

Sources tell NBADraft.net that the Cleveland Cavaliers will sign Washington Wizards' free agent guard Larry Hughes. The deal is reportedly worth an estimated $12 million a year and will run through the 2010 season.

After losing out on Michael Redd and Ray Allen (both of whom resigned with their original teams), the Cavs have landed their shooting guard and LeBron James' running mate. Hughes fills a massive hole for a team in need of perimeter scoring and defense.

Hughes averaged 22 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2.9 steals a game in his breakout season for the Wizards. He was also named to his first All-NBA Defensive First Team. His stellar play was one of the main reasons the Wizards were able to surprise nearly everyone and snag a 5-seed in the 2005 playoffs. Their first-round defeat of the Chicago Bulls was the first Washington playoff series victory since 1982.

While Hughes was one of the league's most sought-after free agent 2-guards, there are concerns surrounding him. First, durability is a issue. He missed 21 games last season due to a broken thumb. He's missed large chunks of time during his seven-year career due to other various injuries. He's only played more than 70 games in a season twice, in 1999-2000 and again in 2001-2002.

Second, for everything he does well, he does not shoot a high percentage from 3-point range. Last season, he shot 28%, which is a slight improvement over his 27% career average. This weakness was especially evident during the Wizards' playoff defeat to the Miami Heat, where he shot 33% from the floor and 25% from three. One of Cleveland's big weaknesses last season was their inability to knock down open threes, and at this point, it's hard to say whether Hughes will help fill that void.

Third, the 2004-2005 season was clearly Hughes' best season as a pro. Some feel that he might've kicked it up a notch in a contract year. He's bounced around a little, playing for three teams (the 76ers, Warriors, and Wizards) during his seven-year tenure. Some even considered him a mild disappointment until the past two seasons. Personally, I think Hughes has always had the ability to put up numbers like he did last season, but he just needed the right situation to prosper. Now we'll be able to see whether he can continue his fantastic play teaming up with King James.

These possible concerns are far outweighed by the positives he brings to this Cavalier ballclub. He is tremendously gifted athlete and can effectively defend three positions. His ability to force steals creates many easy baskets for his teammates. He's also a terrific penetrator who can create open looks for his squad. He's a versatile player who brings a lot of good things to the floor and will allow LeBron James to run wild at the small forward spot.

This is a big move for the Cavs, but they're far from finished. They still need to sign a quality point guard (both Antonio Daniels and Earl Watson's names have been mentioned). In a pinch, Hughes can fill in at the point, but he's built to play the off-guard. They also need to decide what to do with Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Depending on what happens with Big Z, they've expressed interest in signing another athletic bigman to go alongside Drew Gooden (Dalembert, Swift, Brown, etc.). Let's not forget, the Cavs are still in need of a permanent head coach. Signing Hughes is a big first step, but new General Manager Danny Ferry still has a lot of work ahead of him.

Where does this leave the Wizards? Their promising young nucleus has lost a big talent in Hughes. Jarvis Hayes will be expected to shoulder a much bigger scoring load and take over Hughes' role alongside Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison. They'll still be an exciting team to watch, but they'll be hard-pressed to replicate their 45-win output of 2004-2005 without Hughes' contributions.

The Clippers and Nuggets had also expressed interest in Hughes.

Cavs just got better, even if it isn't quite Redd. Hughes really impressed me over last season.

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The deal is reportedly worth an estimated $12 million a year

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:wow

Hughes is better than Redd, but maybe not for this particular system. Cavs are one solid shooting PG away from being a pretty good team. If they don't pickup a sweet shooting PG then Hughes won't make as big of an impact, because he still is a pretty weak long range shooter.

It's imperative they shore up their PG spot with a guy who can shoot, play reasonable D, and not make too many mistakes. Daniels could be solid, but even his 3pt stroke is subpar. But he still plays great D, scores efficiently, and can hit the medium range shot pretty well.

I am very interested to see what they will do with the PG spot.

I guess after missing out on Ray Allen and Micheal Redd, Ferry decided to go to the extreme and throw everything plus the kitchen sink on the table.

Works great if they actually manage to buy their guy with it, but it will probably bite them in the ass later.

I'm guess $12M/year isn't the start, but rather the average. So it's probably five years/$60M, which I guess isn't that horrendous. :wtf

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Let's not forget, the Cavs are still in need of a permanent head coach.

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Kind of makes you wonder if this guy knows what he's talking about.

Hughes makes the Cavs a more dangerous team with his shooting and allows the Cav's bigs to have more operating room but, 12 Mil IMO is too pricey for Hughes, he should get more like 6-8 mil a year.

-NIKOS COBRA IS FUCKING SICK AS HELL!!!!!!!!

The price is dirt cheap if it helps get the Cavs competitive and thereby keeps LeBron in Cleveland.

That's a pile of money for a player coming off a break-out season.

The Cavs will have an exciting look to them. Hopefully, Hughes stays healthy.

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Originally Posted by picnroll

The price is dirt cheap if it helps get the Cavs competitive and thereby keeps LeBron in Cleveland.

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Well I don't know if I'd call it dirt cheap if it starts at $12M - that's close to the max, right?

I'll believe it when I see it somewhere more reputable than nbadraft.net

But it's a shrewd pickup by the Cavs. They just got better, and Wizards just got worse.

Lebron and Hughes will be hell on wheels.

Wow. NBADraft.net. I'm impressed or something.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

I'm guess $12M/year isn't the start, but rather the average. So it's probably five years/$60M, which I guess isn't that horrendous. :wtf

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That's what it sounds like to me and given what Allen and Redd signed for, it looks like a decent deal for the Cavs. The new 5/6 max contract lengths really make a difference.

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Originally Posted by E20

-NIKOS COBRA IS FUCKING SICK AS HELL!!!!!!!!

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Watched it on DVD the other night. Liked it as a kid so decided to shell out a whole $4.99 for it :lol.

That movie is so bad, its good. I actually laughed hard at several parts, and they weren't even supposed to be funny. The parts that were intended to be funny/witty, actually gave me a chuckle because of how silly it was.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/63...CMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Psyco Killer : Hey man, I'll blow this whole supermarket up!

Stallone/Cobra: Go ahead, I don't shop here.

:lol Classic.

Is it this even a legit source? I am starting to question it's authenticity.

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Originally Posted by Nikos

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/63...CMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Psyco Killer : Hey man, I'll blow this whole supermarket up!

Stallone/Cobra: Go ahead, I don't shop here.

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:lmao :lmao :lmao

Gooood tiiiimes.

No Nikos, it's not a great source, but not bad. So that's why the thread title says, "Looks like ..."

Cleveland had to come out of this off season with an impact player. I really like Hughes, provided he can stay healthy better than Redd or even Johnson, he's a better defender of quick players and most importantly e's a better penetrator in the mold of Manu and Wade and with the new defensive rules penetrators that can get to the basket, score and/or get fouled are worth their weight in gold. Now they just need a spot up shooter or two. Luke Jackson sucked apparently in his fisrt Vegas game.

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Originally Posted by Nikos

Watched it on DVD the other night. Liked it as a kid so decided to shell out a whole $4.99 for it :lol.

That movie is so bad, its good. I actually laughed hard at several parts, and they weren't even supposed to be funny. The parts that were intended to be funny/witty, actually gave me a chuckle because of how silly it was.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/63...CMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Psyco Killer : Hey man, I'll blow this whole supermarket up!

Stallone/Cobra: Go ahead, I don't shop here.

:lol Classic.

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:lmao

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

No Nikos, it's not a great source, but not bad. So that's why the thread title says, "Looks like ..."

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It does look somewhat legit now that I think about it. NBAdraft.net is a solid site, but I never really see it as a news mill for upcoming signings. Just suprised to see it come here first, if it is indeed true.

Yes that's why I put in the looks like. It seems pretty plausible though. I imagine part of the fatness of the deal was along the lines of Nash's in that Ferry probably said "will pay you a premium provided you don't try to use us as leveragre to go back to the Wizard for a match or better offer. If you agree you promise to accept the deal." Then they have to hope Hughes isn't a Boozer.

The Cavs will now have the NBA's #1 and #3 ranked steals leaders from 2004-05!

Larry Hughes was 1st with 2.89 steals/game
LeBron James was 3rd with 2.21 steals/game

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Originally Posted by picnroll

Cleveland had to come out of this off season with an impact player. I really like Hughes, provided he can stay healthy better than Redd or even Johnson, he's a better defender of quick players and most importantly e's a better penetrator in the mold of Manu and Wade and with the new defensive rules penetrators that can get to the basket, score and/or get fouled are worth their weight in gold. Now they just need a spot up shooter or two. Luke Jackson sucked apparently in his fisrt Vegas game.

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Hughes was actually pretty good last year. He has never been an efficient scorer, but this season he has been very good on both ends of the court.

For some reason Hughes had an awful playoffs. True Wade is a tough cover, but he didn't step up on offense at all against the Heat. But in the regular season he was very good in the clutch.

He doesn't draw as many fouls as Manu or Wade, but his midrange jumper in transition is money. His value is that he can do everything pretty well if you consider scoring, passing, rebounding, and defense. He can also initiate the offense for Lebron at times. He won't shoot too well from 3 off Bron's passing, but he can create for himself and others, and take the load of Bron in that regard. Obviously he is an asset on defense. Even if he isn't a stopper in the classical sense of containment D, he is still very valuable on defense due to being a terror in the passing lanes. His man defense is solid at worst, and generally I would say it is very good.

Now it is essential for them to get a PG who can shoot, avoid turnovers, and play solid D.

Put him and Daniels in the backcourt, LeBron at the three, Gooden, Varejao and Z as the bigs and you have a pretty good team.

Varejao should be a very nice player in this league. He produced a lot in limited minutes last season. All he needs is time and he will give them at worst a very good bench player with energy who can score and rebound without extensive minutes.

The cavs still have too many holes. PG and PF are pretty weak areas and they need better defenders. This team will probably make the playoffs but not get passed the first round.

Bobby has lost a little bit of that defense he had a couple years ago but he is still effective on offense. He would fit well but they have nothing in the front court. This team was the worst team in the league before L. James and Ilgauskas isn't a great defender. They need a shot blocker and Bobby Jackson to be a great team. It would be interesting to watch them though.

I thought the Cavaliers needed a good shooter to take pressure off of Lebron James.

This isn't the guy....

Great player, but not the guy.

Is Lebron the 3 now?

Lebron would be the 3 but Hughes isn't exactly a shooting guard and more a slasher. I guess 3 steals a game will give the cavs more opportunities for fastbreaks where Lebron is at his best. They should have gone after Joe Johnson in my opinion.

holy shit. Hughes rules. Cavs will definitely be better. Fucking Wizards :rolleyes why do I have to live in DC???

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They should have offered Joe Johnson the same deal

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IMO, Joe JOhnson is potentially better over the long haul.

His defense is pretty good, his outside shooting is bonkers.


Whatever.

Danny Ferry must know somethin I dont.

All this does is swap Cleveland and Washington in the playoff picture next year.

Hope the Wizards fans got a good look at it......

Cleveland might be better than Washington if they get a decent point guard. Maybe Hughes at the 1 and James at the 2.

Hughes = #1 steals leader last year, Lebron = #2 steals leader last year...That is deadly plus I think Hughes is better than Redd. Redd doesn't really do shit but score and Hughes had some triple-doubles last season.

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Originally Posted by mavsfan1000

Lebron would be the 3 but Hughes isn't exactly a shooting guard and more a slasher. I guess 3 steals a game will give the cavs more opportunities for fastbreaks where Lebron is at his best. They should have gone after Joe Johnson in my opinion.

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Lebron was the 3 last year. Even though he acted more of a 1.

PG Jeff McInnis
SG Larry Hughes
SF LeBron James
PF Drew Gooden
C Zydrunas Ilgauskas

That is what the Cavs line-up is starting to look like. McInnis could be a good player if he wasn't so selfish. I don't know if Gooden will be there though because Ferry wants to trade him for a more defensive mind PF. I do think Ilgauskas will be back though.

The cavs in my opinion are still going to have problems scoring in the half court. They will get alot of points on forcing turnovers though. They need a 3 point threat to be a good offensive team in the half court.

Lebron came on lately in being productive in 3s. McInnis can hit 3s when he is on. They could go for a better PG though. I think Ferry is right though trade Gooden for a more defensive mind PF.

If this has happened, I believe the Cavs could've probably gotten worse.

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Originally Posted by Sense

If this has happened, I believe the Cavs could've probably gotten worse.

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Dude, theres no way you can get worse if you get Hughes :lol

Plan C is better than nothing

The Cavs look like a team on the rise, I would give them about 2 or 3 years for their chemistry to start working, there is alot of Spurs influence on that team Ferry and Mike Brown, looks like they want to build a team around Lebron James, like the Spurs have built around Duncan, I would keep my eye on that team just to see it develope. I liked both Ferry and Brown when they were a part of the Spurs organization, I would like to see them built a team and advance their NBA careers.

That's a scary good team. And hey, if they need a PG....maybe Spurs should consider trading Parker. That would make the team a contender wouldn't it? :smokin

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If this has happened, I believe the Cavs could've probably gotten worse.

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Sense, sometimes it's better to just not post. You're having one of those moments if your thoughts are anything like what you just posted.

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Originally Posted by Horry For 3!

Hughes = #1 steals leader last year, Lebron = #2 steals leader last year...That is deadly plus I think Hughes is better than Redd. Redd doesn't really do shit but score and Hughes had some triple-doubles last season.

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Slight correction, Horry For 3!. LeBron was ranked #3 in steals in 2004-05.
Iverson was 2nd.

If the Cavs can trap with 5 steals/game between their Wing players...to go along with LeBron's ability to score in bunches, and no lead will be safe against the Cavs.

Not a bad pick-up it smells a little desperate. Hughes has game, but not the game that the Cavs need, namely shooting. On top of that this takes a good chunk out of that cap room they're looking to spend this summer. With the kind of money that AD is going to be able to demand the Cavs are probably going to have to make a choice between Daniels and Ilgauskas. I'm not saying that Zydrunas is all that great, but the Cavs are hurting for front court depth as it is and there's no way in hell they'll be able to even think about challenging Miami or Detroit without a better front court.

Cleveland looked like a nice landing spot for Saras Jasikevicious, since Saras is friends with "Z". The two reportedly met in London recently. The Hughes signing may not leave enough money to sign Saras now, unless they have exception money that is agreeable to him.

Saras certainly has the outside shooting and playmaking ability the Cavs could use.

I do think this move is a little desperate and obviously Hughes was not the 1st or 2nd choice for the Cavs. Hughes requires to have the ball a lot for him to be productive. Which means less time for Lebron, or their PG w/the ball. Which is not a good thing. I still think the Cavs will be better w/Hughes, but he's not the long term option they should have gone for.

We'll have to see, but no doubt, the Cavs will be such a fun team to watch next season w/the addition of Hughes.

isnt hughes a restricted FA?

I mean what happened to the Wizards' "we're going to match everything for hughes" attitude?

Deal believed to be worth $65M to $70M
Chad Ford
ESPN Insider



Larry Hughes has come to terms with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a five-year deal, his agent, Jeff Wechsler, told ESPN Insider Chad Ford.

"Larry intends to sign a contract with the Cavs when the moritorium ends," Wechsler said.

Wechsler wouldn't comment on the actual numbers of the deal, but it's believed to be a five-year deal between $65 million and $70 million.

Wechsler told Insider that he informed Washington Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld on Thursday that Hughes is going in a different direction.

The news comes as major blow to the Wizards, who were confident they could re-sign Hughes. However, the Wizards took a risk that Hughes would allow them to match any offer. Instead, Hughes began negotiating with the Cavs early in the week and worked out a deal on Thursday evening.

For the Cavs, Hughes gives them a great scorer and defender to put at the two alongside LeBron James. He isn't a great shooter (something the Cavs desperately need), but he's a fantastic ball handler and rebounder making him -- like LeBron -- a very versatile piece in the puzzle.

With Hughes on board, the Cavs will now focus their atttention on bringing back free agent Zydrunas Ilgauskas. They're also in hot pursuit of Lithuanian point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, widely regarded as the best international player not playing in the NBA.

The Wizards now have to start over from scratch. The team now has a gaping hole at the two to fill and must also deal with the likely departure of Kwame Brown. The Wizards can get about $9 million below the cap if they don't re-sign Brown. However, the market for two guards is getting thin.

The last major two guard on the market is Joe Johnson. However, Johnson is a restricted free agent and most teams believe that the Suns will match any offer. There's also talk from multiple league sources that Johnson is in serious negotiations with the Atlanta Hawks about signing a max offer sheet.

That leaves Bobby Simmons, Cuttino Mobley and Latrell Sprewell as the top two guards left on the board. The Wizards could also, at this point, try to work out a sign-and-trade with Brown that brings them back a top-flight shooting guard.

That's a lot to pay for someone that had a career season during a contract year and is a little injury prone.

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Originally Posted by Egg

isnt hughes a restricted FA?

I mean what happened to the Wizards' "we're going to match everything for hughes" attitude?

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He was unrestricted, but the Wiz just believed that he would let them match any offer out of loyalty.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

He was unrestricted, but the Wiz just believed that he would let them match any offer out of loyalty.

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I think teams need to stop assuming players will be loyal.

The initial low ball offer from the Wiz probably pissed him off and ended any feelings of loyalty.

Ouch.

Now the Wiz kinda feel what Golden State Warriors people were feeling when they lured Gilbert Arenas away.

Slightly different circumstance, but the effect is the same.