'Playmakers' in Ice Cube's league who can help the Cavs
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the defending NBA champions and have the best record in the Eastern Conference yet again, but that doesn't mean all is rosy in Cleveland. LeBron James has repeatedly discussed his desire for management to add playmakers to the roster, this despite the fact the Cavs have the highest payroll in the NBA.
Welcome back to the Yardbarker roundtable, where we look to grant King James his wishes. Since Dan Gilbert has spent so much money on his team already, where can he find playmakers on the cheap? How about looking at some relatively "recent" retired players?
If you could choose one “playmaker” in Ice Cube’s 3-on-3 league to put on the Cavs today, who would it be and why?
Alex Wong: Chauncey Billups. You can't go wrong with Mr. Big Shot, especially since LeBron has been talking about how the Cavs need to add another guard. I know guys like Mario Chalmers, Kirk Hinrich and Jordan Farmar are out there, but if LeBron needs someone whom he can count on in the playoffs for 15-20 minutes, Billups' championship experience would be very valuable for the Cavs.
Sam Greszes: Oh man. Allen Iverson. If only because I really, REALLY want to see The Answer play with the rest of the Cavaliers. Can you imagine how fun that would be? If they ended up winning the championship, crusty old sportswriters would have a collective brain aneurysm.
Jason Clinkscales: RICKY DAVIS!
Reason #1: He almost gets triple-doubles.
Reason #2: He is amazed by his own dunks.
Reason #3: J.R. Smith would tell him he’s too wild.
Daniel Tran: Let’s get this out of the way quickly: None of the players who have committed to play Ice Cube’s 3-on-3 league can play defense at an NBA level anymore. So if LeBron was hoping someone could replace Matthew Dellavedova in that respect, it’s not going to happen.
However, Chauncey Billups could do some things offensively that LeBron might appreciate. He might not be the quickest guy, but Billups knows how to use his body to get to his spots on the floor where he can make shots. If someone else creates a shot for him, he won’t hesitate to shoot or take the ball off the dribble where he can find the open man after the defense is scrambling.
Be sure to have plenty of aspirin though.
Sean Keane: I would say Allen Iverson, but I doubt that the Cavs would let him be a player-coach like he is in BIG3. Chauncey "Mr. Big Shot" Billups actually missed a ton of big shots, so I'm going with Stephen Jackson. He's still tough, he can still shoot threes, his headbands are almost as big as LeBron's and if there's a gunfight in a strip club parking lot during the playoffs, he'll really be useful.
Shiloh Carder: White Chocolate. Jason Williams still has that "it" he had back when he was in the league. Sure, he's 41 years old, but he's still a YouTube sensation in various pickup games and tournaments. LeBron has been whin- ... errrr, uh ... asking for a point guard, and Williams is that. He averaged nearly six assists a game for his career so he can pinball the rock around to find those open Cavs shooters and lob up some alley-oops to Tristan Thompson or the King himself. They'd only need him for small stretches and not to be a scorer. Oh, and remember that he was the starting point guard for that 2006 Miami Heat title team.
Demetrius Bell: Stephen Jackson. There's no strategic reasoning for this answer. I just want to see him play basketball again, and seeing him do stuff with the Cavaliers would be cool, still. I'm clearly stuck in the 2000s.
David Matthews: Rashard Lewis would be my pick. He's played with LeBron before and could just camp out in the corner and launch threes.
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