MVN: Most Valuable Network

One year before the overhyped free agency summer of 2010, and we already have a party pooper. It's called "the salary cap."

If you are a New York Knicks fan, then it should have you give up hopes of landing LeBron James. If you are a Cavaliers fan, the news couldn't be more welcome as the Cavs continue to have their own success inversely related to the success of the economy.

When the league announced the salary cap for 2009-10 at $57.7 million, it also told teams to prepare for an even lower salary cap for 2010-11. According to cap projections, the exact figure for 2010 is calculated at $53.6 million, which could be a massive blow to teams that are banking on that summer to rebuild their teams from the ground up.

Why? Well, here's the deal: Under the league's collective bargaining agreement, which expires in 2011, a seven-year veteran can have a maximum salary of 30 percent of the salary cap. So for this summer, a guy who has been in the league for seven years can have 30 percent of 57.7 million, or $17.3 million.

This is an extremely important figure, because LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade all hold player options for the 2010-11 season for $17.15 million. So if they were free agents this summer, then opting out for a new, long-term contract might make sense.

But if the cap is $53.6 million next season, then 30 percent of that is $16.1 million. Do more math and you'll find that that's asking these guys to take a $1 million paycut from their current contracts. And if these guys plan to stay with their original teams in the first place, then it makes no sense to opt out.

In addition, if they decide to switch teams, then their annual raises would not be as large compared to what they would be if they stay with their home teams. On top of that, if they pick up their options and decide to extend their contracts off of the $17.1 million they are owed in 2010-11, they can sign an even bigger contract by extending off of that than they would if they became free agents in 2010.

Make sense?

The New York/endorsement factor is as overrated as you can get. Players are not beating down the door to play in New York just so they can get endorsements to make up for lost money in contracts. Jason Kidd just turned down the Knicks last week to stay in Dallas. On top of that, in ESPN's annual franchise rankings, the Knicks were near the bottom of the list for all American sports franchises in the four major North American sports.

The Cavs? Well, they were fifth.

Pair all this with the fact that LeBron is from Northeast Ohio and the Knicks and Nets are major rebuilding projects, and the extremely smart money is on him staying. Never before him has any superstar been so heavily rumored to go to the New York Knicks, of all teams. New York needs LeBron badly, but LeBron doesn't need New York. At all.

So it's one thing to keep a close eye on as the offseason progresses. The 2009-10 Cavaliers could out-do last year's team as the most stacked club in franchise history, so we are entering unchartered waters here for the franchise. Many will have them as the odds-on favorites to at least win the East and maybe even the NBA championship when the season rolls around in November, something that hasn't happened to this organization before.

The Cavs already took advantage of a weak economy once by fleecing Shaq off the Suns for nothing more than peanuts and a Sasha Pavlovic. Now, in the wake of the salary cap news, they're on the verge of cashing in big. Again.

The dollar amount per year (about $7 million per) makes sense. But six years?

That's the length of the deal agreed upon between Varejao, who once said that he'll never play for the Cavs again the last time he was a free agent, and GM Danny Ferry. Incentives can push the deal to about $50 million over the life of the contract.

And as is the custom with Ferry's negotiations, the last year of the deal for the 2014-15 season (yeah, you're going to be seeing Andy for that much longer) is only partially guaranteed.

This signing came on the same day that the Cavs reportedly agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent guard Anthony Parker, as detailed by Smooth earlier. Parker, at 6'6", gives the team a tall body on the perimeter and exceptional backcourt depth behind Mo Williams and Delonte West.

The Cavs had said since Day 1 of free agency that keeping Varejao around was their priority. Now, he's pretty much a Cav for life (something we wish we could say about LeBron, but that's another story), as the deal will take him through the end of the prime of his career. He also gets long-term financial security as well as a slight pay raise from the $6.2 million he would have made had he picked up his player option for next season.

It is alarming how many people across the internet don't like this deal. If you are one of those people, that's exactly why you don't have a job in an NBA front office and are instead sitting behind a computer taking shots at a guy who does.

The Cavs were out of options, and they have an old front court. If you have taken Economics, you know that one of the first things they teach you is supply and demand. The supply of young big men under 30 who are above-average defenders and rebounders was paper-thin. For the Cavs, the demand was extremely high, especially considering their lack of cap space and the age of Shaquille O'Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

In fact, if they had lost Varejao, they wouldn't have a single power forward on their roster (tell me you're comfortable starting Darnell Jackson or J.J. Hickson's back problems over Varejao). Name one big man younger than 30 who averaged at least 8.6 and 7.2 while being a sharp defender for a good defensive team and could have reasonably been had this summer (reasonably being the key word, please).

It is unfortunate that with these Cavs, we will too often link them with the six games of the Eastern Conference Finals instead of the joyful 66-win season and the best record in the NBA. Yes, they didn't win the whole thing, but they were easily the third-best team in the league behind L.A. and Orlando, and Varejao had a lot to do with it.

There are at least 26 other teams who would have loved to have their season end the way that the Cavs' season did, and not a single fan could sit here and say that they expected the team to accomplish what they did this past season.

Big guys don't just grow on trees, and too often they get overpaid. Nene, another Dan Fegan client, got six years and $60 million three summers ago for playing a role similar to Varejao's. My only issue with this deal is the six years, not the dollar amount. With the salary cap going down next season, free agency in 2010 will not be the way to go to add talent to this team.

Also, if you have followed the Cavs for the last five years, then you know that Varejao's impact absolutely cannot be quantified by numbers and statistics. ESPN's TrueHoop put together this spectacular piece on Andy and statistics back in November of 2007 when Varejao was in the midst of his controversial holdout.

As for Parker, the 6'6", 215-pounder and brother of the more well-known Candace Parker of the WNBA was a target of Ferry's after coming over from Europe in the 2006 offseason, when the Cavs settled for David Wesley. Parker ended up signing a three-year contract with the Toronto Raptors and missing out on a trip to the NBA Finals, a Game 7 of the second round (or the second round altogether, considering he played for Toronto), a 66-win season, and a 39-2 home record.

If all works out for him, he could be joining the Cavs at the perfect time: just when they're about to win an NBA championship.

Last season, Parker played in 80 games, started 71, and averaged 10.7 points in 33 minutes per game. The year before, he played and started in all 82 games and put up a career-high 12.5 points. He also shot 39 percent (94-for-241) from 3-point range last year after shooting 43.8 percent (133-for-304) the year before.

If he replicates those numbers in Cleveland, the Cavs are really set. Having that kind of length and production for the first guard off the bench would be phenomenal for the Cavs, who lacked that from guys like Wally Szczerbiak and Sasha Pavlovic in the past. That's who Parker will replace, and if he's scoring 10 points off the bench behind Mo and Delonte, then this signing will be money by Ferry.

The Cavs will now have to replace Ben Wallace as the backup power forward, and former Knick and Trail Blazer Channing Frye is the odds-on favorite to win that distinction. While I am not at all a fan of Frye's after watching him for the last two years in Portland, you can't argue with a backup role for the former lottery pick.

Cleveland would also, for once, be getting younger in the front court after adding a 37-year old Shaq and moving a 34-year old Z to the bench.

The Cavs first move in free agency, after re-signing their own free agent in Anderson Varejao, is signing former Toronto Raptor guard Anthony Parker.

According to a league source, the team has agreed to the structure of a contract with veteran guard Anthony Parker. The deal is not finalized, but is expected to be completed in the next several days.

Parker, the former Maccabi Tel Aviv star, came over from Europe during the 2006 off-season. During that off-season, Parker was heavily recruited by Cavs GM Danny Ferry before deciding on joining the Raptors for a 3-year deal. Ferry has ever since been a big fan of Parker, who has been one of the Cavs top off-season targets this year.

Parker, who just turned 34 in June, averaged 10.7 points, 4 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 42.6% from the field, 39% from 3 and 83.4% from the line. He put up those numbers while averaging nearly 33 minutes a game.

DraftExpress.com has a nice in-depth scouting report about Parker from earlier this year. The basic summary of that: Parker is an overall very smart, solid and efficient player. Offensively, he's a deadly shooter with some decent playmaking abilities. Defensively, while he's not athletically where he was once, he's still a solid defender with a high BBIQ. While Parker won't 'wow' anyone with his physical tools or some of the plays that he makes,he'll be a solid, consistent force night-in and night-out.

Parker's role here is yet to be determined. The Cavs had been shopping for a starting SG so they could move Delonte West to the bench (as a super-6th man), where he would give the Cavs a bigger boost. Parker may take over the starting job but he may also be viewed as a bench piece. While West may be more talented, Parker may be a better fit in the starting lineup, as well as West fitting better on the bench. 

The Cavs had their full MLE ($5.85 million) and BAE ($2 million) to spend, so it'll be interesting to see how much Parker signs for and how long he signs for. Realistically, it seems Parker would sign a deal around 2-3 years for around $3-3.5 million annually.

This move does not signal the end of the Cavs free agency moves. The Cavs will still have some of the MLE and the full BAE to spend, along with as many minimum salary signings as they want.

This is the Cavs second free agent signing and it sure doesn't look like it will be the last. 

In what's been a wild and crazy past few days, here's the latest in what's going on in the Cavs world.

Cavs Assistant Moving On

After Avery Johnson and Joe Dumars could not come to terms on becoming the next Detroit Pistons head coach, Dumars turned to a familiar face and has picked Cavaliers assistant John Kuester as the next Pistons head coach.

The Detroit Pistons have agreed to terms with Cavaliers assistant coach John Kuester to be their new head coach, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told SI.com.

Another league source said the contract was for two seasons with a team option for a third year.

Kuester has been with the team since 2007, when he replaced Kenny Natt on Mike Brown's staff.

Kuester has been credited in revamping the team's lowly offense and turning it into a much improved unit. He served as the de facto "offensive coordinator" on Mike Brown's staff and handled a lot of the offensive duties last year.

LeBron Denies Commitment To Ariza

The 2010 circus continues to grow.

After Trevor Ariza claimed that LeBron told him he was staying past the 2010 season, LeBron's camp came out and denied that.

According to a source close to LeBron James, the current NBA Most Valuable Player did not tell free agent Trevor Ariza that he was for sure going to be with the Cavaliers past 2010.

So what's the real story here?

My best guess is that what Ariza said is probably true and LeBron's camp is trying to cover this up and act like nothing happened. Ariza has nothing to gain from putting this out in the press so why would he make this stuff up? It's not likely he did.

So why did LeBron's camp deny this if he's staying? This just seems like LeBron trying to keep things close to the vest and keep the media guessing, which he seems to love to do.

So even though the Cavs missed out on Ariza, more good news came from this than any other "loss" the Cavs have had this off-season.

(P.S. - the secret meeting in Los Angeles that Ferry and Brown went to, was supposedly to meet with Ariza to sway him to coming to the Cavs. Ariza supposedly considered signing with the Cavs, after agreeing with the Rockets, but decided to stay with Houston.)

Marion To Mavs, Not Cavs

The Cavs were supposedly interested in adding Shawn Marion but not it appears he'll be heading to Texas.

The Mavericks and Toronto Raptors, according to NBA front-office sources, are in advanced discussions on a sign-and-trade deal that would bring Marion to Dallas.

Shawn Marion and his agent, Dan Fegan, have been looking for a deal somewhere in the range of $10 million per year and they're not going to get that on the open market so the only way to get that money is through a sign-and-trade.

The most the Cavs could have offered for Marion was their full MLE (around $5.8 million). The Cavs weren't also likely to offer him long-term security, which could have been another sticking point.

While Marion could have added some much needed talent to the Cavs lineup, the fit would be questionable. Marion is best suited in an up-tempo offense where his size and shooting ability are disguised and his athletic ability is highlighted. Putting him in a half-court offense would highlight and disguise all the wrong things.

Ferry Is After Frye

With the "stretch" power forward market starting to thin out, the Cavs have started to set their sights on a long time Danny Ferry favorite in Channing Frye.

After making a free-agent scouting trip to Los Angeles on Sunday, Cavs GM Danny Ferry came home and hosted free-agent power forward Channing Frye on Monday at the team's practice facility in Independence. Frye is the type of "stretch" forward the Cavs are interested in during the free-agent period as they look to find big men who can hit jumpers when teams collapse on LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal.

While Frye may not be the name that most fans would want to see in connection with the Cavs, the PF options are starting to slim out and it's looking like if the Cavs want a decent, well-priced, stretch PF, then this is likely to be their best bet.

After having a breakout rookie season in New York, Frye was shipped off to Portland where he struggled to play and produce behind guys like LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla.

Frye is a guy that Ferry has been very high on for a long time, similarly too Delonte West, and could be a guy that the Cavs may ultimately end up with.

The Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns are also supposedly in the running, with the Suns being the rumored favorites to land Frye's services.

McDyess Would Be Nice

Another one of the Cavs top PF targets is former Detroit Piston, Antonio McDyess.

McDyess is reportedly waiting until the Pistons have a new head coach to make a decision on whether or not he wants to re-sign with the Pistons.

In addition to the Pistons being interested, the Cavs (supposedly have offered their full MLE over two years), Magic and Spurs have McDyess in their sights, with the Spurs being the favorites as of now.

Hey LeBron! Your Boy J-Kidd Even Rejected The Knicks!

Yep, LeBron's "boy", Jason Kidd, turned down the Mecca of Basketball and the best city in the whole wide world (sarcasm) to stay in Dallas, Texas.

The free agent point guard has agreed to sign a three-year contract for more than $25 million to remain with Dirk Nowitzki and the rest of the Mavericks. The New York Knicks were among Kidd's suitors.

The Knicks were supposedly offering Kidd a similar deal, which was seemingly in opposition of their plan to clear as much cap space for the 2010 off-season as possible. The Knicks probably saw this as an opportunity to get one of LeBron's friends in New York, so they could make it easier for him to leave Cleveland.

So let's hope LeBron takes a page of his buddies book and does the same thing as J-Kidd: turn down NY to stay with his current team.

Wade 'I'll Stay If They Contend'

Looks like Dwyane Wade is taking a stand about his future in Miami.

"I'm going to listen. I owe the Miami Heat that much. I'm going to listen to what they have to say and I'm going to think about it," Wade told The Associated Press. "But right now, the way I feel, I want to make sure that we're on track to where I want us to be on track to before I sign back."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"I'm good with that," Wade said, "for one year."

Another season around .500, though, won't be as enticing.

"That's not enough for me," said Wade.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I've told Coach Riley this: All my life, all I've ever wanted to do is win and be put in a position where I can win and succeed," Wade said. "Build me a team. Put the pressure on me to win a championship. Give me a team and say, 'All right, you've got to go do it,' and I'll take that pressure. Give me guys that we feel can compete every year to win a championship. I don't want to go anywhere else."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"I want to make sure that we stay competitive and we have an opportunity to win championships, like I've done before," Wade said. "I don't want to be content with winning games. I don't want to win games. I want to win championships. That's what I'm all about."

Looks like Wade is a bit unhappy about being on a team that doesn't exactly have a championship caliber future.

So if Wade and LeBron have similar minds, does that mean LeBron is staying in Cleveland then?

Cavs In Contact With Linas Kleiza

One of the more interesting names mentioned this off-season in connection with the Cavs, could be forward Linas Kleiza.

Kleiza, a restricted free agent, has supposedly been in contact with the Cavs, as well as the Toronto Raptors throughout this free agency period.

Kleiza, a Lithuanian, is a very interesting player. He's a swing forward with good shooting ability. But his ability to put points on the board fast, along with this potential, is perhaps his best trait. He doesn't exactly fit into the defensive mold that Mike Brown likes but Kleiza has the potential to develop into a decent defender with the Cavs.

Kleiza is only 24 years old and has a lot of room left to grow. For the right price, he could be a nice piece to develop and have come off the bench to provide some bench scoring, something the Cavs sorely lacked last year.

Drew Gooden Wouldn't Mind The Cavs?

DrewGooden The teams I wouldn't mind going to, Spurs, Cav's, Magic, and Golden St! What do you guys think?

What do I think Drew? There aren't enough words in the dictionary to say how I would feel about you coming back. The shortest and nicest word in the dictionary: NO.

Sheed A Celtic

Yet another reason to hate the Celtics.

Sheed is going to Boston.

The Boston Globe reported Wallace will sign for two years at the midlevel exception.

This will be interesting to see how the rest of the Celtics off-season pans out. Leon Power (UFA) and Glen Davis (RFA) are both free agents and it doesn't look like either are expected to be back at this current point in time.

This move also let's us know what we already know: the Celtics championship window is closing and closing fast.

Even though Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins represent good, young talent on the Celtics, the rest of the core is aging fast. Garnett is 33. Allen is 33. Pierce is 31.

Looks like the Cavs won't have to be worrying about the Celtics for too many more years.

LeBron Gets A Special Invite

Looks like LeBron and Dan Gilbert are going to get some extra time to bond together....in Idaho.

LeBron James will be spending some time with friend Warren Buffett at the prestigious Allen & Company media industry conference in Sun Valley, Idaho.

But it wasn't Buffett who got James and LRMR Marketing CEO Maverick Carter the invite to the ultra-elite five-day conference that has been labeled as "summer camp for billionaires." It is a place for executives and movers and shakers in the media industry to share ideas and sometimes strike major deals.

According to a source, James got his extremely hard-to-secure invite with help from Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert, who will be attending the event for the seventh consecutive year. Gilbert has been pushing for James to be included for the last couple years.

James and Gilbert are among about 260 guests and their families on the guest list, which is expected to include Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch, NBA Commissioner David Stern, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettmen.

That pretty much wraps up what has been a crazy free agency period to start and there's going to be a lot more of that still to come.

How much things can change over a days time.

During Friday afternoon, Hedo Turkoglu was in Portland and expected to sign with the Trail Blazers. ESPN.com even had Hedo reportedly signed, sealed and delivered to Portland on the front page of the NBA page.

Now, late Friday night, Hedo is reportedly going to Toronto to agree to a deal with the Toronto Raptors.

Free agent forward Hedo Turkoglu changed his mind Friday, deciding not to join the Portland Trail Blazers, opting instead to accept an offer from the Toronto Raptors, sources told ESPN.com.

So how in the world does this change the Cavs plans?

The Cavs were linked to two of the Raptors free agents: forward Shawn Marion and guard Anthony Parker. In order to get the cap space needed to sign Hedo, the Raptors renounced their rights to all of their free agents (Parker and Marion included). Even though Parker and Marion were unrestricted free agents before, the Raptors before could offer more money to both of them and could go over the cap to re-sign them. Now with the Raptors renouncing them and signing Hedo, the Raptors are unlikely to re-sign either Marion or Parker.

Ever since Trevor Ariza and Ron Artest agreed to deals yesterday, it's looked like Parker has been the Cavs target as the swingman they want to put on the perimeter next to LeBron James.

And now that the Raptors have basically let go of Parker, it looks like the odds are in the Cavs favor of landing Parker.

At least Ric Bucher thinks so.

Raps say goodbye 2 Marion, Parker, Delfino, Graham. Good news for Cavs' fans - I'd expect Parker in Cle, if not Europe, next season.

Now while the Cavs chances of signing both players likely went up significantly, the Cavs are now unable to do any kind of sign-and-trade with Toronto for either player.

There were reports that the Cavs were working on a sign-and-trade for Parker. By doing a S&T for Parker, the Cavs would have preserved their assets (MLE and BAE) from being used. Now with Parker and Marion being renounced by Toronto, the Cavs cannot execute a S&T with Toronto and will now need to burn their assets up in order to sign either.

So while Hedo going to Toronto could be seen as a good move for the Cavs, it could also been seen as a bad move for the Cavs. (P.S. - Not to mention, could this mean Bosh is more likely to stay their long-term? Hedo isn't a superstar but can't help thinking about it.)

Even though Parker is getting up there in age (34), he has all the skills to fit right in at the SG spot and provide the Cavs with everything that they need. Parker might be able to start at SG and allow West to come off the bench, in a role which better suits both him and the Cavaliers.

Parker has been a guy that has previously been linked to the Cavs for a while (Cavs tried to sign him 3 years ago) and is a guy that Danny Ferry has really liked for some time now.

As far as Marion, it looks like the Cavs may be one of the few teams out there now willing to offer him the MLE but the Turkoglu situation needs to pan out first because it's still possible a sign-and-trade could happen with Marion going to Orlando.

While Marion is a talented player, his fit would be questioned here. His defensive versatility isn't questioned, but his ability to shoot well here is; his ability to guard bigger PFs and smaller wings is; his ability to play well in a half-court offense is; and his ability to play well as he's aging and his athleticism is going also is.

With the 4th of July weekend already here, the free agent market will start to quiet down but it didn't quiet down without a big bang.

Going into the weekend the Cavs can feel good about their chances to land Parker and/or Marion.

Cavaliers introduce Shaquille O'Neal

All Cavs fans wanted Ron Artest in the wine and gold. Unfortunately for them, Ron-Ron's heart bled purple and gold, and in the end, the Cavs couldn't compete with the bright lights of Los Angeles -- Shaq and LeBron or no Shaq and LeBron.

And while a player like Trevor Ariza would have been a great fit for the Cavs, at what expense? The midlevel exception at $33 million for five years (which is what the Rockets reportedly gave him)?

Ariza's a nice player, and he has a fan in me after how he played in the postseason. But it's easy to look good when you are option #5 behind Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Derek Fisher. And if Ariza wants to go to a Houston team that is being gutted by the minute, then more power to him. He has his ring already, and although I don't know what his intentions are (or how serious the Cavs really were about signing the guy in the first place), he got the money he was looking for.

But one thing has become clear as this free agency season really began to take shape on Thursday: The Cavs plan to be big players in the 2010 spending spree. And if you didn't think that Chris Bosh is option #1, 2, and 3 at the Cavaliers' headquarters in suburban Independence, then it's time to get with the program.

Many fans will wonder why the Cavs are once again banking on free agency to build their team -- did they not learn their lesson in 2005 when Michael Redd and Ray Allen turned them down and they had to settle for Larry Hughes? And free agency is never a guarantee. While Cavs fans like to toot their horns about how their team can offer LeBron more money than anyone in the market next season, Raptors fans are sitting at home saying the same thing about their guy Bosh.

Still, unlike 2005, a guy like Bosh certainly won't be one of a few options out there. Amare Stoudemire will be available. Carlos Boozer will be back on the market, as will Joe Johnson. Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Steve Nash, and Mehmet Okur will also all be unrestricted. And teams with cap space will have a lot of options.

It hurts to think about it as a Cavs fan, because Cavs fans are running out of patience right now (at least if your objective for this team is to add young athletic pieces around LeBron James). But although a guy like Tyson Chandler is only 26-years old, the Cavs took Shaq because of his expiring contract for 2010. In the end, that -- not even Chandler's health issues -- was the ultimate trump card. So you tell me what that means.

We will get further proof of Danny Ferry's 2010 intentions based not only on how he eventually ends up using the midlevel exception (or even using it at all), but how he deals with his own free agent, Anderson Varejao.

In a perfect world, Varejao would have picked up his player option for $6.2 million this summer and gone unrestricted next summer. It would have made sense for him, too, because with money tight this summer and teams looking to spend at will next summer, will Varejao even match that $6.2 million that he was promised in his original contract? What does it say about him when Marcin Gortat is off the market before he is?

Regardless, don't be surprised if Ferry lets Varejao walk and brings in a guy like Antonio McDyess on a one-year deal, maybe even for the full midlevel exception (or preferably the biannual exception). A move like that should make it clear that the Cavs intend to put on the fullcourt press for Bosh and prepare a max offer to him next summer.

It's not a game I'd like to play, but at this point, only a guy like Artest is worth sacrificing 2010 cap space. In the end, according to multiple team sources, he was never really a realistic option for the Cavs compared to what the opportunity of playing with the Lakers gave him. A guy like Ariza, however appealing, isn't worth 2010 cap space. And the Cavs never had cap space this summer to give Charlie Villanueva his apparent market value, anyways.

So like it or not, that's going to be the course of action for the Cavs. You will hear names like Shawn Marion, McDyess, and Anthony Parker out there. But realize that the Cavs will not, under any circumstances, give any of these guys more than a one year deal. Passing up on Chandler for Shaq should have made that clear initially. Letting Ariza ride off into the sunset to Houston reinforced that.

There is no need to panic as a Cavaliers fan. The team still got Shaq pretty much for free, just like they got Mo Williams for free last summer. They're still a 66-win team with a depth chart at center that includes Shaquille O'Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and even if Varejao leaves, McDyess may be an upgrade, anyways.

Just remember, Danny Ferry has bigger fish to fry. And while the Cavs were never really equipped to be major players in this summer's free agency, the pieces are being set to make sure that they are when free agency really matters: 2010.

So the previously unsubstantiated speculation regarding the Cavs as a possible destination for unrestricted free agent swingman Ron Artest were not so far off, after all.

It's definitely not a done deal, by any stretch, but Artest may have emerged as the no. 1 target for Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry as free agency opened its doors on Wednesday morning. From the Plain Dealer's Brian Windhorst:

According to several league sources, the Cavs have been in contact with Houston Rockets free agent forward Ron Artest. It even included a face-to-face pitch from LeBron James Tuesday night in Los Angeles as both were in Southern California for various events.

Artest, who is an unrestricted free agent after a contract that paid him $7.4 million with the Rockets expired, is being courted by several teams. Artest is believed to prefer to play for a championship contender. In addition to the Rockets, the Cavs may be getting competition from the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers for his services.

With the Rockets facing the uncertain injury status of stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, it is unclear how hard they will try to push to re-sign Artest. They are pursuing Orlando Magic free agent center Marcin Gortat.

If the market is not there for Artest, he can definitely use the Cavs to have another career year on a team that will be on national TV all the time. He could also get infinite exposure for his game if the Cavs make another deep playoff run and even win their first-ever championship next spring.

But Artest isn't the only lockdown swingman defender that Ferry is pursuing.

From ESPN.com's Chris Broussard:

With at least five teams pursuing Ariza, the Lakers are currently unwilling to pay him more than the $5.6 million mid-level exception.

"They're letting him go," one of the sources said.

Cleveland is making a hard push for Ariza, and the Cavaliers' coaching staff was speaking with him on Wednesday. While Cleveland can only offer the mid-level as well, Ariza's disappointment with the Lakers' stance has moved other suitors ahead of his current team.

The Rockets, Clippers, Raptors and Blazers are also showing interest in Ariza. Portland and Toronto could each offer more than the mid-level exception.

Finally. Two players that have been on my radar as perfect fits for the Cavs have finally emerged as the two players that Ferry wants the most. Not a "stretch big" like Charlie Villanueva or Rasheed Wallace. But Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza.

And with Orlando looking likely to lose Hedo Turkoglu to the Western Conference's Blazers pretty soon, the Magic's mismatch problems will be a thing of the past. But if they do resurface, a guy like Artest or Ariza is the perfect panacea for a team that really doesn't need many more parts to become an NBA champion.

At 24, Ariza would definitely be a long-term solution on the wing in Cleveland. Some sources on Tuesday night even speculated that the Cavs are in the hunt for a wing player who can slide LeBron to the power forward spot next season, and the 6'8" Ariza -- a small forward by trade -- fits the bill.

He can even play some shooting guard, and he's definitely quick enough to cover other two's. Regardless, he makes the Cavs deeper, better on the perimeter on both ends, and a little bit more athletic. Add him with other young pieces like Delonte West, Mo Williams, and a hopefully re-signed Anderson Varejao, and you're finally talking about Ferry building a nice core around LeBron.

Something tells me Thursday's going to be a big day. Stay tuned.

Let the madness begin on July 1st at exactly 12:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time.

Phone calls will be made. Negotiations will start. But no deals can be signed until July 7th.

For the first time in a while, it'd be right to speculate that the Cavs will actually sign a free agent during the off-season. The last time Danny Ferry and Co. used a significant amount of cap space to sign free agents, was in the Summer of 2005 when he first got the job. The Cavs ended up with Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones after hoping to get a top-notch sidekick to put next to LeBron.

4 years later and it finally looks like the Cavs are willing to spend significant money again.

This time the Cavs won't have the $20 some million they had when Ferry first got hired, but rather the Mid-Level Exception (expected to be around $5.8 million) and the Bi-Annual Exception (expected to be around $2 million). And of course on top of those exceptions, they can also sign as many minimum contract players as possible.

So with the Free Agency madness ready to go, here are some players that are expected to be connected to the Cavs in one way or the other.

PGs

While a point guard isn't expected to be at the top of the Cavs shopping list, it is expected to be a position their going to be shopping for.

Delonte West had to play major minutes last year during the season and playoffs because the Cavs needed him to play point guard when Mo Williams wasn't on the floor. What it seems the Cavs want to do is add a veteran point guard to be there as insurance policy but to also run the offense off the bench, if need be, for 8-10 minutes a game.

It's not expected the Cavs will spend a lot on a point guard, if any at all.

Jason Kidd - while the Cavs do already have 3 point guards (Gibson, Williams, and West) Kidd is just too talented to pass up if he wants to come here. The Cavs have other, more pressing needs, but Kidd's talent could be just as impactful as any other piece out there.

Tyronn Lue - Lue could help the Cavs from prior experiences, in that Lue played with Shaq while he was in Los Angeles and also played in Orlando last year. He has always been a solid, consistent point guard with a streaky shot and solid defense.

Bobby Jackson - after being a spark-plug for many years off Sacramento's bench, it looks like Jackson might be in "Ring-Mode" and searching for a Finals contender to play with. While Jackson is more of a combo guard, he can still get the job done.

Anthony Carter - after rejuvenating his career in Denver the past few seasons, Carter could be a viable option for the Cavs. While he's not the best shooter, he's still a solid floor general and defender coming off the bench.

Shaun Livingston - one of the very few interesting options I'd love to see the Cavs take a chance on. This is the type of low-risk, high-reward moves that GMs can really gain a lot from.

Others: Ronnie Price; CJ Watson; Jason Hart

Wings

The Cavs would really like to acquire a SG to fit into the starting lineup to fit next to Mo Williams and LeBron James, and move Delonte West to the bench. While their are some possible replacements for Delonte at the SG spot, the Cavs have limited assets to use and may end up having to settle for a SG that would end up coming off the bench.

Right now the two characteristics that seem most important in a wing for the Cavs, are defense and shooting. The Cavs need more perimeter defenders and that will probably be the number one requirement for any wing player they bring in, but they will also have to shoot the ball decently as well.

The Cavs could end up using part of the MLE on a wing player but it's not expected the Cavs will have to. They might end up using the BAE on whatever wing player they sign.

Anthony Parker - a player the Cavs chased 3 years ago and will almost definitely chase again. Parker is pretty much exactly what the Cavs want at the SG spot.

Matt Barnes - a guy that Ferry has seemed to admire for a while. The former Cavalier, would fit right in with his defense, versatility and spot-up shooting.

Ron Artest - with Yao Ming's future now looking very murky, Artest could shop elsewhere and the Cavs may be one of his top possible destinations. Amar went in-depth on this topic yesterday.

Josh Childress - Childress hasn't decided whether or not he's coming over from Europe and he's a restricted free agent with the Hawks but should he get a good enough offer from the States, then Childress could bolt. Wherever Childress ends up, a sign-and-trade ultimately looks like the most realistic option at this point.

Grant Hill - even though Hill has a desire to stay in Phoenix, the Suns rebuilding and him wanting a ring could change things for Hill.

Others: Marquis Daniels; Shawn Marion; Jamario Moon

"Stretch" Bigs

Ah, the stretch big. What was once not too popular in the NBA, has all of a sudden exploded onto the scene and has become a "must have" for every NBA team.

The stretch big has become so popular because it not only creates instant match-up problems but it also creates a lot more floor spacing with their being 4 capable perimeter shooters, instead of the normal three in a lineup.

The stretch big seems to be on the top of the Cavs shopping list and is where the Cavs will likely spend their MLE.

Whatever big the Cavs end up putting next to Shaq, will likely determine what road the Cavs end up going, in their pursuit of a wing player and maybe of a PG.

Rasheed Wallace - he's been linked to the Cavs and many contending teams for awhile now and it almost certainly seems he's hungry for another ring. His attitude is in question, as well as his possible declining game. At this point in time, even though he may fit, it may be in the Cavs best interest in letting him go elsewhere.

Charlie Villanueva - since becoming an unrestricted free agent not too long ago, it seems like Charlie has become an instant Cavalier fan favorite. While Charlie does have some deficiencies in his game, it's hard not to like a skilled, 24-year old big man with a lot of potential.

Antonio McDyess - one of the all-time classiest guys in the game, McDyess looks hungrier than ever for a ring. McDyess was supposedly telling friends last year, that he was upset he didn't sign with the Cavs after being released by the Nuggets in the Chauncey Billups deal. It's very likely the Cavs still have interest in him, as he'd be a Udonis Haslem type fit next to Shaq.

Lamar Odom - with Los Angeles due to have two big free agents, Ariza and Odom, it's looking like the Lakers will have a hard time keeping both and that Ariza is their #1 priority. While Odom isn't too likely to get away, if he does you can expect the Cavs to be one of the first teams to call him.

Others: Channing Frye; Hakim Warrick

While there may be more players the Cavs are looking at or are interested in, those are pretty much the names and positions that the Cavs will be associated with.

Now it's time to sit back, kick the feet up, and enjoy the summer ride that Free Agency always is.

Dan Fegan strikes again.

In what is no surprise to anyone who has followed the Cavs over the past year or so, Anderson Varejao has decided to exercise his player option and opt out.

Forward Anderson Varejao did not exercise the final year of his contract on Tuesday, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer, a source close to the player told ESPN.com's Chad Ford.

By opting out of his deal for next season, Varejao is leaving $6.2 million of guaranteed money on the table to try and test would could be a bare market this year.

It's been reported that Varejao could be seeking a contract with a per year earning of upwards of $9 million. In this economy with very few teams having that type of cap space, it's unlikely Varejao will get an offer that is around his asking price.

Right now it looks like there will be 5-6 teams that could challenge the Cavs for Varejao's services and offer a lucrative contract. Those teams with significant cap room are: Detroit Pistons ($19 million), Oklahoma City Thunder ($13 million), Memphis Grizzlies ($13 million), Sacramento Kings ($7 million), Portland Trail Blazers ($9 million), and Toronto Raptors ($9 million, if they let Parker, Marion and Graham walk).

Out of those teams it looks like Varejao may get a look from 3-4 teams.

The Pistons have bigger fish to fry than Varejao and are looking at some top free agents.

The Toronto Raptors are looking for a perimeter scorer and it's questionable how far under the cap they'll get at this point.

The Oklahoma City Thunder look like they want to add a young player and make a splash in free agency, so Varejao might be a back-up plan with them needing some bigs there.

The Memphis Grizzlies were rumored to be interested in Varejao last off-season so if things fall through with their other targets (reportedly David Lee) then some of that interest could be re-kindled.

The Sacramento Kings were adamant about including Varejao in the Mike Bibby talks a couple years ago and that could parlay the Kings into offering all of their cap space to Varejao should their other options dry up.

The Portland Trail Blazers have reportedly been looking for toughness and defense to backup Aldridge and Varejao would be a great fit there. The only problem is that he might be too expensive.

The good news for the Cavs is that Varejao isn't going to garner a ton of interest from the teams with major cap room and that Varejao isn't looking like anyone's primary option.

While the Cavs can't match any offer because Varejao is unrestricted, the Cavs do look like they're going to put re-signing Varejao as their #1 priority and should get it done if Varejao keeps his demands reasonable (you never know with Dan Fegan).

It's been speculated that the Cavs might be willing to pay up to $9 million per year for Varejao but that might change once he hits the open market and the Cavs see what's available.

The right thing for the Cavs to do would be to re-sign Varejao at a reasonable price.

(P.S - And no, re-signing Varejao to a long-term deal doesn't mean the Cavs won't have 2010 cap space and not be able to sign Bosh. The 2010 cap space is an illusion and there's no way the Cavs will be able to have enough cap room to field a competitive team. So don't be worrying about that.

The problem with Varejao will be determining his value to the team. While I'm sure Fegan and Varejao see it as one thing, I'm also sure the Cavs see at as another.

Varejao is a good player but he's not worth $8.5-$9.5 million a year. Maybe if it was on a short-term deal (2-3 years), then it could be possible. But there's no way I can see the Cavs paying him that type of money over a long commitment.

Varejao's worth is probably in the $7.5 million range (give or take a half million) for a decent amount of years.

If Varejao and Fegan can't come to grips with reality, then the Cavs will probably be forced to either do a one-year deal at a high rate or sign-and-trade Varejao.

While the Cavs may not want to sign-and-trade Varejao, it may ultimately come down to that.

The one good thing is that Danny Ferry and Dan Fegan have since repaired their relationship since they hit rocky times last summer while negotiating Varejao's previous contract. Having a good working relationship is critical in working with agents and crossing the line when the two parties start getting into uncomfortable territories.

So will Varejao end up staying with the Cavs? Right now it's anybody's guess but with the way the market looks and how bad the Cavs want Varejao back, it looks like it's in the Cavs favor.