As far as the unrestricted free agent market goes, James Posey and Keyon Dooling are the two players left that are likely to have a significant impact on a playoff-bound team.
Posey has been courted by a number of teams, but most recently has become the focus of the Cavs. His play was instrumental in the Celtics’ title run. He’s a terrific, hard-nosed defender and can knock down the open three, so his game can fit just about anywhere. He and LeBron James play the same position (small forward), but either guy can swing to the power forward spot under certain circumstances and James plays a lot of off guard as well. He is 31 years old, so a three-year deal seems appropriate. He’s looking for the full mid-level, which starts around $5.5 M. Since their over the cap, that’s all that the Cavs can afford. I think that’s a little steep, but you can’t argue with what he did for the Celtics. He’s not the answer for Cleveland’s title hopes, but he could be a valuable piece down the line.
Keyon Dooling is still available and I’m not sure why. His PER is 25th in the league, ahead of guys like Ray Felton, Stephon Marbury, Derek Fisher, Beno Udrih, Rafer Alston, Kirk Hinrich and Jamaal Tinsley, so he’s a borderline starting point guard in this league. His biggest flaw is that he doesn’t pass the ball very well – his career high in assists was 2.3 in his rookie season – so he’d best fit alongside a talented wing that handles and creates, like LeBron, Kobe, Dwyane Wade, etc. Plus, Dooling is cheap, and you can’t beat that.
