The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired 24-year old rookie center Semih Erden and 23-year old rookie forward Luke Harangody from the Boston Celtics for Minnesota’s 2nd round pick in 2013.  Erden is a 7’0″, 240 pound center out of Turkey and he was a 2nd round pick last June.  He played in 37 games (7 starts) for the Celtics this season and he averaged 14.4 minutes, 4.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  Erden is shooting 59.8% from the floor with a lot of his shots coming from close range.  But, he is only shooting 63% from the free throw line which he needs to improve on.  Erden gives the Cavs nice size and a tough guy in the paint.  Luke Harangody played in 28 games (0 starts) for the Celtics this season and he averaged 8.6 minutes, 2.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  But, he is only shooting 39.4% from the floor but the Cavs think he’ll improve in that area with consistent P.T.  The Cavaliers have nothing to lose by getting Semih Erden and Luke Harangody on the court quite a bit the rest of the way.  This was a outstanding trade for the Cavs as they really didn’t give up much for these guys.

The Cavaliers have dealt 28-year old shooting guard Mo Williams & 30-year old small forward Jamario Moon to the Clippers for 31-year point guard Baron Davis and the Clippers’ first round pick in 2011.  Williams played in 36 games (34 starts) for the Cavs this season and he averaged 29.6 minutes, 13.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game.  He has played in 186 games (183 starts) in his three years with the Cavs and he averaged 33.6 minutes, 16.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.  Williams just hasn’t been the same player this season but maybe a change of scenery will do him some good.  Jamario Moon played in 40 games (13 starts) for the Cavs this season and he averaged 19.1 minutes, 4.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  Moon played in 101 games (15 starts) in two years with the Cavaliers in which he averaged 18.0 minutes, 4.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  Moon won’t be missed too much, if at all, the rest of the year.

Baron Davis really likes Byron Scott so maybe he will play well for the Cavs.  Davis played in 43 games (35 starts) for the Clippers last season and he averaged 29.5 minutes, 12.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game.  He has now played in 791 games (669 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 34.9 minutes, 16.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game.  The Cavaliers wanted the dr aft pick more than they wanted Davis as the Clippers’ pick is very likely to be in the lottery.  This was a good deal for the rebuilding Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavs have signed 23-year old SG/SF Alonzo Gee.  Gee played in 16 games (5 starts) for the Spurs & Wizards earlier this year and he averaged 9.1 minutes, 2.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  He has now played in 27 games (7 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 12.1 minutes, 4.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  Gee is shooting 46.1% from the floor and 63.6% (7 of 11) from three point range so far this year.  With the Cavs hurting offensively don’t be surprised if Gee gets a chance to show what he can do quickly.

The Cavaliers have sent rookie forward Samardo Samuels to the D-League.  Samuels played in 4 games (0 starts) for the Cavaliers so far this year and he was averaging 4.5 minutes, 3.3 points and 1.0 rebound per game.  The Cavaliers wanted to get Samuels some P.T. instead of being nailed to the bench.  I think he will be back with the Cavaliers at some point this season when they decide to go young.

The Cavaliers have waived 27-year old small forward Jawad Williams.  Williams played in 26 games (1 start) for the Cavaliers this year and he averaged 15.0 minutes, 4.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  He only shot 32.5% from the floor and 28.9% from three point range this year for the Cavs.  Williams played in 90 games (7 starts) in parts of three years with the Cavs and he averaged 12.8 minutes, 3.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  He shot 36.9% from the floor and 31.3% from three point range in his career with the Cavs.  Small forwards that can’t shoot aren’t too valuable so I don’t think the Cavs are going to miss Jawad Williams too much going forward.

The Cavaliers have released 23-year old SG/SF Danny Green. Green played in 20 games (0 starts) as a rookie for the Cavaliers last season and he averaged 5.8 minutes, 2.0 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. He didn’t shoot very well from anywhere on the basketball court last season as he hit 38.5% from the floor, 27.3% from three point range and 66.7% from the free throw line last season. Green is a D-League type player so some team might pick him up and give him a chance to try to earn a spot on the bench.

The Cavaliers tried to make a sign and trade deal with a couple of teams involving Shaquille O’Neal but to no avail. So the Diesel decided to sign a 1-year deal with the Celtics. O’Neal played in 53 games (all starts) for the Cavaliers last season and he averaged 23.4 minutes, 12.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. The Cavaliers could have given Shaq more money if he wanted to return but with his career nearing an end he wanted to play for a title contender and the Celtics fit the mold. This just means that Anderson Varejao will be the starting center and I think he will do a solid job for the Cavs in his new role.

The Cavaliers have signed 28-year old small forward Joey Graham to a 2-year deal. Graham played in 63 games (18 starts) for the Nuggets last season and he averaged 12.0 minutes, 4.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. He has now played in 338 games (76 starts) in his five years in the NBA and he has averaged 16.4 minutes, 6.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Small forward is wide open for the Cavaliers so Graham could earn himself a lot of P.T.

The Cavaliers have acquired 24-year old point guard Ramon Sessions, 25-year old center Ryan Hollins and a 2nd round pick in 2013 for 27-year old shooting guard Delonte West and 25-year old point guard Sebastian Telfair. Sessions was the key to the deal for the Cavs as he is a physical, pass-first point guard. He played in 82 games (1 start) for the T-Wolves last season and he averaged 21.1 minutes, 8.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Sessions has now played in 178 games (47 starts) in his three years in the NBA and he is averaging 24.5 minutes, 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. Ryan Hollins is a big guy at 7’0″, 230 pounds but he has a lot to learn yet in the NBA. He played in 73 games (27 starts) for the T-Wolves last season and he averaged 16.8 minutes, 6.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. Hollins has now played in 205 games (31 starts) in his four years in the NBA and he has averaged 11.6 minutes, 3.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.

Delonte West is now more famous for having fun with Prince James’ momma than his basketball ability. West played in 60 games (3 starts) for the Cavs last season and he averaged 25.0 minutes, 8.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He played in 150 games (93 starts) in his three years with the Cavs and he averaged 29.7 minutes, 10.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Sebastian Telfair played in 4 games (0 starts) for the Cavs last season and he averaged 19.3 minutes, 9.8 points, 1.0 rebound and 3.0 assists per game.

I like this deal for the Cavaliers but I think it might foreshadow a trade of Mo Williams with the idea of Sessions replacing him in the starting lineup rather than backing him up at the point.

LeBron James continues to stick it to the Cavaliers as he has convinced Ilgauskas to take less money to play with him in Miami next year. The Cavs wanted Big Z back but he instead signed a 2-year, $2.8 million dollar deal with the Heat. Ilgauskas played in 64 games (6 starts) for the Cavaliers last season and he averaged 20.9 minutes, 7.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Ilgauskas played in 771 games (673 starts) in his career with the Cavaliers and he averaged 28.3 minutes, 13.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per game. Ilgauskas leaves Cleveland as the Cavs’ all-time leader in games played (771), rebounds (5,904) and blocked shots (1,269). Big Z was also the Cavaliers’ #2 leading scorer with 10,616 points behind only LeBron James. Unlike LeBron James, I think the Cavs could retire Z’s number someday. It will hurt to watch Ilgauskas playing for the Heat next year.