Cavs Look To Add Depth With Lorenzen Wright

by John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) on Sep 5, 2008 11:31 AM CDT in Roster Moves Comment 9 comments

When the Cavs made the Mo Williams deal a few weeks a go, sending Joe Smith, among others away to get the Point Guard, it left the cavs with a size void in the front court. It appears the team is close to closing that void with word going around that the team is close to signing Lorenzen Wright --

Wright will act as a replacement for Joe Smith, who was sent away as part of the three-way trade with Milwaukee and Memphis that brought Mo Williams to the Cavs. He gives the Cavs some insurance up front as a backup for Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace and a complement to Anderson Varejao. His presence should allow the team to bring rookie J.J. Hickson along more slowly instead of forcing him into the lineup.

A 6-11, 255-pound veteran who will turn 33 on Nov. 4, Wright has played 13 seasons in the NBA. He split last season between Atlanta and Sacramento after being traded by the Hawks in the deal for Mike Bibby. But he never figured in the Kings' plans and played only five games in Sacramento. He played just 18 games the entire season, averaging 0.8 points and 2.1 rebounds, his career lows. His best season was in 2000-01, when he averaged 12.4 points and 7.5 rebounds for Atlanta.

A look at Wright was a solid role-player during his time in Memphis, but has been a real non-factor the past two seasons, bouncing around from Memphis to Atlanta to Sacramento. What he'll be able to do for the Cavs remains to be seen, but size does matter, especially in the NBA!

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Just wanted to say hello to the new Cavs blog! Was hoping SBN would add one!

Good luck FTS! I’ll be reading.

Also, your front page is showing up funky in IE. Everything’s in the frame to the left.

by painaxl on Sep 10, 2008 11:14 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Oh and on the topic, I hardly think that Lorenzen Wright will be a replacement for Joe Smith. He couldn’t even crack the rotation in Atlanta last year and they had no big guys. I see him as a replacement for Dwayne Jones/Alan Henderson/Scott Williams. One would hope Hickson and/or Jackson will take the place of Joe Smith.

Basically, if you see him in uniform, be afraid… be very afraid.

by painaxl on Sep 10, 2008 11:20 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Wright is six more fouls against big guys who can’t shoot free throws. He has experience and can help with players like Jackson, Hickson and even Varejao. Hopefully this is a Trot Nixon signing for the Cavs.

by Fundamentals on Sep 10, 2008 6:05 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Valid point...

And it is exactly the type of player the Cavs need. Someone to suck up some minutes in garbage time, or to commit some fouls. I look for Hickson to give the Cavs the offense that Joe Smith did, but the Cavs need to be careful with him. Hopefully Wright can fill the void.

by John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) on Sep 11, 2008 5:38 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Even when we had guys like Alan Henderson/Scott Williams/Scot Pollard in that role, we hardly saw them in garbage time at all. Also, Mike Brown doesn’t seem to use guys to commit fouls either intentionally or as a “big body” defense against strong offensive big men. They were pretty much used as extra practice bodies.

As for Hickson picking up the offensive slack from Smith’s absence, I’m hopeful, but uncertain. He certainly doesn’t have the jumper or the high post moves that Smith had. He is, however, very strong physically and will definitely bother some people on the inside. The picks of HIckson and Jackson remind me alot of the Shannon Brown/Daniel Gibson picks: You take two somewhat similar players in position and ability and hope one works out.

by painaxl on Sep 11, 2008 11:03 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed, Wright is basically a practice player and insurance policy in case multiple front line players get injured. Personally, I wish Brown would employ the five fouls in a shirt mentality a bit more often, but I think Wallace is quite capable in that role.

I look at the draft this year as somewhat mimicking what the Pistons did several years ago — a simple infusion of youth and athleticism. You can’t beat young legs on defense. In 2005 the Pistons drafted two raw forwards: Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson. The main difference here is that we got Hickson in the second round, and Jackson is older and probably more polished than Amir Johnson (though also with less upside). I am trying to envision him as a Leon Powe type. Hopefully that will work.

by randallhank on Sep 11, 2008 11:48 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Actually, we got Hickson in the first round, but you’ve definitely got a point. Young legs never hurt anybody.

I’m very optomistic about Hickson’s strength as many people were saying he was by far the strongest looking player in the summer league.

by painaxl on Sep 11, 2008 12:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You are correct. I think I read so many stories about Hickson being a steal that I had convinced myself he was a second rounder. Anyway, all the more apt the Maxiell comparison. Hickson might have more upside/offensive skills, but I wouldn’t be too disappointed if he turned out like Maxiell.

by randallhank on Sep 12, 2008 12:37 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs