{Ed. note: FP'd}

At this point, Alonzo Gee is the final question mark in the Cavaliers restricted free agent basket that once also included Luke Harangody (who signed his 1.1 million dollar qualifying offer) and Semih Erden (left to toil away for Anadolu Efes in Turkey). There has been much discussion this offseason about what Gee is worth, and what he could possibly receive on an offer sheet from another team. Gee is supposedly unhappy with the 2.7 million dollar qualifying offer that he received, according to John Telich of Fox 8, and as many as four teams have expressed interest according to David Cassilo of SBNation Cleveland and SLAM Magazine. The Cavs have also stated that they will match any offer on Gee. With no resolution to this saga in sight, the question becomes now: what is Alonzo Gee worth to the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Gee averaged 10.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while playing 29.0 minutes per game last season, all career highs. He is also considered a dedicated defensive player that draws difficult assignments on the wing every night. Gee was not considered an especially efficient player however, as John Hollinger's system left him with a 13.23 PER for the season, fourth lowest among small forwards who played 29 minutes per game. One aspect going in Gee's favor is the dearth of options the Cavs have at small forward for the upcoming season. As of this moment, the Cavaliers have two other options at the position in Kelenna Azubuike and Omri Casspi. Azubuike, a throw-in in the Mavericks deal to acquire Tyler Zeller with the 17th selection, has played 12 games in the NBA in the previous three seasons. He was on his way to carving a career as a productive scoring small forward until tearing his left patella tendon in November 2009, and hasn't gotten back on track since then. Casspi was obviously a disappointment last year after being traded from the Kings in the J.J. Hickson deal, and has been trending downwards ever since his rookie season with the Kings. All of this is to say that Gee fills a momentary need on this team, and would give the team the athleticism now needed from the small forward position.

Statistically, one comparable small-forward who received an extension off of a break-out season while on a rookie-level contract is Jared Dudley. Dudley was one of five 2007 first-round picks to sign an extension mid-season with the team that drafted him in 2010, coming off of a season which he averaged 8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 24.3 minutes per game, and also was considered a dedicated defensive player. These stats are very similar to Gee's numbers on a per-minute basis. Also, Dudley had a similar PER to Gee at 13.60. Dudley had not yet reached restricted free agency, and was signed to a five year, $21.5 million extension with Suns, with a steady $4.25 million salary each season. Dudley was also 25 years old upon signing said extension. There are, of course, differences in the styles that each player plays basketball, with Dudley being a more dangerous three-point shooter and Gee being a more athletic slasher, however their production values and efficiency ratings seem to be similar.

A more comparable situation to Gee may have come last offseason in the case of Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Gee and Mbah a Moute are very different players, in that Gee is more of a balanced small forward and Mbah a Moute has a greater reputation defensively, however their values around the league seemed to be quite similar. Mbah a Moute received an offer sheet from the Denver Nuggets for four years and approximately $19 million in December, which the Bucks matched. This situation could definitely play out with Gee, since there has been reported interest from teams.

It seems that Gee's value should be right around the area of 4-5 years, approximately $20 million, or in other words, a $4-5 million per year salary. While Gee doesn't have the longevity of either Dudley or Mbah a Moute, he has been made a priority by Chris Grant, which makes it seem like a longer term deal could very well be in the cards. Either way, it should be very interesting to see how this plays out in the future.