Wednesday, July 20, 2005

A new Marshall in town

The Cavaliers needed an outside shooting threat. So, logically, that means they signed a perimeter-scoring .... power forward?
I guess a shooter is a shooter.
Donyell Marshall became the third major free agent to jump on the Cavs' bandwagon Tuesday, reportedly agreeing to a four-year deal between $20 million and $25 million.
Marshall has been a NBA nomad in his 11-year career, journeying to Minnesota, Golden State, Utah, Chicago and most recently Toronto. His 6'-9", 230-pound frame makes him a sturdy low-post player who can body up on defense. But the dimension that makes him truly special for his position is his ability to shoot.
Last year, he was a modern-day Sam Perkins, nailing 41 percent of his three-point attempts. The percentage was 11th-best in the league and tops among frontcourt players.
He averaged 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds as primarily a bench player for the Raptors last year. Over his career, he has averaged 12.4 points and 7.3 boards per game.
Unless rebound vacuum Anderson Varejao develops low-post moves and a mid-range jumper by this fall, Marshall is almost assuredly going to start for Cleveland, which could raise questions about his durability over the course of his contract.
Marshall is 32, which will make him a downright-ancient-by-NBA-standards 36 at the end of the deal. By the contract's second half, Marshall will probably be best-served coming off the bench, so the Cavs would still be wise to groom Varejao as a starter.
Marshall's arrival almost certainly paves Drew Gooden's road out of town. He is heading into the last year of his rookie contract, coming off a season in which he was plagued by inconsistency but still averaged 14 points and nine rebounds. The low contract and reasonably high numbers should make him very tradeable.
The Cavs' three-week spasm of free-agent signings should come to an end today, when The Plain Dealer reports Lithuanian point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius should agree to terms. Like Marshall, Jasikevicius is an outside shooter. The Cavs became the primary target for Jasikevicius when they re-signed close friend Zydrunas Ilgauskas last week. Indiana reportedly dropped out of the running for Jasikevicius last week, making Cleveland the lone remaining serious suitor.
Marshall, Jasikevicius, Ilgauskas and Larry Hughes will all ink their contracts Friday, the first day teams can sign players.

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