NBA Rumors: Twelve Hours Until Buyout Deadline

Beat writer du jour Brian Windhorst set the Cavalier fan circles ablaze this morning with rumors of a “surprise” name in the ring for a potential buyout.

We would be fairly remiss if we didn’t at least touch on the rumored names that may or may not have the eye of Danny Ferry over the course of the next 12 hours; players must be bought out by 12 midnight EST to have a shot at being on their future teams’ playoff roster.

After the jump, check out our “who” and “why,” as we look to hopefully add some depth to the depleted front court of the our Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Joe Smith

Why: He’s been the obvious name that has been in the mix since the trade deadline.  The Celtics were rumored to have been on his tail, but opted for the tandem of Mikki Moore and Stephon Marbury.  The Thunder have been under some pressure to cut ties with Smith, but their head coach (Scott Brooks) does not appear to be in favor of helping out another team with zero benefit to him.  Understandable, yes.  But as a fan of the Cavaliers, I personally don’t care what he thinks.

Why not: Dan Fegan.  The agent of Smith, as well as current Cavalier Anderson Varejao.  Smith would want a role on the Cavaliers as opposed to being an insurance policy of sorts.  The danger of that is that it would come at the expense of Varejao’s playing time, and Andy is looking for a bit of a pay increase come the end of the season.

Drew Gooden

Why: Well, because he’s a power forward and he’s rumored to be on the way out from his current situation in Sacramento.

Why not: There is no denying the fact that Gooden and LeBron James did not exactly see eye to eye when he was previously with the Cavaliers.  Also, don’t discount the fact that the Kings are three hours behind, so any negotiation would actually have to be complete by 9PM their time.  Also interested in his services appear to be the San Antonio Spurs.  I wouldn’t count out the Denver Nuggets as well, who continue to be in the hunt of some low post help.

Rasheed Wallace

Why: Ben Wallace and his former teammate go way back.  When Ben was injured earlier this week, he briefly mentioned Rasheed’s name to a few media members.  And let’s face it, while he’s on the down side of his career, he would be one heck of an addition to this Cavaliers team.

Why not: First and foremost, because he’s currently on a team that is within our division.  Joe Dumars likely isn’t going to be helping out one of the city’s biggest rivals without getting something huge in return.  Plus, if Detroit felt that they were not going to be competing, the would have likely tried to move him before the deadline given his salary figures.

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Of course, we could wind up in the same situation as we did on the trade deadline.  A lot of rumors, a dash of speculation and a side dish of hype.  But in the end, we could wind up with the same team in the playoffs as we currently see today.

Again, there is no denying that Danny Ferry is trying to get something done.  Perhaps one player.  Perhaps more than one.  We really won’t know until midnight tonight, but hey… it never hurts to see what’s out there.  Don’t count out the last resort plan of adding someone like Robert Horry or Austin Croshere if nothing else works out.

Stay tuned.