Line up the usual, and unusual, suspects.
Utah’s Derrick Favors. Phoenix’s Greg Monroe. Orlando’s Marreese Speights.
What the heck, throw in Sacramento’s Zach Randolph.
They are bigs who could help the Cavaliers. Bigs on expiring contracts — except Randolph who has another year. But the Cavs, reeling from the latest salvo to slam their world, Kevin Love’s broken left hand, need a big body. Fast.
Preferably one who can stretch the floor, but now you’re just getting greedy.
“I don’t think they’ll do anything stupid or panicky,” one opposing exec said of Cleveland. “They actually don’t have a lot to deal when you look at the team, especially now that Love broke his hand. That was their biggest trade piece.”
On Wednesday, the Cavs said Love and the team were “reviewing options” to treat the injury, a fractured fifth metacarpal in his left hand, suffered the night before. Surgery is an option, but the Cavs gave no time frame for a return. Initial reports projected a 6-to-8 week absence for Love, the team’s second-leading scorer.
With Love down, the Cavaliers have one legit big, Tristan Thompson. Channing Frye is 6-foot-11 but he plays more like a guard. So yeah, they need to do something.
The three-time defending Eastern Conference champs have suffered every sort of crisis and chaos. Kyrie Irving forced his way out. Chemistry has been and is an issue. Love’s heart was questioned. Losses mounted. Trade rumors came from every angle — so did injuries, including the hip issue for Isaiah Thomas, who as the prime return for Irving still is being integrated into the system.
Presiding over it all is the question of LeBron James. Some feel he will be gone after the season, but no one, probably not even James, knows with certainty what will happen.
“It’s a mess,” one scout said. “I don’t know what the deal is. I thought it was going to be a short-term thing with them, but it’s turned into, ‘Can you really turn it on again and get through the playoffs?’ ”
Love’s injury hit after the Cavs, who looked dreadful for weeks, forged back-to-back wins following the return of Thompson to the starting lineup. Thompson had missed more than a month with a left calf injury. After Love dropped, the Cavs lost for the 12th time in 18 games.
So now a Love trade is out. The speculation of trading for George Hill started again. But Hill is 31 and, first and foremost, an offensive player — and a guard. The Cavs are old and stink defensively. The rumored package for Hill was Iman Shumpert, Frye and a second-rounder.
But with Love out, Frye becomes important as the stretch big off the bench. No Love means the Cavs will be playing small-ball, a point not lost on James.
“We’re already limited in our bigs anyway. We’ll be getting a lot smaller now,” James said Tuesday.
The Cavaliers have a major piece they could use: The Nets’ first-round pick through Boston from the Irving trade. But every indication is the Cavs want to keep it for insurance should James leave in free agency.
A consensus says the Cavs make a move by the deadline. But what? The roster is flawed with age and a lack of athleticism. And the uncertainty of James’ future overshadows everything.
One scout speculated about the Cavaliers after the Love injury.
“If they really want to gamble, knowing LeBron is thinking about leaving, trade him. You’d get a whole new team for him,” the scout said laughing, aware James has a no-trade clause. “They’re obviously not going to do it but …”
With how the Cavs’ season has gone, they might be open to anything.