Sasha Kaun might provide depth down low for the Cavaliers in 2015-16.
Though it appears a Brendan Haywood trade must happen before any more dominoes start to fall in Cleveland this summer, the Cavs have accomplished a great deal already this off-season. Having signed Mo Williams and Richard Jefferson, Cleveland added two sharpshooting veterans who will give the team a much-needed punch off the pine.
When searching for the perfect players to put alongside LeBron James, at least on offense, one needn’t ask more than one question: is he comfortable playing off the ball? Unless LeBron starts making a transition to playing off the ball or in the post more often, outside shooters and centers apt to play pick and roll will be their most likely target via free agency.
Acquiring Timofey Mozgov, whose ability to protect the paint, set strong screens, and dive to the rim for finishes helped Cleveland transform their team from mid-season pretenders to championship contenders. And now it appears another Russian big with some similar strengths may be in the mix to earn one of the team’s final spots. Sasha Kaun, drafted back in 2008 by the Cavs, has played for coach David Blatt on the Russian National Team, and was spotted at a Cavs’ summer league game. The 30-year-old former Jayhawk has developed into an efficient offensive center whose ability to stay in his lane may land him a contract if he’s indeed willing to take a bit of a pay-cut to play in the NBA.
Per Synergy Sports, Williams led all NBA guards in unguarded catch and shoot points per game the last time he played alongside James in 2009-2010. Jefferson, on the other hand, is a career 38 percent three-point shooter, and he’s connected on at least 40 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc in six of the last seven seasons. Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving are among the top three-point shooters at their respective positions. Mike Miller’s lone remaining NBA-level skill is shooting. Ditto James Jones, though he showed enough on one particular play against the Warriors for eventual Finals MVP Andre Iguodala to unsuccessfully offer him daps.
The fact of the matter is that beyond re-signing Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, and potentially Matthew Dellavedova, there isn’t much else the Cavs can do this summer via free agency due to their financial situation. It’s possible that the Cavs will fill out their roster by signing a slew of second-round picks that impressed in the summer league, but the 7-foot, 260-pound Kaun probably has a spot if he wants it. Mozgov is still the unquestioned starting center. Thompson, though undersized, will likely spend some time at the five assuming he’s brought back. And Anderson Varejao, if healthy, figures to be seeing regular minutes as well. However, as the 2014-15 Cavs undoubtedly learned—injuries happen. And Cleveland is preparing for winter, so to speak.
If the Cavs retain Thompson and Smith, they’ll have James, Irving, Love, Mozgov, Shumpert, Thompson, Williams, Smith, Jefferson, Jones, Miller and Varejao. But assuming injuries happen, it makes all the sense in the world for Cleveland to sign Kaun—a mobile five who could be an upgrade over last season’s end-of-the-bench veteran big men like Kendrick Perkins and Brendan Haywood. Kaun shot nearly 70 percent from the field over the last several seasons playing professionally in Europe, albeit mostly on layups and dunks. However, we’ve all seen how good James’ passing can make rim-running centers. Suns forward P.J. Tucker offers an entirely different skill-set from Kaun, yet his story is somewhat similar, as he too spent years playing professionally overseas before returning to the NBA.
The health of the Cavs’ big three is obviously the most essential ingredient for a championship season, but building a contender is a lot like building a criminal case, and “all the pieces matter.” After nearly a decade of working on his game, Kaun’s window to join the NBA will only get smaller as he ages beyond 30, and this may be his last shot to land an NBA deal.
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