Cleveland Cavaliers: What Free Agent Will Stand Out In Tryouts?

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be holding tryouts for four players on Wednesday. Will any of them fill the final roster spot, and be the playmaker that the team needs?

Welcome to another edition of How the Cleveland Cavaliers Turn.

In the month of January, it felt more like the Cavaliers just formed the team instead of being defending champions.  There seemed to be a new story every day.

If it’s not about LeBron James wanting to sign a playmaker, he’s getting into feuds with TNT analyst and NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.

There’s been too much outside noise going on instead of internal resolve with the way the team is currently playing. They finished the abysmal month with a 7-8 record.

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For weeks, James has mentioned how the team needs another playmaker added to the roster–preferably a backup point guard.  It was a void that was never filled after Matthew Dellavedova signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Mo Williams was supposed to be that player, but he never reported to camp. They had other options with the versatility of J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, but they are best suited playing shooting guard.

Jordan McRae and Kay Felder were also possible backups, but McRae has underachieved after finishing out last season strong and Felder is still learning how to play in the NBA.

In order to find a potential backup, the Cavaliers are holding a tryout for four veteran players on Wednesday to see who stands out.  Those players include Mario Chalmers, Lance Stephenson, Jordan Farmar and Kirk Hinrich.

There are also reports according to CBSSports.com that the Cavs have interest in trading for Deron Williams of the Dallas Mavericks; however, the Mavericks have no desire to trade Williams, what with a chance at landing the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

They have also shown interest in Norris Cole.

It will be a busy few days for the Cavaliers and at Cleveland Clinic Courts in Brecksville, Ohio.

Out of all potential players, the most impactful one would be Williams. I know people will mention how injury-prone he is, but it’s amazing how those injuries disappear when players are on good teams compared to bad ones.

He’s averaging 13.5 points and only 7.1 assist per game. He isn’t the player that he was for the Utah Jazz, or even in his first years with the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, but he has playoff experience and would be motivated playing for a championship.

He’s a pass-first point guard, but can also score. Williams always used his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame to his advantage against smaller guards. He is one of the best I’ve seen at posting them up and getting the easy score.

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The biggest plus with getting Williams would be his ability to run an offense. If Kyrie Irving were to sit out a few games or rest due to injury, Williams would come in there and the team wouldn’t miss a beat. The ball movement might even be somewhat better.

In a league where guards have a score-first mentality instead of wanting to facilitate, a player that has the ability to control an offense is a rarity.  The days of Mark Price, John Stockton, Chris Paul and Steve Nash have passed.

If the Cavs were to complete a trade, they would have to wait a few weeks since he’s currently dealing with a left big toe sprain. That would set them back.

The player that I see making the team, and who was ranked the No. 3 point guard pickup for the Cavs in my article before the season, is Chalmers.

He has the relationship with James after their championship run with the Miami Heat and he knows what it takes to win. He would also know his role on the team and wouldn’t try to do too much.

He’s been a clutch player in his career. No moment has ever been too big for him. We saw that firsthand when he was with at Kansas and made the game-tying three-point shot against Derrick Rose and Memphis in the 2008 national championship game.

Chalmers would also bring something to the Cavs that they’ve forgotten and that’s defense. He isn’t the second coming of Gary Payton or Jason Kidd, but he plays solid defense.

He’s averaged 1.5 steals per game for his career. That’s even more than Irving’s 1.3.

The biggest factor would be his chemistry with James. While all the other choices would help the team, nobody has played more minutes on the floor with him than Chalmers–or gotten yelled at.

I don’t think he’s that playmaker that James ultimately wants, but having a player who shoots 36 percent from three-point range for his career isn’t too bad.

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A lot of the media thinks that whatever player the Cavs sign, they won’t play in the postseason. I don’t believe that for a minute. I can’t see any way coach Tyronn Lue wouldn’t play Chalmers if he were to make the team.

It would be impossible to sit a player that was the starting point guard for two championship teams.

Chalmers is coming off a horrific ruptured Achilles injury last year with the Memphis Grizzlies. That could play a factor in the club signing him.

Will his Achilles be able to hold up for the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs? That would remain to be seen.

Some of the other choices I could see making the team are Hinrich and Farmar. Hinrich was my No. 5 pick for point guard pick up in that article. He has years of experience and would have the ability to run the offense.

I don’t know if he has much game left, or if he’s capable of playing big minutes, but he would be motivated to give it one last shot at the age of 36.

Farmar won two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010. Since then, he’s played for the Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings. He also had a few stints in Europe.

Needless to say, he’s been everywhere, man.

He’s only 30 years old, but is he still able to play at a high level on a nightly basis? There’s a reason he’s been on four different teams in five years.

I don’t think he would be the answer, but I could see him being a possibility for the Cavs just to have a backup guard.

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Stephenson just doesn’t fit the team. Last year, I wrote an article about the Cavs acquiring him or Jamal Crawford from the Clippers when it seemed like Shumpert couldn’t stay healthy and was struggling.

Now after winning a title and looking at the offense. he wouldn’t fit the system. He’s a good perimeter defender, a decent ball-handler and average scorer, but the offense would stop when he got the ball.

He’s a good passer, but he makes a lot of mistakes as well. He also has an unpredictable personality which is the last thing this team needs to be dealing with right now.

I also don’t think James has forgiven him for blowing in his ear during the Eastern Conference Finals in 2014.

In the end, I think Chalmers or Williams makes the most sense for the club and that’s likely the direction they will go.

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It will definitely be an interesting few days to see who lands the final roster spot on the Cavaliers.