There are few things during this up and down, emotionally draining Cavs season that make me as happy as I am when Delonte West is playing well and having fun. In fact, nothing the Cavs have done so far has made me as happy as I was the other night when D-West stole the ball from Phoenix, drove to the basket, took the hit, made the hoop, landed on the floor, then rolled over, looked right into the camera next to his head, smiled and said, “I love this game!” His teammates helped him up, the Suns called timeout, and LeBron, Andy and, well pretty much the entire Cavs bench, gave him high 5’s and hugs. He had the biggest smile on his face and it just reinforced for me how horrible his condition is that it often times keeps him from being able to play this game which he obviously loves so very much.

Almost as uplifting is the impact Delonte has on the Cavs when he’s in the right state of mind. Put aside for a minute how well he is capable of playing (he can be very, VERY good), and look at how the whole team responds to him emotionally. In general, the Cavs play better when Delonte is at his best, so here’s hoping he continues to be well.

I’ve harped all season long about how the Cavs play better when they lock down on defense. It’s tough to lock down any team that scores like Phoenix does, but the Cavs did as good a defensive job on them as anybody else in the league this year. They were active and aggressive; they got their chests right up on their man and didn’t reach in as much as they did the previous game against Dallas. They rotated relatively well to deal with pick and rolls. And the Cavs generally made a nuisance of themselves on most of the Suns’ possessions in the second half.

As I’ve said before, it was no surprise to me that playing that sort of defense translated into mostly good offense for the Cavs on the other end of the floor. That’s just the way this team works. The Cavs actually dominated the Suns on fast break points, which is kind of like beating the Harlem Globetrotters at trick shots. Fast break offense is what Phoenix DOES, but they couldn’t do it against the Cavs and they couldn’t stop the Cavs from doing it to them. That all started with the intensity level the Cavs had on the defensive end of the floor and I hope it continues to show up on a more consistent basis.

On to off-court matters. There are trade rumors heating up and the Cavs seem to be involved because apparently Danny Ferry is still in search of a stretch 4. If the deal makes sense, I’m for it. The fact is the team has been up and down all year and looks to be missing something, so let’s see what’s out there. The consensus seems to be that Anthony Randolph, Antawn Jamison, and Troy Murphy are up for consideration. All three would require different types of deals. Here is, briefly, my take.
Jamison has come up as a Cavs trade target for years. Up until last year I would have loved the idea, but I think he might be past his shelf life. He has been injured more the last couple years and I’m not sure he’s defending as well as he used to. Plus his contract is unwieldy and he’s old, so you’re looking at an expensive rental with no upside. The Cavs would need to give up multiple players to get Jamison, with the possibility of getting Z back after the Wizards wave him. I don’t see this one happening for a couple reasons, not the least of which is I don’t think the Wiz are in the business of making the hated Cavaliers better while they dump salary. If they shop Jamison, it will probably be to other teams.

Troy Murphy can shoot the ball like crazy and is probably right around his prime, or just on the tail end of it. He’s very tall and rebounds well. But he is a liability on defense and in a foot race I don’t know who would win between Murphy and Z. This is not helpful. He would get abused by Rashard Lewis and Sheed, so what’s the point? He’s also pretty expensive for what amounts to a one trick pony. Plus, if you were looking at a roster to determine if they had championship potential and you saw Troy Murphy in there as a prominent role player, would you feel better or worse about that team’s chances? I say worse. He’s not a superstar and he never will be. He’s a taller, more expensive Rob Kurz, and the Cavs already cut Rob Kurz.

Anthony Randolph is the same age as J.J. and in his second year with Golden State. He is tapped by many NBA fans as a future Garnett or Odom. I don’t think he’s anywhere near the size and strength of either of those guys, so I’m not sure the comparison is valid. He is very talented and somewhat raw. He is tall with very long arms, is quick and athletic. Because of that length he is a better than average shot blocker and seems to rebound the ball fairly well. He absolutely has to muscle up some because he is rail thin. And I don’t know if he has the experience/mental capacity to play good pick and roll defense yet. However, with his length and quickness, the potential is there for him to really disrupt other stretch 4’s like Rashard Lewis and Sheed in one-on-one situations and on the perimeter. And that’s where he is attractive for the Cavs. He doesn’t shoot well from the outside, but he can defend those tall shooters that tend to kill the Cavs.

The rumor is trading J.J. straight up for Anthony Randolph. The money works as their contracts are basically the same. I see this trade making sense because Leon Powe is getting healthy and he is basically a smarter, more experienced J.J. Their games are very similar. Meanwhile Randolph scores mostly inside or out to the mid-range like Leon and J.J., but his length and quickness adds a different element to the defense. What makes more sense, to basically have two J.J.’s? Or to keep the more experienced version of J.J. (Powe) while trading one inconsistent young player with potential for a slightly more talented and consistent young player with potential whose game is a little different? I have wondered for months what was going to happen when Leon got healthy. I can’t help but think now that this might have been on Danny Ferry’s radar all along. If Leon didn’t recover well, then the Cavs had J.J. to develop and rely on. If Leon did recover well and returned to form, then you had a major trade chip to get that talented stretch 4 the team has been craving. It makes some sense. I’d hate to see J.J. go because I like him a lot, but getting a guy with possibly more potential, who does things a little differently and plays more consistently could be too much to pass up. We’ll wait and see.

The Cavs are in Sacramento tonight and in Los Angeles to play the Lakers on Christmas. Here’s hoping for great defense, because then the rest of the Cavs’ game will take care of itself!

Everyone have a safe and Merry Christmas.

Kevin Hignett hawks insurance during the day. He spends the rest of his time being a dad and dreaming of a mid-June parade in downtown Cleveland. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinHignett