Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant has several monumental decisions facing him before the March 15 trade deadline.
The biggest might be whether to trade center Anderson Varejao. Several contenders around the league would love to get their hands on the rebounding machine.
They've given no indication whether they'll deal him but might be inclined to hang on to their best defensive player. They'd likely be able to get a high first-round pick for him.
One reason to trade him is that he'll be 30 years old this year. By the time the Cavs are ready to contend, he'll be past his prime.
Two other players could be dealt -- forward Antawn Jamison and guard Ramon Sessions.
The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks would love to get their hands on Sessions. The Cavs have told teams they want a first-round pick in return. The Knicks can't offer that and have limited trade assets. The Lakers, however, have two first-round picks in the 2012 draft.
Before they do anything, though, the Lakers will have to extinguish all hope of trading for Orlando center Dwight Howard. If they can't pull that off, they might turn their attention to Sessions.
The Cavs probably can't get a first-round pick for Jamison. His $15.1 million expiring contract might be more valuable to them than anything else.
One other thing Grant might want to do: Extend forward Alonzo Gee before the season ends. He's become one of their best players already and will be a free agent at the end of the year. He had 12 points, four rebounds and two steals on Saturday in the Cavs' 91-88 win over defending NBA champion Dallas. The Cavs travel to Miami on Tuesday.
NOTES, QUOTES
Even announcer falls prey to injury bug
--The Cavs have been hit hard by injuries as of late, but this is getting ridiculous. Their public-address announcer, Olivier Sedra, was taken out of the arena on a stretcher before the Dallas game on Saturday. He was replaced by backup Carl Manteau.
--Jan. 10 was an important date in the NBA. That's when all contracts became guaranteed for the rest of the year. There's a chance the Cavs could waive guard Mychel Thompson since his three-year contract is not guaranteed. They could re-sign him to a 10-day contract or find a better option. Teams like to have that flexibility. The Thompson experiment in the starting lineup might have run its course. He was awful against the Magic on Friday when he was held scoreless in 30 minutes of action.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It was a great move. He got to the basket. He's a great finisher. He was able to get all the way to the basket." -- Cavs coach Byron Scott on guard Kyrie Irving's game-winner with 15.8 seconds remaining in their 91-88 win over Dallas on Saturday.
ROSTER REPORT
PLAYER NOTES:
--G Kyrie Irving played a career-high 40 minutes in Orlando on Friday, which is something coach Byron Scott wants to avoid. "I don't want to overload him with minutes," Scott said. He played just 36 on Saturday in the Cavs' 91-88 win over Dallas. He finished with 20 points and seven assists. Scott wants to keep him in the 31- to 33-minute range.
--G Kyrie Irving has a great relationship with coach Byron Scott. Scott knows when to praise him and when to prod him. "I don't expect him to give me any more gratitude than I deserve," Irving said. "(I'm) just going out there and competing every day for him. I love to play for him. (He keeps) me grounded, which is how I am anyway. So just going forward, I'll continue to learn under him." Irving remains one of the youngest players in the NBA. Only three players are younger than Irving: Charlotte's Bismack Biyombo, Milwaukee's Tobias Harris and Utah's Enes Kanter. That led to Scott's comments last week saying he could smell Similac on Irving's breath. Similac is baby formula. "That's a joke going around since I'm a little young, he said I still smelled like Similac," Irving said. "That guy ... Coach Scott, he's a jokester."
--G-F Christian Eyenga had his fourth-year option picked up by the Cavs. He's played a total of one minute this year. If they hadn't picked up his option for 2012-13, they might have parted ways with him after this season.
MEDICAL WATCH:
--G Daniel Gibson (neck infection) has missed the last four games. There's a chance he could play vs. Miami on Tuesday. Coach Byron Scott wants him to practice first before he's activated.
--G Anthony Parker (strained lower back) has missed the last three games. He's expected to practice on Monday and be available for Tuesday's game in Miami.
--F Tristan Thompson (sprained left ankle) missed the last three games. He might be available for practice on Monday, too.
