Cleveland Cavaliers: Koby Altman's gutsy moves, Terry's Talkin' -- Terry Pluto

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Talkin' about the Cleveland Cavaliers and the trades they completed at the NBA trade deadline on Thursday.

1. Koby Altman and his front office did something very important when it comes to the franchise's future -- the general manager reshaped the roster. He didn't sit around wishing he had a long-term commitment from LeBron James. He didn't think about free agency, because the Cavs have major salary cap issues.

2. Instead, Altman and his young front office went to work. They identified players who didn't fit for a variety of reasons. The key figures were Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert and Dwyane Wade. They wanted to keep Channing Frye, but the Lakers demanded him to make the biggest trade of the day work.

3. Altman said he had a heart-to-heart discussion with James about the team's direction. I still think it would help for James and owner Dan Gilbert to talk, but this was a critical step. Altman had to let James know the front office understood the roster problems -- and wanted his input as they set out to fix it.

4. The Cavs had a target list of players to become younger and more athletic. Utah's Rodney Hood was at the top. Also high were Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson. There were other names -- not sure who -- but they really wanted these guys.

5. They were patient (for weeks) in pursuing veteran Sacramento guard George Hill. I was hoping the Cavs could send out Iman Shumpert in one of these deals, and they did in the trade for Hill.

6. Altman sat down with James and Wade. He explained how Hood and Clarkson were going to take up a lot of playing time. The Cavs also wanted to give more minutes to Cedi Osman, the 22-year-old reimagination of former Cavalier Anderson Varejao. Altman had a deal worked out for Wade to go home to Miami. Wade and James were on board with it.

6. Clarkson, Hood and Nance are all 25. Of the six players traded away, the youngest were Shumpert and Crowder at 27. Thomas (28) and Rose (29) are not ancient, but injuries have worn them down. Frye is 34, Wade 36.

7. I will be talking Cavs trades and other things at the Mentor Library, Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. I also will be at the Wadsworth Library on March 1 at 7 p.m. I'll be at the Wickliffe Library on March 6 at 7 p.m. All the events are free!

ABOUT LEBRON JAMES

1. I grew weary of hearing how the Cavs couldn't do much because of James refusing to commit beyond this season. Of course it would have helped to have James on a long-term deal. But that didn't prevent the franchise from making moves.

2. James was not about to commit to a young, unproven front office. He is 33 and in his 15th NBA season. He is chasing titles. Who knew what Altman's group could do? A year ago, he was third in the front office, behind GM David Griffin and assistant Trent Redden. Altman had been with the Cavs only since 2012. His Altman's first big trade (Thomas, Crowder) fell apart.

3. The trades set up the Cavs for next season. If the team plays well, it makes a stronger case for James to stay -- especially if they return to The Finals. That would make eight trips in a row.

4. The Cavs' deal with the Lakers means L.A. will have room for two maximum contract free agents. Those who worship at the shrine of the Lakers assume those players will be Paul George and James. Who knows?

5. But if you're James, do you want to go to the Lakers and fight your way past Houston, Golden State and San Antonio to simply reach the NBA Finals? Or would you rather stay in the East?

6. Nance, Clarkson and Hill are all under contract for next season. Hood is a restricted free agent, meaning the Cavs can match any offer he receives. A tighter salary cap could really cut down on Hood's options.

7. So the four new players will probably be back next season. The Cavs can retool with the three 25-year-olds (Hood, Nance and Clarkson) along with the 22-year-old Osman and the Brooklyn draft pick. And they also have Kevin Love, who will be 30 in September under contract for 2018-19 with a player option for 2019.

8. Bottom line: The Cavs are in better position to win the East and keep James than they were at the start of the week.

ABOUT RODNEY HOOD

1. The Cavs parted with Rose and Crowder for Hood, a 16-point scorer with Utah. The 25-year-old lefty is shooting 39 percent from 3-point range. I've liked his game from a distance.

2. The Salt Lake Tribune's Gordon Monson wrote this of Hood: "The Jazz gave him his shot -- a lot of shots -- and the results were mixed. He was enjoying career highs ... but the same afflictions that had plagued him in the past were apparent again -- inability to avoid injury and swings of inconsistency. He ... at times played with his own agenda for his own purposes."

3. Not sure how much of that is accurate. But there usually is some reason a player is traded. Hood being a restricted free agent and possibly receiving a lucrative offer sheet also worried the Jazz.

4. Hood missed 23 games last season and 14 this season because of a variety of injuries to his ankle and knee. So keep an eye on his durability.

5. But overall, the Cavs traded Crowder and Rose for a very talented player -- even if he is a bit streaky. I'm stunned the Cavs didn't have to part with more in this deal.

ABOUT CLARKSON AND NANCE

1. The key to Nance's career is staying healthy. He had surgery early this season to repair a broken hand and missed 11 games and sitting out 19 games in 2016-17 because of injuries. He plays so hard, throwing his body around, he does get hurt. He had major knee surgery when playing at Wyoming.

2. Nance's hustle and fearlessness also is what the Cavs need. They just have to make sure he doesn't wear down.

3. Clarkson played every game last season and has missed only one game in 2017-18. His key will be learning to play on a winning team after four years with the awful Lakers. So he was allowed to fire away, pile up stats and at least bring some energy to a sad situation.

4. The 6-foot-5 Clarkson consistently shoots 44 percent from the field, 33 percent from 3-point range. So he's not a stand-still, long-range shooter but a mid-range scorer. He's scoring 14 points a game in 24 minutes this season -- that's impressive. He does tend to dominate the ball, so some adjustments will be needed.

5. Clarkson is athletic enough to play good defense. But like many young players on bad teams, he sometimes ignored that aspect. He has improved in that area this season.

6. The Cavs believed they had to add their own first-round pick to secure this trade, especially to bring Nance to Cleveland. They also sent Thomas and Frye (expiring contracts) to the Lakers. It's a deal both sides wanted and it cost the Cavs very little.

ABOUT GEORGE HILL

1. Here's the Sacramento Bee's Ailene Voisin on Hill: "He was a mismatched piece of furniture. Though respected by his teammates, he was subdued and uninspired. He was confused by the conflicting messages of competing hard and trying to win, while embracing a youth movement and his role as a mentor. ... Hill was too productive to sit."

2. The strange part is why a rebuilding Sacramento signed Hill last summer to a deal that pays $20 million this season and $19 million in 2018-19 with a team option for $18 million in 2019-20. The 31-year-old Hill is the kind of no-frills, gritty point guard who fit well with San Antonio. He is a winning player, a veteran. Sacramento was playing highly regarded rookie DeAaron Fox at point guard. This deal made no sense.

3. So unsurprisingly, the Kings eventually decided he no longer fit. The 6-foot-3 Hill is averaging 10.3 points and 2.8 assists in 27 minutes a game. The Cavs really like his 45 percent shooting from 3-point range (39 percent for his career). Long-range shooting at the point has always been valued here. It's why Jose Calderon was effective early in the season.

4. The key for Hill will be health. He missed 33 games in Utah last season with a major toe injury. The Jazz were 33-16 when Hill played last season, 18-15 when he didn't. He was in the same backcourt as Hood last season, so they should be able to quickly blend with the Cavs.

5. Hill missed 10 games this season, some of them "a healthy scratch" simply because the Kings wanted to use younger players. He missed a few games for the birth of his child.

6. I like the combination of Hill and Calderon with James and the new additions (Clarkson, Hood) in the backcourt. J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver can also benefit by playing with point guards who know how to move the ball.

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