Right now, Leandro Barbosa is in London trying to help Brazil win a medal in basketball. Although, if you’ve ever watched him play, you would think he’d be just as comfortable out on the track. The “Brazilian Blur” has found success in the NBA being one of the fastest guys out on the court.
Barbosa was a perfect fit in Phoenix where he could run up and down the floor and he never had to slow down. After he left the Suns, he’s been with Indiana and Toronto, and may now be looking to find a new team. Barbosa hasn’t drawn much interest on the free agent market, but he could provide some decent veteran leadership to a team looking to sign him to a short-term deal.
A team like the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavs have an extremely young backcourt and could use a spark off the bench like Barbosa. They have the cap space and wouldn’t have to pay much to get him.
Apparently, Barbosa’s Brazilian teammate and current Cavalier Anderson Varejao is doing a little bit of recruiting over in London. There should be some interest from both parties, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see this deal get done.
On the other hand, Cavs coach Byron Scott seems like he’d be just fine without signing anyone else this offseason.
“Maybe if we can find someone who’s the right fit,” Scott said. “If not, we’re excited to move forward with the young guys we have.”
The Cavs do have a lot of young talent to be excited about, but I think they’d really benefit from a guy like Barbosa who could come off the bench as either a point guard or a shooting guard. He’s versatile and his speed is electrifying. There’s no reason with the money the Cavs have to spend that they shouldn’t at least consider adding a veteran to the roster, especially one who could contribute right away like Barbosa.
