Q: What do the Cavaliers have to do to get their first win?

a) Lock down tighter on the defensive end
b) Work for the open shot instead of settling for an early one
c) Get the ball inside and get to the line
d) All of the above

Losing is a virus for which there is no sure cure. It attacks the immune system, muddles the senses and, eventually, kills the heart. Right now, LeBron James' toughest opponent isn't his youth, his inexperience or even his lousy team. It's losing.

Losing will sap the vibrancy from his smile, douse his unbridled enthusiasm and, in time, turn the obviously gifted James into -- let's be honest here -- the man he looks to for guidance: teammate Darius Miles.

Though not in the same stratosphere with regard to hype, Miles, like James, was a celebrated multi-talented schoolboy baller deemed the "next" fill-in-the-blank. The name most often mentioned along with Miles' was that of Kevin Garnett. A wiry 6-foot-9 forward, Miles' skills took him to every inch of the court. As a junior at East St. Louis (Ill.) High School, he averaged eight blocks per game. As a senior, he averaged 22.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, 7.2 blocks, 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals and earned a spot on just about everyone's all-anything high school team. He signed with St. John's University, but caught a first-class flight west instead, landing in Los Angeles as the Clippers' No 1 pick in the 2000 NBA draft, the third overall selection behind Kenyon Martin and Stromile Swift (oops).

As a senior, Miles led his high school team to the Class AA state semifinals, but watching him play today, you'd never know he's been a winner. His moments of individual brilliance usually give way to selfishness, confusion and, inevitably, resignation in the final minutes. No wonder. Coming into this season, Miles' teams in Los Angeles and Cleveland have barely won half as many games (87) as they've lost (159). This year's Cavs remain winless in four tries going into Friday night's game against the talented Pacers. Losing now seems rote, a bad habit. (Cleveland's looming matchup against equally woeful and winless Miami on Nov. 12 looks like true must-NOT-see TV!)

Indeed, the Cavs are dangerously close to becoming the new Clips -- the team NO ONE wants to lose to.

James has said that Miles is the Cavs player who's showing him the ropes. It's easy to see why. Their shared direct schoolboy-to-pro experience provides common ground. But when the subject turns from hangout spots and bank accounts to James' raison d'être -- winning -- the youngster should sprint in another direction. Trouble is, where does he turn? There aren't many good options. Unfortunately, nary a single teammate can offer insight from experience. Only forward Ricky Davis can say he's had more than a bag of popcorn with even a modestly successful team. As a member of the then Charlotte Hornets, who went 49-33 in 1999-2000, Davis played in 48 games. But this, remember, is the same Ricky Davis who last season tried to rig a triple-double by purposely shooting at the wrong basket -- grabbing the rebound would have given him 10 -- in the final seconds against Utah. He was fouled instead and missed the achievement. No sound advice to be found there.

Teammates Kevin Ollie (10 teams in six full seasons), Michael Stewart (Toronto and Sacramento) and Bruno Sundov (Indiana, Dallas and Boston) "played" on some successful teams, but were more observers than participants. They've been there, but haven't done that.

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Toward the end of the Cavs' loss to the Nuggets on Wednesday, one of the television announcers quoted Miles as saying that the team's problem in the final minutes is that "I want the ball, Ricky Davis wants the ball and LeBron wants the ball."

Would someone get a message to Darius: Get the ball to LeBron!

In the aforementioned poll, which was posted on the Cavs' Web site on Friday, an overwhelming 64 percent answered d) All of the above. That's only because the truly correct option -- Get the ball to LeBron! -- was not there. On Wednesday, the rookie notched a statline -- seven points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and three blocks -- that might have earned anyone else dinner for two for being Player of the Game. And he did it while being largely invisible and looking distressingly disinterested for much of the second half. In other words, he did it in his sleep.

Neither Miles nor Davis nor any other Cav should be calling for the ball during critical minutes -- which for the Cavs begin right after the national anthem. Instead, they should all be putting the rock in the hands of their youngest teammate and letting him work his magic. LeBron James is the only Cav with the gifts to lift the franchise from its losing ways -- at least until losing lifts those gifts from him.

Roy S. Johnson is an assistant managing editor for Sports Illustrated. His "Pass the Word" column appears on SI.com every Friday. Catch Johnson on CNN Headline News every Thursday at 3:40 p.m. ET.