C L E V E L A N D   C A V A L I E R S
Go-To Guy | Weakest Link | Burning Question | Outlook

Cavs at a Glance Coach: John Lucas Last Year: 29-53 (Stats) Key Additions: F Harold Jamison, F Darius Miles, G Dajuan Wagner Key Losses: C Michael Doleac, G Trajan Langdon, G Andre Miller, G Wes Person, F Brian Skinner, G Bryant Stith Projected Starters PG Dajuan Wagner SG Ricky Davis SF Darius Miles PF Tyrone Hill C Zydrunas Ilgauskas Key Subs PG Bimbo Coles SF Lamond Murray SF Jumaine Jones C Chris Mihm

By John Hollinger, CNNSI.com

The Cavs headed into the offseason with a great deal of optimism after a strong second half that featured an explosion from swingman Ricky Davis. Those hopes disappeared faster than Enron's profits once the offseason began. Cutting costs, not improving the roster, was the team's biggest offseason priority, and as a result, the Cavs' cupboard is bare this year.

Their best player, Andre Miller, was dealt to the Clippers for promising but raw Darius Miles. In another belt-tightening move, they exchanged running mate Wes Person for veteran dead wood Nick Anderson, leaving the Cavs' backcourt a mess for the coming season.

Cleveland fans still have some reason for optimism. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who normally would have re-injured himself by the time the P.A. announcer finished saying his name, returned from injury and stayed healthy the entire second half of the season. Davis flashed star potential late in the year and will be counted on to be the team's leading scorer this season.

Unfortunately, the team did nothing to address its glaring weakness at power forward, where Jumaine Jones was a disaster on defense and Tyrone Hill was equally repugnant on offense. Instead, the Cavs opened up another soft spot at point guard, which rookie Dajuan Wagner -- a natural shooting guard -- will try to fill.

The Cavs' best hope for the future is probably Miles, who is a truly gifted player but hasn't improved a lick since his rookie year and desperately needs a jump shot.

Ricky Davis, G -- Davis blasted onto the scene late in the year, finally figuring out how to use his explosive quickness to get to the basket and set up opponents for his mid-range jump shot. Davis is also fantastic in transition, but he may lose some scoring opportunities with the trade of Miller, the league's leading assist man last season.

He still has weaknesses. Davis needs to work much harder at the defensive end, and his long-range jump shot is still erratic. He also needs to improve his passing to deal with the constant double teams that he is certain to face this year. Still, his quickness alone should make him a good bet to average 20 points a game this season.

Management -- Lamond Murray's faxed polemic to owner Gordon Gund may have been out of line, but it was on target. (Except the part about not having his jersey in the team store. Seriously, how much money do you suppose the Cavs' team store makes in a year? $43?) There's no chance of the Cavs putting a good team on the court until they get more help from upstairs. Gund is desperately trying to cut costs as rumors, which he denies, fly that the team is up for sale. Dollars, not talent, were the reason the Cavs dealt last year's starting backcourt.

His staff isn't helping any either. As the general manager, John Paxson's lottery picks have included flops such as DaSagana Diop, Trajan Langdon and Chris Mihm, and outside of unloading Shawn Kemp (quite a load, to be sure), he has yet to make a positive personnel move.

On the bench, John Lucas continues to preach his brand of wild-eyed optimism, convincing himself that Mihm is a rising star and Jones is working out at power forward while glossing over the fact that nobody's playing any defense. If Gund does sell the team, hopefully whoever buys it will clean house and start over.

Can Zydrunas Ilgauskas stay healthy?

The Cavaliers can be respectable if they can keep Ilgauskas in one piece. The 7-foot-3 Lithuanian is important for two reasons. First, he is the team's only reliable post weapon, and a very efficient scorer in the paint. Second, the Cavs have no credible center if he is out of the game. His backups, Mihm and Diop, are dueling for the Randolph Childress Draft Bust of the Decade Trophy (presented by Shawn Respert).

Ilgauskas has played just 91 games over the past three seasons, but if Cleveland can get 70 games out of him this season, it could keep the team within striking distance of the .500 mark. That would qualify as a huge success.

Dismal

Fast Facts • Cleveland was the worst team in the league at defending the 3-point line, allowing opponents to shoot 39.4 percent on the season. • Andre Miller averaged more than four times as many assists (10.9) as any other Cav last season. The next closest was Bimbo Coles at 2.3 per game.

The Cavs traded away their only star, and the two best players remaining both have a history of broken feet, which portends another depressing year at Gund Arena. The Cavs are massively shorthanded at both point guard and power forward, and their bench would have trouble winning in the Big Ten, let alone the NBA.

The team showed a lot of promise at the end of last season, but the roster has been nuked since then. Lucas' "don't worry, be happy" philosophy is going to be a hard sell this season -- the Cavs are a good bet to be the worst team in the league.