11 Cleveland Cavaliers

So who will mediate the madness in Gund Arena this season? Who will negotiate the shot opportunities among the eager young guns LeBron James, Ricky Davis, Dajuan Wagner and Darius Miles?

Kevin Ollie hopes it's him.

It probably will be. Or at least he'll be part of a point-guard-by-committee scheme, as coach Paul Silas endeavors to pinpoint just what role each member of his callow quartet will play, each having been an occasional playmaker but none a true point. If nothing else, Ollie, who is playing for his 10th team in seven seasons, will provide leadership and defense. "They [ Silas and G.M. Jim Paxson] want me to give advice, talk about the things I've gone through," says the 30-year-old Ollie, "because I know those guys haven't been through what I've been through." Indeed not. Ollie spent four years at Connecticut, then parts of another four in the CBA. By contrast, the 67 combined games played by Davis at Iowa and Wagner at Memphis represent the collective college experience of Cleveland's Fab Four.

It will probably take a while to straighten out the quarterback position. Silas would love to have the 6'8" James at the helm eventually, but that might be a couple of years away. While the coach spent much of the preseason grooming the 6'9" Miles for that spot, the best solution might be a rotation of Ollie and J.R. Bremer.

"The hardest thing about the position is that you have to be an extension of the coach on the court," says Ollie. "When everybody else is in disarray, you have to be in control." That style generally goes unnoticed, so don't expect shouts of OL-LEE! OL-LEE! to be reverberating through Gund this season. But if the Cavs are to improve, this journeyman may have to take charge.