Enemy Lines An Opposing Team's Scout Sizes Up The Cavaliers

With such a young team, I'm surprised they didn't hire a recent NBA player for their coaching staff. Paul Silas is a terrific coach who won three championships as a player in the 1970s, but even if he can relate to what these young guys are going through, he's still the head coach, making hard decisions that wound their egos on a daily basis. That's why you need someone like a Patrick Ewing as an assistant to step in and say, 'The same thing happened to me when I was young. I didn't like it at the time, but looking back it all makes sense now.'...

I doubt that Ricky Davis and Darius Miles will be able to co-exist with LeBron James. They both have issues. Davis can put up numbers and he's tough to guard, but he demands the ball too much. For Miles, it's time to put up or shut up. His failure to develop a go-to move after three years in the NBA makes me wonder how hard he works on his game....

Coming straight out of high school, James already shows more composure and maturity than Davis or Miles. Right away James can average double-digit points, five to seven rebounds and five assists. But he is not yet a go-to guy because good defenders will be able to stop him. I'm surprised that I don't see blow-by speed in him, though that may be because he's often matched up against the quickest guys in the league at the guard spot....

Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Kevin Ollie are the only players in the rotation with a feel for the game, and they need to be the guys in charge. If Ollie isn't playing 30 minutes a game, they're going to struggle....

The go-to guy has to be Ilgauskas because he's tough enough to force himself into good position on the floor, he understands the game like a point guard, and if you double him he'll pick you apart.