DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Cavs Preseason Thread

NBA Training Camps started this week. I look forward to the Cavs this year, and they look poised to really break through ... then again, that's what we said about the Indians and Browns this year too.

Still I'm excited. We started off the season on the wrong foot, with Pavs and Andy holding out and coming back rusty. Then LeBron got hurt for a bunch of games, as well as other injuries to Gibson, Hughes and others. By the time we semi-recovered from that, we traded half the roster for new people, and took another two months trying to get some chemistry together. Despite all that, we still got the 4th seed, and took the Celtics to the brink of elimination.

This year, we have the team set for the most part, and getting some experience in training camp. No hold outs, no injuries, and a team hungry because they were thisclose to knocking off the eventual champions. If we can avoid any injury plagues ... this should be a good team.

Here's John Hollinger's breakdown of the Cavs from ESPN.com. He's a bit of a stat whore, but it's something to disect at any rate:

Hollinger's Team Forecast: Cleveland Cavaliers
By John Hollinger
ESPN.com

2007-08 Recap
The Cleveland Cavaliers made the Finals in 2007, but during the 2007-08 regular season, there was never an instant when you sensed they would make it back. Knocked off course right from the get-go by two key holdouts and struggling to regain their balance all season, Cleveland never really righted itself until the second round of the playoffs -- and by then were stuck playing an elimination game on the road that they lost to the Celtics 97-92.


HOLLINGER'S '07-08 STATS
W-L: 45-37 (Pythagorean W-L:40-42)
Offensive Efficiency: 103.2 (19th)
Defensive Efficiency: 103.7 (11th)
Pace Factor: 92.5 (22nd)
Highest PER: LeBron James (29.23)


The problems started in training camp; restricted free agents Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic -- two key players in the previous spring's march to the conference title -- couldn't agree to contract terms and essentially held out. Though each was back on the roster by Christmas, there was a cost in terms of missed training camp and conditioning work, and neither had a good season.

The Cavs also got another hugely disappointing season from guard Larry Hughes, whose time in Cleveland was an expensive, cap-killing disaster. At the trade deadline, they emphatically pulled the plug on his tenure -- trading him along with almost half the roster in an 11-player, three-team blockbuster. Cleveland sent Hughes, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown to Chicago for Ben Wallace and Joe Smith; and dealt Donyell Marshall and Ira Newble to Seattle for Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak.

It wasn't until after the trade that Cleveland began to look a bit like its former self. The team had been badly outscored in the first half of the season and hung around .500 largely via good fortune, but that changed after the break. Between the addition of Wallace and Smith and the fact that Varejao finally had his sea legs, the Cavs improved from 18th in defensive efficiency before the trade to sixth afterward. And while Szczerbiak struggled, West fit in nicely at the point and took some of the scoring load off LeBron James.

Ah yes, Mr. James. The Cavs were rather fortunate he was on their squad, as his presence made up for the vast fields of mediocrity that littered the rest of their roster. James led the league in PER while playing over 40 minutes a game, which helped make up for the pathetic fact that only three other Cavs had a PER above 12 ... and two of them, Smith and Szczerbiak, did the bulk of their work in another uniform. Take away King James, and this team might not have won 25 games.

The net result was an offense that was hard on the eyes. Despite James' brilliance, the Cavs were just 28th in shooting percentage at 43.9 percent; a more direct result of James' traits was that they were 28th in free-throw percentage, too. The Cavs didn't shoot 3s particularly well, nor did they get to the line at a high rate, and again the supporting cast was primarily to blame here.

The one thing they did do well, however, was rebound (see chart). Cleveland rebounded 30.4 percent of its missed shots, the second-best rate in the league, and those second chances were what made the offense quasi-respectable. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a master in this department, using his reach to tip balls to himself or back into the basket, but Varejao, Wallace and Smith all averaged over two offensive boards a game; James came close to that threshold himself at 1.8 a night.


Top Rebounding Teams, 2007-08
TEAM OFFENSIVE REBOUND RATE DEFENSIVE REBOUND RATE OVERALL REBOUND RATE
Cleveland 30.4 75.9 53.1
Houston 29.1 74.8 52.0
Philadelphia 31.8 72.0 51.9
Utah 29.5 74.1 51.8
Detroit 29.4 73.7 51.5
League average 26.7 73.3 50.0



The rebounding dovetails nicely into a discussion of the Cavs' defense, because Cleveland's domination on the glass extended to that end. As with the offense, the Cavs were second in the NBA in defensive rebound rate; adding offense and defense, they were the top rebounding team in basketball by a wide margin. In addition to the four frontcourt players, James was outstanding on the defensive boards, and reserve guard Devin Brown also was very good.

As with the offense, the rebounding was the main differentiating factor for Cleveland's defense. The Cavs were better at D than O, finishing 11th in defensive efficiency, but other than the rebounding they were almost perfectly average.

Cleveland won 45 games but did so giving up more points than they scored; the Cavs had the point differential of a 40-win team and were incredibly fortunate to snag a top-four seed in the East.

But Cleveland had hit its stride by then and took the Celtics to a difficult seven-game series in which the Cavs actually outscored Boston. The series served as a reminder that regardless of their humdrum regular season, the Cavs remain a force to be reckoned with in the East.



Biggest Strength: King James

Sorry, Kobe fans, but LeBron James is the best player in the league, and it isn't even close. And in addition to being a force of nature who is a nightly triple-double threat, James has the added advantage of being virtually indestructible.

This is Cleveland's one huge advantage. They're basically a 24-58 team, except that they have the greatest player in the world, and in a seven-game series that advantage becomes hugely magnified because they can play him virtually every minute of every important game.

Take a look at that Boston series again, for instance. In the last four games James played 44, 45, 47 and 47 minutes, and the Cavs beat Boston by a composite six points in that time; in the nine minutes he sat out the Cavs were outscored 22-12. That's consistent with his massive on-court vs. off-court disparities over the past few seasons; last year the Cavs were 11.1 points per 48 minutes better with James on the floor.

Because these were the playoffs, he was on the bench for a total of only nine minutes in those four games against Boston ... in the regular season it would have been more like 32. Those extra minutes where LeBron is on the court instead of somebody like Pavlovic or Szczerbiak are the reason that Cleveland is such a scary team to face in the postseason -- any time they get into a must-win game, James can play all 48 minutes, so the playoff Cavs are markedly stronger than the regular-season Cavs.



Biggest Weakness: The Help
Cleveland has a superstar in James and two solid starters in Williams and Ilgauskas. Beyond that, they have a lot of question marks. Either West or Szczerbiak will be the starter at shooting guard, but both are far short of ideal -- West because of his size disadvantage, Szczerbiak because of his poor defense. And neither is the type of shot creator who can take the pressure off James offensively.

It's a similar story up front, where power forward looms as a major problem spot. Ben Wallace started there down the stretch last season, but he's faded badly the past two years, and his near-total inability to score gives defenses free rein to double-team James. Varejao is a more capable scorer but struggles from the perimeter and picks up fouls, while Hickson is an untested 20-year-old being thrown into the rotation of a championship hopeful.

The bench doesn't exactly teem with solutions, either. Varejao is productive as an energy guy and Gibson is a decent 3-point specialist, but either West or Szczerbiak will have to suffice as the top wing reserve with the untested Hickson as the fourth big man. Filling out the rotation is Pavlovic, who has had four absolutely horrible pro seasons and one halfway decent one. Anybody want to take odds on how this season turns out?



Outlook

The Cavs aren't really built to be a good regular-season team, and if James misses any time they're going to rapidly slip in the standings -- they lost all seven games that he missed last year.
But they should be better than they were last season. Having Varejao around for a full season will do wonders for the defense, and Williams is a major upgrade at the point. Plus, there's the possibility of doing something much more grand with Szczerbiak's expiring deal and really remaking this team into an offensive force.

Too many holes remain for this team to outlast mainstays like the Pistons and Celtics for a top seed. The frontcourt is counting on two aging warhorses in Ilgauskas and Wallace, the shooting guard situation is dicey at best and, other than Varejao, the bench offers decent role players but little real quality.

Fortunately, they have James, and in a playoff series that makes them a threat to beat anyone -- even Boston, as we learned last spring. The problem is they're going to have to do it on the road, because they aren't built to handle the 82-game grind that precedes the playoffs.

Prediction: 47-35, 2nd in Central Division, T-5th in Eastern Conference

I think Hollinger is being a little to harsh right now.

I see this team winning probably about 55 or so games, winning the Central.

We'll see where it goes from there. I think Mo WIlliams puts up something around 17 and 7, making the all-star team. LeBron is the MVP.

You can count on this team because we have the best player in the NBA today. Consistant.

Cavs are gonna be great this year. I checked into a 16 game season ticket plan. - over 1600.00 for two tickets! Ouch! Can't do it.

I think they win around 50ish...I'm really curious to see how Boobie has improved...and if Z can stay healthy we have a shot.

Mo has to be good...he just has to be what we all expect....we cant afford another blown move....we are running out of matches.

you know, i didnt think about it until media day, but i forgot how much i love watching the cavs.

all this negative talk about lebron over the offseason, with his supposed move in 2012, and his yankees hat, and his cowboy crap...i forgot that we have the best player in the league on our team...and he is from here.

very excited about the cavs this year.

You almost hate to think this could be a great season for the Cavs after the disappointment of the Indians and Browns, BUT if we can stay relatively healthy I see good things happening.

After we traded for Mo I thought for sure Delonte wouldn't sign, but he did so we have real depth there. No hold-outs, Jones, Marshall and Hughes are gone and LeBron just lead a team of all stars to GOLD. I'll take LeBron over any other guy in the league.

Wallly had a hard time adjusting to the Cavs offense - I see him being much improved from what we saw after the trade. Actually I believe this is the first time the Cavs have kept the same offensive scheme two years in a row since Coach Brown has been here, that should make life easier for everyone.

Supposedly this JJ Hickson looked real good this summer, so maybe we got a good guy in this draft.

Mo was on Les Levine's show last week and boldly made the statement "We will be champs". I like him already!

Hooray, the Cavaliers are coming back to Columbus for a preseason game Friday Oct 24th, 7:30

Who's going? you bet you sweet bippy ill be there,

Happy hour in the arena district, woohooo, Im thinking Frog Bear Wild boar

I'm going with 52-30. I still don't think we beat out the pistons for the division. they seem to be a better regualar season squad.

I like what the bucks did getting Jefferson, they absolutely stole him from Jersey in my book. Not sure what they were thinking getting rid of Mo, except for cash purposes. I still like their squad to finish 3rd in the central and get a 5 or 6 seed.

I like the raptors more so than the 76ers. philly is atletic, but have horrible shooters from the perimeter. I like the front line of o'neil and Bosh. with philly and toronto getting stronger, I see Boston only winning 55-58 games this year.

The wizards are vastly overrated in my book. why they kept the status quo, I'll never know. arenas will never be the same with his bad knees. I like the heat to win the south in a close one over the magic.

I want to see what the cavs could get for wally world come feburary. that could be the missing piece to put us over the top.

i agree with gerald wallace, nice young player that would really thrive playing with lebron..I disagree about wally to an extent. I think a whole offseason/training camp together is underrated. I think it will give the coaches a chance to see how to use the guys we got in the trade last year as they fit into what they are trying to do. Last year was kinda awkward. I think wally will be that 3 point threat/spot up shooter that marshall was supposed to be, plus he actually has decent post game. This team is stacked on paper of shooters/playmakers. I can't remember being this excited about the cavs. Even when we drafted lebron i wasn't this excited cause the team still sucked. Ferry i think has turned into a pretty good GM, he didn't have alot to work with and he has us in a position to be set for years to come.

My prediction is 55-27, central division title, lebron mvp, and nba championship...The only thing that will be missing from this season is Michael Reghi...God, I miss that guy...listen to this call...gave me chills... http://www.youtube.com/v/0C-csYdDPOg

mcleod has grown on me a little (and i mean a little) but he's definitely no reghi.

really the only bad move i can say of dan gilbert...

i've mentioned it on this board before, i think they should simulcast joe tait's call of the game on radio and tv. you can throw in AC if you want (gotta have the homer guy to go along with the call guy)

"L-train to the hole, for two!"

reghi/carr was the best...both mr cavaliers..can't stand mcleod...he tried to be creative and fails...hard..always laughed when reghi said..lebron to the bench and pavlovic to give him a blow..lol...i laughed like beavis and butthead..started a drinking game for everytime he said that..

Austin Carr makes me want to put my foot through the TV.

I don't know how anyone can stand that man.

i love AC

AC is ok in doses lol...I can't listen to him for a whole game though...

The only problem I have with AC is that he mixes his words and phrases and stuff.

It's annoying, to me at least. Most of the time he knows what he is talking about. But in now way, shape, or form do I want to get rid of Mr. Cavalier.

The whole Reghi leaving thing is like a black hole, no one knows what happened.

FredMcloud sucks and will never hold a candle to the ability of one Michael Reghi.

Fred

Reghi

YOU SUCK Fred, mc, whatever your name is

You all pay that much attention to what these people say?!?!?!

Most of the time, I don't even have the sound on!

I hope the Cavs don't start the season like last year, or like the Indians or Browns this year. They all got off to horrible starts!

Quote:

---

it could be a pivotal move in cavalier history

who knows, maybe wally starts to fit in with this team, i tend to think no, but it could happen...

---

We gotta get that final piece...And Zerbs is our best trade option regardless...

Between the expirings of Zerbs and Snow...And Varejao with the Player Option... Pavs and Wallace both expiring in 09/10...We have some ammo to deal...

With Williams here and West and Gibson signing...Wallace and Z's age...And Varejao most likely not being here beyond this year...I see us going after that DOWN LOW STUD because short of goin' to the hoop...Bron's outside ALOT...

Going into the playoffs with a core of Bron/Z/Williams and the added STUD...We're IN IT...

Look for a move...We won't stand pat with Snow and Zerbs...And this move will be BIG...

The beauty of it is this...We can use Zerbs and Snow with Varejao THIS year...And Wallace and Pavs NEXT...

If I'm Bron I STAY RIGHT HERE...We're set up sweet...

The problem is ... what big guy might be available come January? Most of the good PF type either just signed with someone in Free Agency, or are already with an established playoff contender. I suppose we could get lucky if Paul Pierce gets injured for the year, Ray Allen ages 5 years, and the Celtics are desperate to unload KG and call it a "rebuilding year".

I made a post a few weeks ago. Here are the guys on "borderline" teams, that we should be looking out for. If these teams sputter, these guys might become available:

Quote:

---

Dallas:
Erick Dampier - $11,553,000 - 3 years
Josh Howard - $9,945,000 - 2 years
Jason Kidd - $21,372,000 - 1 year
Dirk Nowitzki - $18,077,904 - 3 years
Jason Terry - $9,196,000 - 4 years

Denver-
Kenyon Martin - $14,431,816 - 3 years left
Carmelo Anthony - $14,410,581 - 4 years left
AI is coming off the books too this year, so if Denver isn't enamoured with Carmelo, and they start looking out of the playoffs early, they might look to blow things up and reload ... maybe there's a small chance ... just saying.

Houston:
Tracy McGrady - $20,370,437 - 2 years
Yao Ming - $15,070,550 - 3 years

Milwaukee:
Richard Jefferson - $13,200,000 - 3 years
Michael Redd - $15,780,000 - 3 years

Minnesota:
Al Jefferson - $11,000,000 - 5 years

New Jersey:
Vince Carter - $14,724,125 - 4 years (not that I'd really want him anyway)

New York:
Jamal Crawford - $8,640,000 - 3 years
By the way, David Lee only has a year left on his contract, so it's doubtful we could get him for expiring contracts.

Phoenix:
Amare Stoudemire - $15,070,550 - 3 years
Shaquille O'Neal - $21,000,000 - 2 years
Okay, sure ... no chance for this. But people are saying the PHX is due for an implosion. If it happens this year, maybe, just maybe, they look to unload everybody.

---

Good job man...I missed that...

Anthony...Stoudamire...A++++++

Nowitzki would also be one...

i think the play of hickson really will dictate a lot of what happens during the deadline, if he can earn time in the rotation, maybe we can go after a combo 2/3 type guy

if he doesn't i think we need to go big... with joe smith gone, we will miss the little things that he brought us for the second half of the year, as well as the playoffs... and i think getting another banger down low would help...

what would be nice is if an unsuspecting out of nowhere team starts to do bad, and maybe things go sour... and maybe the pieces line up for us to bring in a monster...

I think we worked a trade out for the Carmelo scenerio too.

K-mart and Carmelo for Snow, Wally, Andy, and Gibson (plus draft picks) matched up salary wise. Just something to think about.

WUAB, today

lebron

"i love ohio, and i'll be there"

a man can only be as good as someone that holds the key to akron,

Cavaliers want guards to set a quicker pace

Sunday, October 5, 2008

BY CHRIS BEAVEN

AKRON Run-and-gun basketball will never be Mike Brown's style as a head coach.

But with the addition of point guard Mo Williams, the Cavs do want to pick up the pace this season, something that was noticeable in Saturday's Wine and Gold Scrimmage at Rhodes Arena.

"With Mo's quickness and the rest of the guards and their quickness, we want to try to get the ball up the floor a little quicker," Brown said. "We don't want to be Phoenix. We don't want to be old Sacramento or anything like that. But we have guys that are quick, push guards, so we want to try to take advantage of it. I thought Mo was good with that."

Williams and fellow point guard Daniel Gibson were the stars of the scrimmage.

Gibson scored 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range. Williams, acquired from Milwaukee in an August trade, had 13 points, two assists and a turnover. He hit 4-of-8 shots, including 2-of-4 on 3-pointers.

Williams knows the Cavs expect him "to get up and down the floor to make plays."

"So I have to be willing and able to do it," he said. "I have to stay healthy and I have to be in great condition."

An increased tempo should benefit Cavs All-Star LeBron James, who figures to get more opportunities to finish plays, something he does better than anyone in the league.

"With the quick guards that we have in Mo, in Delonte (West) and in Boobie (Gibson), we've got guys that can get out and push the ball that's tough (to defend)," James said.

After a heavy workload over the summer with Team USA, the Cavs are making sure James is kept fresh in camp. He played about four minutes Saturday, taking just two shots. His only points came on a dunk off a backboard pass from Gibson on a fastbreak.

James never got to play with Williams in the scrimmage. But when Williams flipped his practice jersey late in it, he did team up with Gibson. The two combined for 10 points in one stretch of just over a minute, as each hit deep 3-pointers.

Brown also liked the "leadership qualities" exhibited by the 25-year-old Williams.

"I saw him talking to his guys at different times, encouraging his guys when they were down," Brown said. "He fought till the buzzer went off. Those are things that you enjoy out of a guy, especially a guy that is as young as he is but is also in his prime."

That addition of Williams allows the Cavs to extend their defense, too. All of the Cavs guards, and even some of their big men, were picking up their man in the backcourt.

"We ain't going to be doing it in the scrimmage if we're not doing it in the game," Williams said. "That's something we just have to instill in us, kind of do it by instinct instead of by plan. That way it gets the defensive juices flowing and just picks up the intensity.

"It starts with me. If guys see me doing it, it just trickles down to everyone, one through five."

Again, the quickness of Williams, West, Gibson and another newcomer, guard Tarence Kinsey, allows for this.

"Those guys are athletic and can defend guys 90-plus feet," Brown said. "We want those guys to pick up fullcourt most possessions. We want them not for steals. We're not going to be a gambling team. But (we will) see if we can get our opponent to work the clock ... and put some pressure on them that way."

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=17&subCategoryID=27

Nothing short of NBA title will satisfy Cavaliers

Tuesday, September 30, 2008
BY CHRIS BEAVEN

INDEPENDENCE A month removed from winning a gold medal, LeBron James does not sound anywhere close to being satisfied as a basketball player.

The Cavaliers superstar made it clear Monday that his sole purpose this season is to earn an NBA championship ring.

"I think I can lead these guys to the championship," James said during media day at Cleveland Clinic Courts. "We really believe that. It's not about making the playoffs for our team anymore. It's about winning a championship."

James is far from the only Cavalier talking about a title. In fact, it was pretty much a chorus.

"That's what we're about ... that's where our focus is, that's what this team has been built for," third-year guard Daniel Gibson said.

"We all have one goal I guarantee you, talk to anybody, everybody's saying a championship, that's the goal," point guard Mo Williams said.

The addition of Williams creates much of the optimism. A 17-points-a-game scorer in Milwaukee the last two seasons, Williams' ability to create offense for himself and others has him viewed as the missing piece to a championship puzzle.

"Mo Williams is an unbelievable talent," said James, who saw Williams average 26.0 points and 9.0 assists against the Cavs. "You can watch any film of what he did to us last year in four games. It was like, 'Wow, he either has something against us or he's sending up smoke signals to go get him in a trade.' "

The addition of Williams is part of the positive vibe around the team.

"We're going to have a dedicated team, we're going to have a team that has one goal in mind," Williams said. "We're not competing against each other. We're competing against the other team."

Gone are the problems of a year ago when months removed from reaching the NBA Finals the Cavs were, in some ways, a fractured team. Holdouts and injuries caused problems, and a winning chemistry never took hold, leading to a blockbuster trade at the deadline.

Three of the starters acquired in that trade — Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and Ben Wallace — remain part of the Cavs core. They are joined by James, Gibson, Williams, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic as holdovers from last season's team. Newcomers include veterans Lorenzen Wright and Tarence Kinsey, and rookies J.J. Hickson and Darnell Jackson.

Much of this group spent parts of the summer together, especially within the last month. James likes the mix.

"We had guys hold out for personal reasons last year," James said. "We had guys who were here, but not mentally here. It's just a different feeling."

The Cavs went 45-37 a year ago and lost a seven-game series to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Cavs had a chance to win Game 7, but couldn't get it done. Boston went on to win a championship.

"We were that close to beating them," Szczerbiak said. "We have to use that to fuel us. That's what we want to accomplish."

The Cavs begin practices today. They hold an intrasquad scrimmage at noon Saturday at Rhodes Arena in Akron before the preseason begins Oct. 7 at home against Toronto. The regular season opens Oct. 28 in Boston.

Wallace, who won a title with the Pistons, sees the ingredients of a championship team.

"I'm liking what I'm seeing," he said. "We got a lot of different guys that can do a lot of different things."

Teamwork, though, will ultimately determine what the Cavs achieve this season.

"It's going to be whether or not we can come together as a team and go out there and play as one in order for us to get back to where we want to be," Wallace said. "We've still got a lot of work to do. But we can definitely get it done."

James sounds determined to make sure it gets done.

"I see our potential," he said. "You can't allow one day to go by where we don't get better because I see how good we can be.

"... There's not much of an excuse now. We have guys that can go out and play."

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=17&ID=433725&r=7&subCategoryID=27

Ready to ring out: Cavaliers' Big Ben determined to show vintage Wallace defense

by Jodie Valade
Saturday October 04, 2008, 8:12 PM

LeBron James stood out in Saturday's Wine and Gold Scrimmage merely for who he is -- Olympic gold medalist, NBA MVP candidate and the self-proclaimed King of Akron who now has the key to the city to officially prove it.

Newcomer Mo Williams dazzled with the up-tempo point guard play the Cavaliers have coveted for years, and rookie J.J. Hickson's energetic athleticism earned him time in the spotlight as their Gold team topped James' Wine team, 49-45.

Meanwhile, at Akron's James A. Rhodes Arena, Ben Wallace tried his hardest to stay behind the scenes. He had 6 points, 3 rebounds and several defensive lessons to teach the neophyte Hickson.

"He's got to learn," Wallace grinned, explaining his sudden aggressive offensive-minded play against the rookie. "He's got to learn one of these days."

The 6-foot-9 power forward with the perpetual scowl is finally back to good health, finally alongside a coach with a defensive philosophy that matches his own approach, and finally ready to inspire the squad with perhaps the NBA's biggest star to play like a team with no standouts.

Most of all, Wallace, who had a roller-coaster season after arriving in Cleveland in midseason via trade, is eager for a full year with the Cavaliers. He averaged 4.8 points and 8.4 rebounds last season -- career lows since he became a regular starter with Detroit in 2000. He's confident his impact will change after completing training camp in Cleveland.

"You get a chance to see guys when they're playing at their very best at the start of training camp, and you get a chance to see guys when they're a little bit winded at the end of training camp -- when you really have to depend on teammates," Wallace said. "I think that's where you build that trust in your teammates."
Mike Cadrew/Akron Beacon-Journal via APLeBron James maneuvers around Wally Szczerbiak while running the Wine team's offense during Saturday's scrimmage.
Wallace, 34, knows a thing or two about team unity and trust. He won the 2004 NBA championship with a star-less Pistons team. His gritty, blue-collar style is focused on the team above the individual.

"We've all gotta move at the same time," Wallace explained. "We've all gotta learn what the guy beside us is doing."

That means teaching Hickson that he needs to move his feet and not just his hands when he's defending, even in scrimmages. That means being ready for James' over-the-head, blind pass Saturday to knock in a rare lay-up. And that means executing coach Mike Brown's defensive tilt with precision, flying to the ball if it's anywhere close to the basket.

Defense has always been Wallace's passion. He has four Defensive Player of the Year trophies (2002, '03, '05 and '06) and said his wife, Chanda, left him with some decorating instructions for this season. There's room in their house for one more trophy, she said.

"I've got this empty space on the shelf," Wallace said. "I gotta do what I gotta do to fill it."

Wallace stands out most by melding with his team, trusting in teammates and playing aggressive and scrappy defense. When it all is executed correctly, as he did in flashes during last season's playoffs with the Cavaliers, he'll roar with pleasure. Those are the moments Wallace craves.

"That was freedom, man," Wallace said. "That was what I want to get back to doing."

Team first, always. Well, except for Saturday's pregame ceremony, when James was singled out for his gold-medal achievement in Beijing in August. Akron mayor Donald L. Plusquellic presented the key to the city in a pre-game ceremony, as James' mother, Gloria; girlfriend, Savannah Brinson; and two sons, Lebron Jr. and Bryce; stood at midcourt with him.

It took James three state high school titles, an NBA Finals appearance, two NBA All-Star MVPs and an Olympic gold medal to finally earn the key.

"I don't think it took long," James said, laughing. "I'm only 23. It takes people a long time to get keys to the city. Don't make me feel old."

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2008/10/ready_to_ring_out_cavaliers_bi.html

We got off to a losing start in preseason, but I am still excited about this team....

http://www.sportsline.com/nba/gamecenter/recap/NBA_20081007_TOR@CLE

Raptors 104, Cavaliers 84
Oct. 7, 2008
CBSSports.com wire reports

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James spent a rare night relaxing on the bench, Mo Williams showed why Cleveland traded for him this summer, and the Cavaliers opened their exhibition season with a 104-84 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night.

James played only eight minutes in the first quarter before he raised his hand for a substitute and coach Mike Brown pulled his superstar for the remainder of Cleveland's preseason debut.

James, who won an Olympic gold medal this summer at the Beijing Games, missed his only three shots from the field, made one free throw and added two rebounds and two assists.

"It was good to play another team," James said. "We're kind of tired of beating up on each other. We did some good things and some bad things."

The wear and tear on James is a major concern for the Cavaliers. He has had little time away from the floor since last season ended because of his commitment to USA Basketball. Brown intends to reduce James' playing time -- the 23-year-old has been among the league leaders in minutes played throughout his career -- with the idea of keeping him as fresh as possible for the grinding, 82-game schedule and playoffs.

Toronto's Jermaine O'Neal, acquired from Indiana in a July trade, scored 11 points in his Raptors debut. O'Neal missed 40 games last season because of lingering knee problems and dropped weight over the summer to ease the pressure on his joints.

Will Solomon scored 17 points, Andrea Bargnani 15 and Kris Humphries 14 for the Raptors, who didn't attempt a 3-pointer in the first half but dropped six from long range after halftime.

Toronto's reserves outplayed Cleveland's during the second half, when the Raptors outscored the Cavs 57-37.

"We've got a lot of work to do, it's the first preseason game," Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said. "We got better as the game progressed. We made a lot of mistakes defensivley, especially in that first quarter. You can't give up 28 points in the first quarter. We carried out our principles as good as any time we've done it so far in training camp and practice."

Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 16 points and Williams, acquired in an August trade from Milwaukee, added 12 points, four assists and three rebounds in 26 minutes. The Cavs have craved a point guard for years and feel Williams can fill that void while giving James someone to share the scoring load.

When he had the chance, Williams pushed the ball up the floor and he wasn't shy about directing his teammates.

"It's just great to be here," said Williams, who has been smiling since his arrival in Cleveland. "I think we can do some big things this year."

Brown has tried to cut James' minutes before. However, it has been tough to get him rest in games the Cavs needed to win. James averaged 40.4 minutes per game last season, nearly a half-minute less than in 2006-07. His minutes-per-game average has dropped the past three years, but except for his rookie year (39.5), James has averaged more than 40 minutes per game each season.

Ideally, Brown would like to limit James to 38 this season.

Brown was reminded that he said 40 a week ago.

"I'm going to keep giving you guys different numbers," Brown joked. "I don't have a number that's set. I would love to have it at 38 and under 40 would be great. Anything over 40, and I feel like I have not done my job well."

James was asked is his ideal number was (the maximum) 48?

"Ha," James laughed. "It would be if I could play 48 at a high level. But I think with the team that we have now, and the players we have, I think around the 38 or 40 range, but we'll see how the season goes."

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lebron's average minutes should finally come down this year, west is half a year and one training camp into brown's system, and with the addition of williams, we now have 2 more legitimate ball handlers then we did last year...

although we will still struggle, because where will the points come from?

hopefully z can put together another solid year, i would like to see his minutes limited too...

and then you have the guys who have potential, sczerbiak, sasha

... Gibson, Hickson.

seriously dude, take a look at this roster, and take a look at the roster from 2005

it is a remarkable turnaround...

pretty awesome, we have tons of talent

i've always said the nba has this tier at the very top, different from any other sport... if you look back over the last 3 decades, only a small handful of teams have won titles...

and the cavs are slowly reaching that level, the "lebron and a bunch of guys" tag is slowly coming off...

Seems to be a lot more swagger in camp than there has been in the past few yrs, and rightfully so... I think Mo is gonna be really good fit. He seems to have a new attitude (defense), the attitude that comes when you arrive on a contending team

A couple other things I like. Sasha has lost 15 lbs and is in the best shape of his life, and Andy has gained about 15 lbs. Seems like this team took the offseason a bit more serious this year.

Talking is great, but it is gonna be a tougher battle this year. Need to start well outta the gates this year. The East is much improved (Philly, Toronto, etc.)

I am too lazy to keep going right now, but I will probably continue to add to this thread...

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Sasha has lost 15 lbs and is in the best shape of his life,

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Thats great and all, but the biggest thing with Sasha is the mental part, he needs to get his act together.

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When he had the chance, Williams pushed the ball up the floor and he wasn't shy about directing his teammates.

"Other side, Sasha,'' he hollered when Cavs forward Sasha Pavlovic was slow to react to a called play.

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http://www.nba.com/games/20081007/TORCLE/recap.html