The New season

[CIMO.]

I think the '09-10 Cavs season is pretty predictable. Fun to watch, MVP performance from LeBron, a lot of off-days for Shaq, scattered big games from Moon and Hickson and Gibson, 60ish wins, Eastern Conference Finals, and then it gets interesting. So since the games won't be too compelling until June or so...why not start the wishful thinking?

 

Bill Simmons brought this one up, talking about the league's most intriguing players, and it got me salivating a bit...

 

15a. Rudy Gay

Gay was miserable last season, and that was before Iverson and Randolph showed up. The Grizzlies didn't sign him to an extension. He's the fourth option on a bad team. Right now, he's the sneakiest trade asset in the league. You know what's going to happen in January, when the Grizz are 7-23, Iverson and Z-Bo aren't speaking, Mayo is complaining behind the scenes and Gay looks more bummed out than Vivica Fox when Larry David told her, "Yeah, I'm going to need you only for the first two episodes"? You will be able to get Gay for the right price. Just save the Grizzlies $3 million, give them someone half as good, take one of their bad contracts as window dressing and throw in a No. 1 pick so the deal looks better than it is, and Chris Wallace is going to say, "I should probably shop this around, but screw it, I'll just panic and say yes."

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...mp;sportCat=nba

 

We can fit all of that (ridiculous) criteria....give them Z for the expiring contract, Gibson as someone half as good, and two first rounders. Take back Marko Jaric for the bad contract and save them $3 million.

 

We get LeBron's sidekick, win the title, re-sign both, and the dynasty begins.

[CIMO.]

Some predictions from the ESPN guys I like...

 

 

Chris Broussard, ESPN The Mag

Last year's collapse in the Eastern Conference finals only made LeBron hungrier and more willing to expand his game. Now, opponents can expect to see him in the post more. Scary. And look for a resurgence from a truly motivated Shaq.

Central: 1

East: 1

 

John Hollinger, ESPN.com

Additions of Shaq, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon addressed the matchup problems they had last year against the size of the Magic and Lakers. If they can sidestep drama surrounding the most coveted free agent, they'll win the East.

Central: 1

East: 1

 

Marc Stein, ESPN.com

They can't really prove anything until the playoffs. They also have to manage a complicated Delonte West situation as well as the ceaseless LeBron 2010 talk. Gonna be a long regular season no matter how many games the Cavs win.

Central: 1

East: 2

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/preview2009/...s0910-Cavaliers

 

 

And of their 20 writers picking the MVP award, 13 picked LeBron (3 voted for Dwight, 2 for Kobe, 1 for Chris Paul and 1 Carmelo).

 

 

And for their "Offseason Buzz" piece, here's Hollinger and Bucher.

 

The Cavaliers added wing size (Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon), toughness (Leon Powe) and, of course, Shaquille O'Neal, who adds frivolity and great quotes and relieves guard Delonte West of being the team's best low-post scorer. But does it all add up to a title and/or the magic elixir that keeps LeBron James in Cleveland beyond this season? James remains coy, and Clevelanders remain nervous. The additions make them better, for sure, but they don't fully address their chief weakness: pick-and-roll defense against an athletic big and an oversized wing. Yeah, Orlando let their big wing go (Hedo Turkoglu), but the Celtics still have theirs (Paul Pierce) with two versatile bigs (KG and 'Sheed) capable of causing the Cavs fits.

 

 

Trending up: J.J. Hickson

 

Last season: 12.46 PER

2009-10 projection: 12.70 PER

 

Hickson isn't likely to play much more than he did a year ago with three established frontcourt players ahead of him in the pecking order and LeBron likely to see more playing time at power forward in small-ball lineups. But look for the Cavs to slot him in for 10 minutes or so a night to keep the other big men fresh. They won't call any plays for him, and he'll have to subsist on garbage buckets and putbacks, but he was a decent rotation player even as a 20-year-old rookie and should only get better. --Hollinger

 

Trending down: Shaquille O'Neal

 

Last season: 22.30 PER

2009-10 projection: 19.00 PER

 

The Suns traded O'Neal to Cleveland over the summer, where his primary responsibility will be to keep himself ready to defend Dwight Howard in the playoffs. Cleveland should monitor his minutes carefully and emulate the Suns' strategy of resting him in early-season back-to-backs, especially since they have great support in the middle with Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao. Also, LeBron will need to be careful not to mention any TV show ideas around him.

 

O'Neal is a Fluke Rule player (at least 28 years old, finished with a PER above 14, posted a PER at least three points higher than the previous season's), and it's highly unlikely he'll keep up his numbers from a year ago, especially his free-throw and field-goal percentages. Cleveland doesn't need him to do that, though. The player he replaces, Ben Wallace, hardly scored at all, so no matter what, O'Neal will improve the offense. The operative questions are whether he can stay in shape for another year, and how he'll match up against Howard in the spring. Affirmative answers to both will likely yield him a fifth championship ring. --Hollinger

 

The "Shaq Vs." TV show captures his infectious personality and natural sense of humor and is strangely irresistible. Those elements have nothing to do with winning a ring, though, and other aspects of the show have to be troubling. Never mind that he stole the idea from a teammate (Steve Nash) and what that shows about priorities and chemistry. The actual show reveals O'Neal gassed minutes into almost every competition and, with taping in August, doesn't speak well to his conditioning with the season just around the corner.

 

All that said, it's a matter of what Shaq is willing to do. The stats that earned him an All-Star berth were at the expense of the team's win-loss record; the Suns didn't need scoring but all the other less noted contributions a player of his size and experience can bring -- hard screens, quality passes, help defense. He tried to deliver those elements two seasons ago when he first arrived in Phoenix, and the Suns were a considerably more formidable squad.

 

Maybe now that he surpassed Michael Jordan in All-Star appearances, he'll let that go and focus on truly being a member of the King's court -- and, hopefully, more than just the jester. --Bucher

 

Bucher's name to know: Anthony Parker

 

While Shaq's acquisition grabbed all the attention, Parker is an equally important new piece that has to fit for the Cavs to cover the weaknesses that left them wanting last season.

 

The perfect antidote for what ailed the Cavs would've been Trevor Ariza, a long, athletic swingman to guard the Paul Pierces, Hedo Turkoglus, Joe Johnsons and Andre Iguodalas, all of whom are tough matchups for Cleveland's undersized backcourt of West and Mo Williams. (Three of the four are listed as 3s, but until Cleveland decides to fully utilize LeBron at both ends, the backcourt will have to provide defensive cover.) Parker is athletic for a 34-year old and both smart enough and willing to play team defense, but he's not a lockdown defender. He's actually a slightly taller, thicker version of Delonte and Mo -- solid 3-point shooter (39 percent) and offensive facilitator (2.4 A/TO ratio) but not a finisher at the rim and an average rebounder (one every eight minutes) for a guard.

 

The Cavs also added Parker's former Toronto teammate, Moon, as an option if he doesn't pan out. But Moon's uneven play and questionable decision-making won't fly with detail-oriented coach Mike Brown. For now, it's Parker or bust. --Bucher

 

[CIMO.]

Fanhouse says Jamario Moon is the player to watch

 

 

The market on Jamario Moon has been all over the place since he arrived in the NBA from various minor leagues and the D-League. At the tender age of 27, he was a Rookie of the Year candidate in 2007. Then he was a struggling sophomore at 28. He was traded to Miami and seemed to be a favorite target for Dwyane Wade for halfcourt alley-oops. But injury and a lack of cohesiveness with the Miami offense led to frustrations along with the Heat's first-round exit at the hands of the Hawks.

 

And now, four years after playing for the Arkansas RimRockers, a D-League team no longer in existence, Jamario Moon finds himself the reserve for a King.

 

The Cavs signed Moon to an offer sheet this summer, and his arrival on the team marks a striking departure for Cavalier forwards. Because he's actually a real small forward. The Cavs frontcourt above Center-level has consisted over the last few years of oversized shooting guard Wally Szczerbiak, center-convert Ben Wallace, and... whatever Anderson Varejao is, to go along with LeBron James, who is simultaneously very much a power forward, very much a point-forward, and very much just the best basketball player on the planet.

 

But Moon brings something the Cavs can use in several rotations. When LeBron shifts to the power forward position, Moon can play a traditional wing position. His 36% 3-point shooting puts another perimeter scorer on the floor, and his ability to play above the rim means LeBron has someone else to work with in the fast break.

 

Moon's not going to light the world on fire, but while all of the offseason attention has been paid to The Big Ridicuous Nickname For Only An Above Average Player At This Point, the acquisition of Moon is the kind of move LeBron would have salivated over just a few years ago. It represents a further deepening of their roster, and a move towards more lineup flexibility, a popular trend in the NBA and something that burned them against the Magic. While Shaquille O'Neal can help with defending Dwight Howard, Moon allows LeBron to defend Rashard Lewis or Ryan Anderson, while Moon takes the other. And it's the addition of Moon and Anthony Parker as much as Shaq that may help the Cavs finally, finally, reach the promised land.

 

The question is if Moon's athleticism and abilities will be able to mesh with the rest of the Cavs. He'll need to develop chemistry with Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Anthony Parker as well as LeBron, and be able to demonstrate the defensive acumen necessary to warrant Mike Brown's trust in getting him on the floor. And since rebounding and fundamentals are so central to the Cavs' approach, and they have a fair amount of perimeter shooters, Moon also needs to attack the boards. It's a high standard Moon's being asked to rise to, but if he's able to, he'll find himself in a position to contribute to a championship team. And that would certainly make for a nice high point on the rollercoaster of Moon's career.

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/10/22/fanhous...view-cavaliers/

[CIMO.]

And how about the commissioner's take on the King....

 

LeBron James may be the "best player ever" says David Stern, who hopes James stays in Cleveland

By Starting Blocks

October 22, 2009, 5:28PM

Tracy Boulian, The Plain Dealer

 

Cavaliers forward LeBron James gets quite a compliment from NBA commissioner David Stern.NBA commissioner David Stern says Cleveland Cavaliers forward and league MVP LeBron James "may be the best player ever to descend to this planet," and hopes that James will play out his NBA career in Cleveland.

 

Stern made the comments in an interview for "The $ports Take" with Rick Horrow, known as "The Sports Professor." The complete interview with Stern will be shown next Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time on the Versus television network.

 

Says Stern about James:

 

"You know, he hasn't won anything yet but he may be the best player ever to descend to this planet. It's a delight to watch him; it's a delightto watch him grow, to see his width and breadth, in terms of his interest and capacities. He's a great kid and a great player."

 

Referring to observers who claim James is over-rated, Stern says, with a reference to Michael Jordan:

 

"He may be the best player ever to have played. Michael might dispute that, but he has a lot of canvas yet on which to paint. I have no doubt the picture is going to be beautiful."

 

James can become an unrestricted free agent after this season. Asked if he has any guess where James will play next season and beyond, Stern replies:

 

"None whatsoever, although I hope it's in Cleveland."

http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/...best_playe.html

[CIMO.]

Here's the 15 man roster

 

1 - Daniel Gibson

14 - Danny Green

21 - J.J. Hickson

11 - Zydrunas Ilgauskas

00 - Darnell Jackson

23 - LeBron James

5 - Coby Karl

15 - Jamario Moon

33 - Shaquille O’Neal

18 - Anthony Parker

44 - Leon Powe

17 - Anderson Varejao

13 - Delonte West

31 - Jawad Williams

2 - Mo Williams

[CIMO.]

And apparently Coby Karl isn't a white guy.

 

From the Akron Beacon Journal:

Coby Karl said he knows that he has to be something other than the stereotype of white guys in the NBA.

 

'I just consider myself a basketball player. Being a white basketball player gives the perception that you shoot the ball very well. I don't think I shoot exceptionally well,'' he said. ''I can shoot, but I can do other things. I can handle the ball, pass the ball, run the pick and roll. I can even run the point.''

 

Karl's not claiming to be a victim here. This isn't like when Jason Kapono told reporters at a pre-draft camp that "I should have left UCLA after my freshman year, played in Croatia, grown a beard and changed my name to Vladimir Kaponovich. That would have been perfect." But, regardless of what you think of Karl as a prospect, it's clear that he doesn't want to end up on a team as a long-range threat at the end of the bench. He's worked too hard to become more than that and would prefer his all-around game not be ignored on account of stereotypes. If it's not to snuff, fine, but Karl just wants that chance to, well, be himself.

http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Basel...taken_seriously

http://www.ohio.com/sports/thomas/64706267.html

[CIMO.]

First game of the season tonight at 7:30 eastern on TNT.

 

Here's Windhorst's preview

 

Windhorst Beat Blog: Delonte West "doubtful" vs. Celtics

By Brian Windhorst

October 27, 2009, 12:20PM

 

Cavaliers guard Delonte West is now doubtful to play in tonight's season opener against the Boston Celtics. Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics -- Pregame

 

Starting lineups

 

Celtics: Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins.

 

Cavs: Mo Williams, Anthony Parker, LeBron James, Anderson Varejao, Shaquille O'Neal

 

Officials: Steve Javie, Tony Brothers, Derek Richardson

 

• Delonte West was listed as doubtful by the Cavs following shootaround this morning at The Q. This is not surprising but it is a disappointment, not just for the fans but also the players. Yesterday LeBron James said he was hoping West would be able to join the team for the first big game. This continued yo-yoing, even within the team, must cause distraction, no matter what anyone says.

 

• Glen Davis is out of tonight's game with a broken right thumb, which he suffered in a fight with a college teammate Saturday. Reports out of Boston suggest he could miss the next 4-6 weeks and that the Celtics owner, who is not pleased, may suspend him for his actions. The short term impact on the Cavs is this: the Celtics are a little thin up front because Brian Scalabrine is also out. So expect big doses of Rasheed Wallace and Shelden Williams tonight off the bench. This is the depth the Celtics didn't have last season, especially after current Cav Leon Powe got hurt.

 

• Strategically, tonight keep an eye on how the Celtics decide to defend Shaquille O'Neal early. Last week in Columbus in a preseason game Boston played Shaq 1-on-1 and he had success against both Perkins and Wallace. It is the Celtics nature to play this way as much as possible, last year in the playoffs Perkins did an excellent job holding Dwight Howard in check by himself. The Cavs might look to test that early.

 

• As for an adjustment the Cavs will make, look for them to pay more attention to Marquis Daniels, who scored 19 points on them last week working mostly off the weakside. The Cavs will be keeping a closer eye on him off the bench.

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/20...delonte_we.html

[TN Browns Backer]

First game of the season tonight at 7:30 eastern on TNT.

 

Here's Windhorst's preview

 

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/20...delonte_we.html

 

Anyone gonna be on here tonight to discuss the game as it goes on?

[CIMO.]

Love it so far. LeBron already makes his highlight reel block, Parker looks very solid.

 

And you can already tell Shaq and Varejao are just night and day on offense. It's pretty nice seeing a 7 footer just dropping the ball in the net instead of squirming around trying to get space for a fadeaway jumper.

 

Hickson looks skittish so far, hope he settles down.

[TN Browns Backer]

Shaq being night and day is so perfect hah. I do admit though its beautiful having someone down low who is gonna back up and turn on other centers. We have been missing that since we became competitive

[CIMO.]

So much for the new and improved perimeter D. We're getting killed from 3.

[TN Browns Backer]

Yea we got rocked. Once again the one difference between us and Boston/Orlando is the 3 pointer in crucial moments. Did you notice the ball was always to LeBron except the one pass walker dropped out of bounds to shoot the 3's? LeBron can shoot all the 3's in the final 2 minutes we need another person to step up in that roll

[Kosar_For_President]

Yea we got rocked. Once again the one difference between us and Boston/Orlando is the 3 pointer in crucial moments. Did you notice the ball was always to LeBron except the one pass walker dropped out of bounds to shoot the 3's? LeBron can shoot all the 3's in the final 2 minutes we need another person to step up in that roll

 

Mo. I can't stand the 4 other players standing around looking at LeBron. Cut, set a pick, something!

[bonedawg]

Glad to see the gameplan of 4 guys watching LeBron play basketball carried over to this season. The new guys seem to have picked the style up quickly.

[CIMO.]

I thought Shaq looked good in the halfcourt game, offense and defense. Everyone else (besides LeBron) was pretty invisible. Moon had a nice dunk, Parker had his moments.

 

The bench has to be much better, at the least be able to hold leads...they got torched when LeBron sat down. Once Delonte gets back I think he should run the 2nd unit...I still don't trust Gibson.

 

Varejao needs to get out of the paint on offense, especially when he's playing with Shaq...his post game is just embarrassing.

 

 

A win would've been huge, but I don't put too much into the loss. Still learning how to mesh with all the new guys, and missing Delonte is big. I don't think anything's changed....still a top 3 team in the east and nothing really matters until the playoffs.

[CIMO.]

On the bright side...there are plenty of great players with big contracts on struggling teams we can rob.

 

Rudy Gay, Memphis

Monta Ellis, Golden State

Kevin Martin, Sacramento

Al Jefferson, Minnesota

Michael Redd, Milwaukee

 

I can pretty much guarantee at least one of those guys will be traded for cap relief....with Redd most likely given his age, then Martin since (from what I've heard) the Kings are in terrible shape financially, then Gay because....it's Memphis. Ellis and Jefferson are wildcards, but if their teams aren't winning and the fans aren't coming to games, I could see them on the block.

 

Whatever happens, it's going to be a loooong regular season, and a crazy trade deadline.

[TN Browns Backer]

This is ridiculous. We have the slowest front court in basketball right now. The best thing to happen to this team may be Shaq hurting his knee, missing 99% of the season, and coming back for the playoffs. This is absurd we should not lose to Hedo and the raptors.

 

For the record I despise Hedo....

[CIMO.]

For the "LeBron is pissed! He knows he can't win here!" crowd...

 

"Early in my career, I'd get very upset when you lose two or three games, you'd just feel like you can't turn it around. But I'm at a point in my career now where I know that you can lose two but, at the same time, you don't look too far into it. You learn from the mistakes and you just try to get better.

 

I'm still positive. If it was 25 or 35 games into the season and we were going through a three- or four-game losing streak, then I'd be a little bit disappointed, but I'm not at this point."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=291028028

[CIMO.]

On the bright side...there are plenty of great players with big contracts on struggling teams we can rob.

 

Rudy Gay, Memphis

Monta Ellis, Golden State

Kevin Martin, Sacramento

Al Jefferson, Minnesota

Michael Redd, Milwaukee

 

I can pretty much guarantee at least one of those guys will be traded for cap relief....with Redd most likely given his age, then Martin since (from what I've heard) the Kings are in terrible shape financially, then Gay because....it's Memphis. Ellis and Jefferson are wildcards, but if their teams aren't winning and the fans aren't coming to games, I could see them on the block.

 

Whatever happens, it's going to be a loooong regular season, and a crazy trade deadline.

 

Looks like Monta is the first up in that list, and could be the easiest to grab with the Warriors a total mess.

 

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2009...ade-inevitable/

 

Maybe a Z, Delonte and pick(s) package to get us a 20 ppg scorer who just turned 24 years old. He's not ideal since he's only 6'3 and can't man up on defense, but he could be a perfect fit for the offense. I think his scoring averages (16.5, 20.2 19.3 the last 3 years) are legit considering he's played next to ballhogs like Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson the last few years. Good penetrator, Iverson kind of player. Like what Larry Hughes was supposed to be.