Finally A Cleveland Team To Get Excitited About!
Why the Cavs can win it all this year......
1.) We have LeBron. It all begins with the MVP. LeBron gets better every year. He adds a new wrinkle to his game, or tweaks a ‘weakness’. Even through all his public appearances this off season LeBron was busy finding gyms all around the world to work on his game. Shooting coach, Chris Jent often accompanied him. As did JJ Hickson. LeBron says he worked on his post game this time around. That is excellent news. LeBron is such a freakish athlete that the only players quick enough to stop him have no chance against him in the paint. He should overpower smaller opponents this season. I wouldn’t have called it a weakness before, as he really wasn’t a post-up kind of player. This could be the begining of an incredible run for LeBron. Jordan didn’t become the most dominant player in the league until he perfected his outside game. The same might be true of the post for LeBron.I can’t think of a player that has the ability to dominate from the outside and the inside quite like LeBron could. That is excellent news for Cavalier fans.
2.) That bitter taste. Certainly Cleveland FANS didn’t need another bitter defeat to want a title more, but perhaps it will help the team. LeBron has said that his motivation to win has never been higher. Mo Williams had never experienced anything like the playoffs before. Varejao, Ilgauskas, Jackson and Hickson had to live with haunting memories of Dwight Howard all summer. It has been said that you don’t know what you have until you lose it. The Cavs had a special team and special run last season, but all of that was washed away by the disappointment of not finishing the job. That sort of thing can be a great motivator.
3.) A guy that’s been there. If the Cavs lacked anything last season, it was size to defend Howard in the middle, a tall athletic wing player to defend the perimeter, and someone who’s won it all before in the clubhouse. The Cavs pulled the trigger to bring in Shaq and filled the first and last of those requirements. The most important thing to remember about Shaq: we don’t need him to be the go to guy. If Shaq averages 12 points a game and 20-25 minutes that is just fine. Shaq is here for the playoffs. Period. Save him. Keep him rested. Remember who Shaq replaced on this roster- Ben Wallace. What did you expect out of Wallace last year? Not a lot. Shaq gives you twice what Ben did, and I liked Ben.
4.) Jamario Moon. Getting back to what the Cavs were missing from last season, Jamario Moon fits the bill. Shaq had the big press conference with school children chanting his name, balloons and welcome signs, but the Moon and Parker signings will turn out to be just as important for this team. Jamario is going to become a fan favorite. He plays tough defense and can absolutely fly through the air. He also has no ego. He could care less about starting. He wants to come in and make an impact on the game. Guarding LeBron in practice is going to make both of them better. And putting Moon on the opposing team’s best scorer is going to let LeBron rest some during the game. I was hoping for Matt Barnes when free agency began. I still think Barnes would have been a good fit, but I never expected Moon to be available. Kudos to Danny Ferry for the way that he snagged Jamario.
5.) Anthony Parker. Whew. With the mess that we find Delonte West in, how big is that Parker signing now? Parker is more than just a body brought in for depth. Anthony has been an effective starter in this league, and with the talent surrounding him who knows what his ceiling is? Just like the rest of you I hope that Delonte gets his life straightened around, and then he gets back to basketball (in that order) but in the meantime Parker will hold down the fort at the number 2.
6.) Don’t forget Powe. The Cavs have already made a move that will help them at the all-star break. Leon Powe is recovering from surgery and should be back by February. It will take him awhile to get his game legs and such, but by playoff time, Powe should be ready to play significant minutes. If nothing else, adding Powe weakens the Celtics. And that is fine by me. Powe will give the Cavs a formidable rotation for the playoffs with Shaq, Varejao, Ilgauskas, Hickson and Jackson.
7.) A year of experience. Speaking of Hickson and Jackson, the pair from last year’s draft class have been through the grinder of a full NBA season and should improve like most sophomores do. We’ve seen in the preseason that JJ bulked up a little, and hopefully his work with James will go a long way in his development. It can’t hurt them to have Shaq to watch and practice with either.
8.) Mo-mentum. Mo Williams should be the player that benefits most from the additions that Ferry made in the off season. There was a lot of pressure on Mo to be the Robin to LeBron’s Batman. And Mo did well to fill that role, at least in the regular season. But adding a low post threat in Shaq, a solid perimeter player in Parker, and an athletic wing that can create his own shot in Moon, Mo Williams will not need to be the second leading scorer every night. And that should open things up for him. Yes, there are issues still about who will back up Mo, but when LeBron goes to the bench to rest Mo won’t be the only scorer on the floor anymore.
9.) Danny Ferry and Dan Gilbert. Hey, it sure is nice to know that someone in a Cleveland front office a) has the green light to spend money and b) has a clue about what the team needs. The Cavs have some pieces that can be moved if the team is struggling in some area. they also have no reservations about pulling the trigger. Yes, the Shaq deal could have been made mid-season which could have changed the outcome of last year’s playoffs. Consider that a lesson learned.
10.) Win a ring and keep the King. The cloud hanging over this season is LeBron’s free agency. I actually don’t think that LeBron’s staying or leaving is actually dependent on winning a title this season. I’m referring to a statement in this piece by Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Like it or not rest of the world, Cleveland is in the best position to sign the MVP. I think the Cavs can do both this season. And that isn’t just blind optimism.
And finally, I leave you with this. A Cavs video to get you pumped for the season....
