Last game: Jan 21, Cleveland Cavaliers 93 – Los Angeles Lakers 87
Next game: vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, Jan 23 7:30pm ET

This wasnt the type of start that people expected. Delonte’s return should do a lot to help the team on both sides of the ball. Shaq has looked awful thus far in the season, out of shape, clogging up driving lanes on offense and not defending the pick and roll on defense and these things will continue to be a problem espically when they play the better teams.

But the slow start is now behind them, Hickson continues to improve on a nightly basis, Mo Williams has found his shot again. The Cavaliers missed out on Stephen Jackson but with Hickson playing the way he is, they might be willing to use Big Z’s expiring in a future deal, because i still think they are a piece of way from being the favorites in the east.

Trade idea 1 – Cavaliers trade Big Z to the Warriors for Monta Ellis… the Cavs and Warriors could throw Delonte West and Ronny Turiaf in the trade
Trade idea 2 – Cavaliers trade Delonte West, a resigned Wally Z and a first round pick to the Warriors for Monta Ellis

The Cavaliers big move of the offseason was trading for Shaquille O’Neal but i think the signing of Leon Powe was a sneaky good move, tho Powe will be out with an injury till around March. The Cavs did add some athleticism on the wings as well with Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker. The big question people tend to be asking is if Shaq will be able to play the back seat to LeBron but i think the better question is does Shaq fit with this team at all? Can Shaq stay fit with this team now that he doesnt have the Suns Training Staff? The Cavaliers have some contracts that they can move and i expect them to make another move before the trading deadline, even though they got better this offseason, Boston and Orlando did too.

Key Additions: Shaquille O’Neal, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, Daniel Green, Leon Powe

Key Subtractions: Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Sasha Pavlovic, Wally Szczerbiak

Projected Starting Lineup: Mo Williams/ Delonte West/ LeBron James/ Anderson Varejao/ Shaquille O’Neal

Key Reserves: Daniel Gibson, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, Zydrunas Ilgauskas

-Bennice

Kobe Bryant and Dywane Wade are two of the best players in the league today and both had the help of Shaq to win their first championship in the NBA. When the Cavaliers introduced Shaquille O’Neal to the media last week he vowed to, “Win a ring for the King”. He’s delivered in the past with Wade and Bryant and now another elite superstar will need his help. With LeBron James entering the final year of his contract (it’s almost a given that he’ll opt out next season), the Cavaliers front office is feeling the pressure to make one last stand to try and convince James that Cleveland is where he wants to be.

The off-season hasn’t gone too well for the Cavaliers thus far as they’ve missed out on Ron Artest, Trevor Ariza, and Rasheed Wallace. Two of the three players, James personally contacted to try and convince to come to Cleveland. Artest claims the Cavaliers never made him an offer and Ariza says they wouldn’t promise him a starting gig, so he went to Houston where it’s almost a given that he’ll be able to start. Danny Ferry is under intense pressure right now to try and satisfy James and if LeBron does walk, expect Ferry to be on his way out of town as well.

LeBron James continues to reiterate that he’s happy in Cleveland, but most of the national media already has him in New York playing for the Knicks or Nets. Who’s telling the truth? Well there is no way to know exactly, but the truth may come sooner than the Summer of 2010, more like July 22nd of 2009. That’s when James is eligible to sign an extension that would keep him in Cleveland for many years to come. If he doesn’t accept the Cavaliers extension, the media will be all over the decision.

James is suppose to say he’s happy where he is now, even if he’s not. The sports writers all know that it’s all about ratings and stories about James leaving and joining the Knicks or Nets will get recognition and sales and they’ll continue to do it until James’ final decision is made. So for Cavaliers fans out there, just because James says he’s happy doesn’t mean he’s truly happy nor does that mean he has intentions on leaving. He loves the attention and will let this play out and may even turn down an extension to keep it going. That doesn’t mean he’s going anywhere though.

By: Dustin Chapman

Transactions

• Selected J.J. Hickson 19th overall.

• Traded a 2009 second round draft pick to Miami for the rights to Darnell Jackson (52nd overall).

• Acquired the rights to Sasha Kaun (56th overall) from Seattle in exchange for cash considerations.

Hickson was a bit of a reach up at 19, and surprised many. He’s got some long-term upside, but he’ll likely take a few years to come into his own. Cleveland needs help now; Hickson may not be ready to give them what they need. Down the road, he could be a player, but the Cavaliers aren’t about potential. They want to win. Hickson is an interesting prospect, but was he the right fit?

Darnell Jackson may be able to crack the roster with his athleticism, strength, and tenacity. He could be sent to the D-League early on, but he may have a shot at sticking in the league.

Sasha Kaun, a teammate of Jackson at Kansas, may look like a solid value pick at 56 based on the name, but don’t expect the 2008 NCAA Champion to wear a Cavaliers jersey for quite some time. Kaun has reportedly signed a multi-year deal overseas, where he’ll get an opportunity to refine his skills and earn extra money for himself early in his professional career.

Grade: C

ESPN.com reports:

Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson had arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle Tuesday and is expected to be ready for training camp.

The second-year guard, a restricted free agent, had the operation in Houston, his hometown. The team said he is expected to start rehab next week.

Gibson sprained his ankle Feb. 20 at Indiana and sat out 18 games. He missed the final two games of the playoff series against Boston with a separated shoulder.

One of the Cavs’ best outside shooters, he averaged 10.4 points in 58 games. He was named MVP of the All-Star Rookie/Sophomore game in New Orleans when he made a record 11 3-pointers.

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Posted By: Dustin Chapman

According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao will pass up the opportunity to play for the Brazilian National Team this summer.

Anderson Varejao’s season with the Cleveland Cavaliers dramatically was altered by one false step. Now it is affecting his summer plans, too.

A Cavaliers’ official confirmed Thursday that Varejao has informed Cleveland he has decided not to play this summer for the Brazilian National Team. Varejao will devote the offseason to rehabbing his left ankle instead.

Varejao suffered a sprain and partial ligament tear in the ankle and was out for a month after stepping on Los Angeles Lakers’ guard Sasha Vujacic’s foot during a game in January.

He was never the same after the injury. His agility and jumping ability showed lingering effects, and he averaged 6.7 points and 8.3 rebounds for the season.

Varejao did not play for the national team last summer because he was in contract talks with the Cavs and caring for his parents, both of whom were recovering from surgery. Brazil has yet to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

Posted By: Dustin Chapman

Cavaliers guard Daniel “Boobie” Gibson suffered a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s Game 5 matchup in Boston, and was later diagnosed with a shoulder separation. The timetable for the second-year sharpshooter’s return is one to two weeks, which would keep him out for the remainder of this Semi-Finals series against the Celtics.

In Gibson’s absence, Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown will likely be forced to turn to Damon Jones to handle backup duties behind Delonte West. Jones has been known as one of the league’s deadliest long-range bombers when he is hot, but is just as notorious for being an overconfident defensive liability.

LeBron James has not lost focus, nor his confidence, however. Following Wednesday night’s 96-89 loss, which put Cleveland down 3-2 in the series, James had this to say:

“We know it’s a win-or-go-home situation. We’ve got to approach it that way,” LeBron James said after Wednesday night’s loss. “We’re a very good team at home. But a LeBron James team is never desperate.”

We’ll see if “King James” can live up to his word at “The Q” in Friday night’s Game 6. If he fails to do so, and Boston somehow finds a way to rack up their first postseason road victory, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season will come to a close.

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Posted By: Dustin Chapman

The Cavaliers couldn’t stop one man. One man in the closing minute was to much for Cleveland to handle. It had actually been the whole team that the Cavaliers were having problems guarding. None the less, Deron Williams was the tip of Utah dagger that was being slowly plunged into the heart of the Cavaliers ever since the end of the first quarter.

The first quarter started out nicely enough for LeBron and company in a hostle Utah enviroment. Varejao was starting in place of Ilgauskas, who was attending to some family problems back home. The rookie Gibson would also start in place of Eric Snow.

Varejao came out flat. Unable to stay with Okur no matter how hard he tried. Okur would set a pick-and-roll for a Utah guard. Varejao fell for it every time. Taking the Turkish bait that Okur maliciously placed before him. Varejao smothered the guard coming off of Okur’s pick. The problem with this was that he never went back to guarding Okur. He would stay with the guard, now double-teaming him, since the other Cleveland defender is still guarding the Jazz guard. This left Okur wide open every time. It was to easy for the man from Turkey, he would proceed to nail that open jumper the whole night. Varejao would keep losing sight of Okur the whole game. Okur would go backdoor, baseline, come off screens, move without the ball, and basically anything else he felt like doing. He would get away from Varejao, getting open and being a scoring threat. This was the biggest reason Okur had 22 points at the end of the game. Sasha was another Cavalier having problem with the screens and off ball movement of the Utah Jazz. Sasha couldn’t seem to get around Utah’s big men while he was chasing Gordan Giricek all over the court. This allowed Giricek to get open and shoot the ball.

In the first quarter alone, the Utah’s off ball movement on offense was a sight to see. They were able to rub off screens, slip back door, and find open spaces that the Cavaliers weren’t keeping track of. They were able to have at least one man open the whole first quarter, and this would only be a prelude to what was to come the rest of the game. The brightside for the Cavaliers was that the Utah Jazz couldn’t hit their shots. Cleveland shot a whole ten percent better than Utah from the field. This, would change however.

The whole first quarter didn’t go this bad for the Cavaliers, I did say it started out nicely didn’t I? LeBron was on fire in the first. Him and Hughes were playing nice solid on ball defense. Plugging up passing lanes and slapping away at anything that came near them. The Cavaliers controlled the boards with 15 team rebounds while the Jazz were able to nab 7. LeBron ended the quarter with 10 points and the Cavaliers ended with 29 to the Jazz’s 19.

The second quarter appeared to be another good one for the Cavs. The subs came into the game and Eric Snow turned on his physical defense like he usually does. He was able to stop a three-on-one fast break all by himself (hence the term, on-one). Hughes was again brilliant on both ends of the court. At one point in the second, he pump faked and got Deron Williams to bite. Hughes then jumped under Williams and shot the ball, swooshing a shot from 18 feet out and getting the foul. He then completed the and-1 play.

Then, about half way through the second, the game took a turn for the worse. Deron Williams began his “Deron’ization” of the Cavaliers. His weapon of choice? His cross-over. Slicing and dicing, he forced Coach Brown to take Gibson off him and to move Hughes over in his place. Hughes did a nice job, but he wasn’t able to guard him every Utah possession. There was three times in a row that Varejao, some how, was forced to take on Deron at the top of the key. He failed miserably each time. Giricek was again killing the Cavaliers on his off ball movement. But this time, teammate Matt Harpring (known for his sharp shooting) decided to get in the action as well. Utah did a better job of making their shots, but it still wasn’t enough to seal the lead. Each time they caught up to the Cavaliers, LeBron would begin a drive to push the lead back to double digits. At one point the Jazz were with in two. The score was 43-41. LeBron had the ball with only a few ticks left on the shot clock. He launched it up. He nailed it. This sparked a 9-0 run for Cleveland. The end of the quarter however, with .04 left on the game clock, Deron Williams hit a fade-away jumper. This was the turning point for the Jazz, and the crowd knew it.

Varejao started the second half off better than his did the first. He was able to contain Okur and he was a beast on the offensive and defensive boards. He would rack up 17 rebounds before it was all said and done, but he wasn’t able to get the most important rebound at the end of the game.

Gooden hit the Cavaliers first bucket, in fact, he had the Cavaliers first eight points in the second half. He ended the game with a double-double.

Larry Hughes was a work of art all game, he was set to add to his 19 points in the first half. He was slashing to the hoop and pouring on the threes. His defense was killer and the motivation the Cavaliers would need in the closing minutes of the game.

Deron Williams and his cross-over brought the game to with in one with a dish to Millsap. LeBron pushed the lead up a bit with a three point buzzer beater over two Jazz defenders to end the third.

The game is in the closing minutes, only two to go. Okur is left open by Varejao again, and again he hits a three. Hughes comes back, slashing to the hoop, to answer with an and-1 play. This wasn’t enough for the Cavaliers who were unable to locate the open man. The Jazz loved setting screens off the ball with in the foul line and its surrounding area. The Cavaliers seemed not to notice this tad bit of info the whole game.

The Cavaliers were now down by six and there was left than a minute left. Hughes turned on the the heat defensively and offensively as did LeBron. Off an out let pass, LeBron tore down the court, blazing past everyone, to score a lay-up and get the game closer. Hughes and LeBron both played hard nosed defense, the kind of defense that no matter what team you liked or who you hated, you couldn’t help but to watch with adoration. They were able to bring the game with in one point, 98-99. The Jazz had the ball with around 28 seconds left. Deron Williams, the all-star should be, brought the ball down the court. He tried his cross-over to jumper that had already been successful twice during this last minute of play. This time it didn’t work. He missed the shot. The ball bounced right with in Vajerao’s grasp, he tried to snatch it out of the air. He wasn’t able to, the rookie Millsap did it for him. The game was seemingly over now. But as fate would have it, Millsap made a big rookie mistake- he began to panic. He then just half threw, half dropped the ball and Sasha scooped it up. Sasha raced to Utah’s basket with 2 seconds left. He ran into a Utah defender who tried to draw a charge. Shasha through up the half court shot, but it fell short. As did the Cavaliers.

Two big things kept the Cavaliers from winning this game:

The first, was the fact that they couldn’t keep their defensive triangles. They kept losing their men off screens or whatever else. The Jazz had to many wide open jumpers.

The second, was Deron Williams. Who’s passing ability, jumper, and cross-over was enough to destroy any hopes the Cavaliers had of winning the game. The “Deron’ization” ended with a career high 33 points, 12 assists, 2 steals, 6 rebounds, and only 2 turnovers.

The Cavaliers, who looked strong coming out of the first quarter, had been Deron’ized. They knew they should have won. You could see it in their faces at the end of the game. The way they were pleading with the refs for them to call a foul on the shot Sasha took at the end. The way LeBron stood at half court, dumbfounded. The way Larry Hughes just hung his head and walked off the court.

The Cavaliers didn’t shake any hands that game. They didn’t congratulate anyone. They just walked to the locker room, looking at the confetti that had now worked its way to the floor, laying there, reminding the Cavs of what had happend, mocking them. The Cavs had lost by one point, they had lost a lead they were, for the most part, in control of the whole game- and they knew it.

-Drake