When the Cleveland Cavaliers went 19-63 during the 2010-11 season after a 61-21 season the year before, it was hard not to vilify “he who shall not be named” at least a little while longer. The franchise had grown accustomed to winning, with the buzz of Cavaliers basketball echoing in every restaurant and sports bar in downtown Cleveland. Overnight, the excitement was gone.

Last season, the Cavaliers were the second worst franchise in the NBA. It is hard to believe after the horrific season they had, the Minnesota Timberwolves were actually worse with a record of 17-65.

Their luck started to change when they traded the widely popular Mo Williams(notes) and Jamario Moon(notes) to the Los Angeles Clippers for Baron Davis(notes) and what would become the No. 1 pick in the draft. That pick would in turn bring rookie PG Kyrie Irving(notes) to the Cavs.

Cleveland is now in an interesting position where they can keep Davis, utilizing his skill and experience on the court as well as his ability to mentor young Irving, or use their amnesty clause to waive him and remove the $28.7 million owed to Davis over the next two years.

Outspoken owner Dan Gilbert is not tight with his pocketbook so for once a decision will be made on what is best for the team from a more broad standpoint over what is best for the bottom line.

With their own No. 4 pick in the draft, the Cavs selected a defensive powerhouse in PF/SF Tristan Thompson(notes). Many fans were left scratching their head after the announcement was made, preferring the likes of C Jonas Valanciunas(notes) or SF/PF Jan Vesely(notes) to Thompson. I do, however, think he will surprise a lot of critics with his contributions to the team right from the start.

Will Irving and Thompson lead the Cleveland Cavaliers back to the playoffs this season? It is unlikely, but they will become the foundation for a rebuilt franchise that was once centered on a single player that often dictated his demands. The team has learned its lesson and will likely make better decisions moving forward.

It is a year of rebuilding for the Cavs, but Irving and Thompson will surely add excitement to this year’s squad.

Sources:

All data provided by NBA.com

Paul Rados is an avid Cleveland Cavaliers fan and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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Physical condition was one of the concerns once the players returned from the lockout, writes News-Herald reporter Bob Finnan.

One player the Cavaliers don’t have to worry about is small forward Omri Casspi, Finnan writes. He suffered a strained medial collateral ligament in his left knee in August while training with the Israeli national team.

The 6-foot-9, 225-pounder had two MRIs performed on his knee. The second one about three weeks ago gave him a clean bill of health.

“It came out extremely well,” he said. “My knee was fully recovered. I’ve been working out for the last two months and am ready to go.”

The Cavaliers acquired Casspi from Sacramento along with a conditioning first-round pick in June in exchange for J.J. Hickson.

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Tyrell Biggs relishes role with Canton Charge (CantonRep).

Read More: nba lockout, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Hornets, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte Bobcats, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers

The first two weeks of the 2011-2012 NBA Season have been cancelled after the league failed to reach an agreement with the Player’s Association on Monday night (Oct. 10, 2011).

As a result, the following games on the Boston Celtics schedule have been cancelled:

Nov. 2: Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics
Nov. 4: Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks
Nov. 5: Boston Celtics at Indiana Pacers
Nov. 9: Charlotte Bobcats at Boston Celtics
Nov. 11: Los Angeles Clippers at Boston Celtics
Nov. 12: Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers

Unfortunately the work stoppage may continue after the two-week period expires as no new developments have been reported and the two sides are currently far apart on most (if not all) of the major sticking points.

The NBA and the Player’s Association are expected to meet at some point next week, which leaves them little time to save the remainder of the season if by some miracle the wrinkles are ironed out in time to play ball.

Omri Casspi(notes) is now the answer to two NBA trivia questions: Who was the first Israeli to play in the NBA? And who was involved in the final trade before the 2011 lockout got underway?

Now Casspi may become the answer to another trivia question: What NBA player went to work for another in France during the lockout? ESPN reports that the Cleveland Cavaliers small forward (who spent his first two seasons in the league with the Sacramento Kings) is “giving strong consideration to signing with ASVEL in France’s top division,” which just happens to be the same team that San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker(notes) co-owns and serves as the vice president of basketball operations for.

It had been thought that Casspi would sign a deal with Maccabi Tel-Aviv, but the two sides agreed that a deal couldn’t be made, the site reports.

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Source: ESPN

Related: Tony Parker, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs