All the analysts who predicted the Cavaliers would only 20-30 games were tricked by how dominating Lebron was. He controlled the ball for at least half of the 24 seconds, every single game. Jump shooters stood on the wing like gargoyles, waiting ever so desperately for the chance to participate. Hickson and Varejao made random cuts to the middle, just in case Lebron decided to pass. And Mo? Well…

Mo Williams, you are a free man! You can now take control of this team the way you’ve always wanted.

Daniel Gibson…you are free to be the Dell Curry of this generation.

J.J. Hickson. Congratulations! You will no longer be publicly chastised by Lebron for being ‘inexperienced’ or forgetting to do something. You are a man.

Anderson Varejao! You now have starter’s minutes and the chance to finally average a double-double. Don’t even think about leaving to become a bench guy for a contending team. This is your season to finally prove yourself.

Ramon Sessions! You are new, but can you please be the speed/tone-setter. By that I mean more like a Rondo guard. No shooting, only tempo, and sharp passes. I see your talent…your role is crystallizing.

Other players to be discussed later…

Will we float around .500 most of the year? Perhaps. Put yourself in this team’s shoes. Most of these players have been living under a shadow for three years. Most of these players are trying to remember what made them so good ‘individually’ in the first place. Most of these players are still trying to fathom shooting more than 8 times in one game.

It’s going to get better. The third quarter is going to get better. Halftime is mentally kicking their ass.  My belief is that this team plays best when it plays on instinct. And when they get back into that locker room, high from ‘mattering’, high from being useful, they come back to reality.

This team is only going to improve. And I got to tell you, if they can sneak into the playoffs and play that ‘beloved’ Heat team, I wouldn’t be surprised if something miraculous happens, because when it comes down to it, Byron Scott is a chemistry coach, and he’s got a group of guys who have played together, yet never really gotten a chance to show each other what they’re made of. By the end of this season, the chemistry will be set, and it will be better than that Heat squad.

Buckle up.

Mo Williams, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Antawn Jamison, Shaquille O’Neal (with J.J. splitting the time so they can run small ball. )

Look, I know what you’re thinking. They’re washed up. They’ve got nothing left. Iverson, McGrady, and Shaq can’t play together. All of them want the ball all the time.

I could see the vets yucking it up. I could see Shaq make jokes: “We’re the Geriatric Trio.” But I could see them playing with absolute purpose, knowing full well the idea of compromise. Think about it. Iverson has his stats. He wants respect. McGrady has shown his skills. He wants respect, and a playoff series win. Shaq, with each season, wants to prove over and over again that he can still dominate the big men in the league. Do you see him absolutely destroying the Heat center….(sorry, Z…or anyone else they put in there). Don’t you see Miami even having Bosh come over for a double team?)

This could happen right now.

This coming season is unlike any other. The Cavaliers have a unique opportunity to pick up fans in a new way. Lebron stuck it to us on national television. The nation is waiting to see how we’ll react. I know all the practical thinkers out there are saying blow up the team, it’s time to rebuild. We don’t want 94-02 again, with the forty win seasons and the numbing mediocrity.

I understand that angle, but this coming season is very important, not only for the city of Cleveland, but for the people and the players watching how we attract what could be a new level of popularity.

We CANNOT blow up this team up.

Signing these star veterans would be looked at instantly as some kind of act of desperation, a way of sticking it to Lebron. But Iverson, Shaq, and McGrady are too angry and proud to simply fall down and die. We are in a perfect opportunity to sign them to short-term deals, something we are trying to do, if or when we do indeed have to rebuild.

Sign them all to one-year deals.  Give them as much money as you can, which will probably be more than any other team.  Give them a chance to repair or reignite their image, and give the Cavaliers a chance to show other players in the league that Cleveland is one incredible place to play.

Sports is supposed to be entertainment, folks! Not a series of practical decisions meant to steadily improve a small-market team.

This is a great time to put on a show, to steal some of the thunder from Miami, to create a one-year rivalry, pitting age and experience against talent and hubris. Will we win? Perhaps…Perhaps not…but it’s how we fight that respect is gained.

And we have a coach with the determination and vision to fit all the pieces together. Would Shaq slow down the offense? Possibly, but he’ll be playing 20-25 minutes a game, whereas we have J.J. to create what could be (through practice, compromise, and one helluva of a collaborative rebounding effort) one of the flashiest starting fives in recent years.

Chemistry is not something someone can predict accurately. But what you can’t do is hold these star’s pasts against them. They want to win. They want to be relevant again. Let them try it together, with a team surrounded by players with playoff experience and, perhaps most of all, a chip on their shoulders. Let them try to inspire a fan base with revenge on their minds. Is that emotion not the exact same thing they (A.I., T-Mac, and Shaq) are feeling? Don’t they want to prove everyone wrong? Doesn’t this Cavaliers team want to prove that they can win without Lebron? Doesn’t Byron Scott want to prove that he can win a championship?

The pieces are all in place. All it takes is a call to their agents. Call them, Dan Gilbert. Give them whatever’s left, and let this team duke it out and give everything it has. When it’s over, then…well, you’ll be where you are now, which is probably where you’ll be next year too. What do we have left? We need this year. We’re in the same conference as the Magic, the Heat, the fountain of youth Celtics. This is our chance to push the fight back at everyone else. When in our history has there ever been opportunity quite like this?

You can see the two extreme styles at play in the NBA today by looking at the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. Of course, the Suns style has been the most successful, while the Warriors have often struggled to win games since losing Baron Davis a couple years back to the Los Angeles Clippers. Still…I think it’s important to analyze these two teams before getting all warm and fuzzy thinking about the Cavaliers scoring 110 a game.

The Phoenix Suns last season had two teams in one, and all of them knew exactly what they were supposed to do. As Alvin Gentry stated, their best opportunities to score were off missed shots. Get the rebound, and get down the court.

A typical Suns possession would be Nash up top, two wings, and two on the block, one of them staying down low or setting a pick for Nash, the other setting screens or setting up in the middle in order to get the ball flowing. This all works because of Nash, who is able to see when someone on the defense is leaning one way, or is flat-footed, or is too committed to one side. Nash, if you watch him closely, is almost always fluid. He is continuously moving. Even when he shoots, it’s only until the last second that he decides to spot up. Never will you see Nash take a breath before taking a shot.

Without an all-seeing point guard, you have……………………

The Golden State Warriors…or the Memphis Grizzlies a few years back. The Warriors style relies on what’s called ‘Nellie ball’. Basically, while you have the same pace as the Suns, players have even more freedom to create. Nellie ball needs the point guard to find excellent, lopsided, one-on-one situations in which they can score quickly and get back on defense. To ask a team to, night in and night out, find mismatches in transition is asking a lot, but, if executed properly, can wreak havoc in the playoffs…case in point when the Warriors upset a 60-win Dallas Mavericks team in the first round (6 games). Nellie ball hangs around only because it gets even better in the playoffs. The regular season, however, will always be complicated. Don Nelson’s system is perfect when his team gets to sink their teeth into a team for a seven-game series, but on back-to-backs, it’s absolute hell.

As for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the way their roster is at this point, I would have to point at the Suns as a model, because most of the players we will keep after this Summer of Sedation know how to compromise more than create. When you play behind a giant’s shadow, you find a way to give yourself some light.

Mo Williams: Now this guy has gotten some pretty unfair criticism, but if there is ever a season for him to lead a team, it’s this one. In hindsight, I now see Mo’s first half in game 6 in a completely different light. Did he know something? Probably not, but I have a feeling he could feel something off with Lebron and decided to take it into turbo. Of course when Boston’s defense collapsed on him in the 2nd half, there was no one really to keep up his pace.

Mo’s career will be defined this year. Scott is going to give him the keys. There are times when I see he has court vision and creates incredible opportunities for other players. Of course I’ve also seen more of him scoring, which makes me wonder what he will choose this coming year. No matter which he chooses, this is the year Mo has career highs in scoring and assists. He is the Cavs engine, and it’s going to be a lot of fun watching him keep the pace up, because I assume, from his f-u first half in game 6, he wants his foot on the accelerator.

Now, after Mo drives to the lane, he will need set-up shooters, naturally. We’ve got Antawn Jamison waiting on one side, and possibly Anthony Parker on the other. Both of them, particularly Parker, love to spot up. Jamison can be successful both ways, but I think Mo will learn what Antawn wants and vice versa as the season goes on.

J.J. will be the man setting the pick for Mo to get around his man. If there’s one thing J.J. is already a polished veteran in, it’s rolling to the basket. He is turning more and more into a self-contained Amare Stoudemire. The only difference is that no coach is going to let him go through his career without learning how to play defense. Mr. Hickson will be just fine, and this new offense is going to make him one happy camper.

So naturally, that leaves us with center, that wonderful position normally reserved for two kinds of men, depending on your team. The huge dude down low who knows exactly what’s going on, but simply can’t get younger. (Shaq). Or the high-energy player who is overmatched when it comes to defending the giants of the league (Varejao). Either way, you give up something at the five. We’ll give up pace if we re-sign Shaq, and we’ll give up size if we start Varejao. This is what made the Suns so unstoppable last season. Channing Frye turned them into some kind of amoeba-like, three-point bombing squad. This is the biggest hole the Cavaliers need to address. I would love Varejao to finally get some flashy respect and start, but I love him even more coming off the bench, when the starting five are dragging because of a brutal back-to-back.

So, this is where I leave it. We’ve got shooters coming off the bench (Gibson…could use one more). And we have a pretty solid starting five. We just have to decide how fast we want our center to play. Whoever the Cavaliers choose in these coming months will dictate whether we crumble like the Golden State Warriors, or expand like the Phoenix Suns.

PG: Mo Williams

SG: Delonte West (let’s hope…)

SF: Antawn Jamison

PF: J.J. Hickson

C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas (also hoping…) or Shaq

Key backups: Anderson Varejao, Daniel Gibson, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon

I can hear the criticisms already. Backcourt’s too short. Not enough size and strength in the frontcourt. Where’s the versatility? And you’re probably right, but if there is one thing this team can have, it’s this: Pride. A giant chip on their shoulder. Can’t win without Lebron? Well we’ll just see about that. I absolutely cannot wait to root for this team like no other team before. I WANT the Miami Teats in the playoffs, first round. Because there will be that one game at home, game 3, where he will have to come back home, where everyone in the entire arena will be swinging elbow braces, signs that read: WITNESS REVENGE.

I want to see Byron Scott firing up the crowd after an alley-oop dunk from Mo to J.J. Lebron, hands on his hips, yelling at Bosh and Wade to cut after he has found a way to slowly transform them into puppets of Le-Iso, South Beach Style.

I want to see Delonte West dye the white talcum powder black, stand up on the scorer’s table, and unleash a black cloud of Cleveland anger. You DO NOT go on national television and screw over Cleveland.

I want to see Z change his uniform number to 23, then, when the season’s over and he possibly retires, we’ll retire both his numbers in a lavish ceremony on ESPN 2, with all proceeds going to Zydrunas Ilgauskas and the charity of his choice.

I want to see J.J. dunk two handed after Lebron tries to track him down from full-court, then shake his head slowly at him. “I’m Cleveland…bitch.”

I want to see Mo Williams block a Lebron fade away, followed by a finger wag.

I want to see Lenny Wilkens courtside, standing with his arms crossed. Whenever Lebron scores, I want him shaking his saintly head in absolute disgust. “For shame, Lebron. For shame,” his eyes say.

I want to see Mike Brown holding up a sign from the stands. “You make them fire me and then leave? We are so not friends anymore.”

More than anything in the history of my basketball-loving life, I want to see Dan Gilbert on the NBA Finals podium. I want him to say, with a shoulder shrug. “Welp…guess we didn’t really need him. Fans? Drinks on me!”  The man who refused all sign and trades, the man who released a rant and called Lebron a quitter.  Was it too impulsive? No…because sports are about passion, they are about pure reaction. People will say Gilbert showed no class in what he said and what he is accusing James of. Sorry, folks, but if we’re not allowed to react naturally to being stung on national television, why do we breathe? (But we aren’t animals. People should calculate their emotions and measure their responses…Lebron worked hard for us for seven years.) Wow…you’re right, so what should we do? Humbly count our lucky stars for getting a chance to watch him? Bow to him? Throw him roses? Lace the public with professional jargon that hides our true feelings? I don’t think so…

So….is it shallow to base an entire season on the revenge of one player? I don’t know…is it shallow to break the hearts of an already broken city (on TV!) after saying how badly you want to win a championship there?

Cavs fans. Now, more than ever before, I am happy to have created this website. It is time for us all to galvanize. It is time to break the chain of victimhood that has continuously plagued such an awesome city. It is time for the team to show how paralyzed it was under a Lebron-led (coach-assisted) offense, and how liberated it will feel under a Byron Scott ‘Showtime’ offense.

It’s time for the real Cleveland Cavaliers to take over, and it’s time for the real Cavs fans to help them.

The Lebron James Era…..Fade to Black. Let the New Era begin.

Okay…that didn’t help.

Here’s what did…slightly. Again, if you are a Cleveland fan, there is no therapy for us. There is only reality, and a highlight reel that twirls in your head of The Drive, Byner’s fumble, Jordan’s Shot, Parts 1 and 2, Craig Counsel’s sacrifice fly, or Edgar Renteria’s single. But I’ve decided to fight against my natural state. Yes, I grew up in Ohio, but I refuse to think like a victim!

Ever since the NBA Playoffs expanded to 7 games in the 1^st round in 2003, these are the playoff records of each NBA champion.

2003- 16-8 (San Antonio)

2004- 16-7 (Detroit)

2005- 16-7 (San Antonio)

2006- 16-7 (Miami)

2007- 16-4 (San Antonio…against Cleveland)

2008- 16-10 (Boston)

2009- 16-7 (Los Angeles)

Not exactly unblemished, right? You can actually go back through each year and see some interesting things. For example, in 2003, New Jersey swept through the Conference Semi-Finals and the Conference Finals…only to lose to San Antonio in 6.

With the exception of the 2007 Finals (pulls at collar…gulp), you can see that teams lose, usually, at least 7 games before winning the championship. This made me feel better for one reason. Struggle.

The 2009 Cavaliers played the first two rounds with a run and gun, no pressure style that, in my opinion, hurt them in the long run when it came to close games against the Magic. Struggle brings about Experience, and the 2010 Cavaliers are indeed struggling right now. But the harder this series is, the better off the Cavaliers will be against the Magic.

Don’t listen to the experts who say, “the Magic are looking like the class of the East”. No…that’s not true, they just got our 2009 schedule the first two rounds. They played a Bobcats team who couldn’t score…(cough cough old, washed up 2009 Pistons cough cough), and now they have the spineless Atlanta Hawks, who look like they’re going to wet the bed every time they enter a pressure 4^th quarter. Can’t we remember a year ago? We destroyed the Hawks last year as well. Sure, the Magic have de-double-dawg destroyed them this year, but that’s because Joe Johnson has stopped believing in his team, and the Hawks have stopped believing in Mike Woodson.

For further proof that this epic 2^nd round struggle is a good thing, here are two more recent examples from last year. The Los Angeles Lakers went 7 games with a fundamentally tough, well-coached, motivated Houston Rockets team. In retrospect, the Rockets sharpened the Lakers, and their confidence only grew against the Nuggets the next round. The other example? Boston and Orlando…last year. That series went 7 games. It was rough, and it damn near went Boston’s way. But Orlando learned how to bounce back when down…something they did effortlessly against the 09 Cavaliers in the first halves of games 1 and 2.

There has been a lot of criticism connected to the Cavaliers lacking intensity and focus for the full forty-eight minutes. It’s justified…however, it has been the identity of the team the entire year. They only answer to direct, in-your-face challenges, much like the 2004 Pistons were known for. If there’s one thing that’s impressed me about this team, it’s their ability to fight themselves out of a corner. I’m not sure how this identity evolved. After all, the 09 Cavaliers played with a lot more looseness and carefree energy than this team. Perhaps the only way Lebron can get motivated anymore is when everyone starts to doubt him.

Game 4 was a mystery. Was it lack of aggression? No. Was it Boston baiting Lebron into taking jump shots, who then proceeded to drive into the heart of the lane and pass off to teammates, who were waiting for him to take over? Maybe more of that. It was a noble, passive-aggressive game for Lebron. I think, deep down, he believes he left his teammates behind in the 09 playoffs. By that I mean he feels like they need to feel even more involved in the offense.

As Brian Windhorst mentioned, the team still has chemistry issues. Mo Williams, who gets criticized far too much, is stuck between a rock and a hard place. To start with, he’s wondering if Lebron is going to be a point guard one play, and on the other, he knows he needs to get Jamison involved when he does have the ball. Talk about an identity crisis. What is Mo Williams to this team? Just tell him what he’ll be, and things will go a whole lot better.

I’m getting back into panic mode. All I wish is that Lebron decide his role, because this whole ‘sometimes I play point, sometimes not’ is confusing the role players.

Not that I have any say in the matter, but I have to feel this situation would be just fine and dandy:

(Lebron brings the ball up, calls the play. Mo runs off screens set by Parker and Shaq. Jamison does a pick and roll with Lebron. Jamison goes to the basket, and takes a player with him. If Jamison’s not available, you’ve got Mo coming off a large Shaq screen. If he isn’t open, you’ve got Shaq posting up, with Parker perched in the corner. Options, options, options.)

The Cavaliers do this…a lot. But there are times when I see Mo close to the top of the key, waiting on what he’s supposed to do. The above situation is unstoppable with Lebron at the point. Tell Mo he is a shooting guard, and will always be a shooting guard, and you’ll see improvement in his shooting.

God I’m nervous about Game 5…