CAVALIERS

The Cleveland Cavaliers finished the 2003 season at 17-65 to finish with tied for the worst record in the NBA, but they were optimistic because they knew they would have a chance to acquire the rights of high school phenom LeBron James who was from nearby Akron, Ohio. Denver finished with the same record but some NBA gossipers began to spread rumors that the NBA wouldn’t allow him to go to a team in a small market and that he would end up in a place like New York or Los Angeles with the Clippers. During the draft lottery, the teams were named off, and Cleveland ended up with the rights to the number one pick in the draft. The Cavaliers representatives tried their best to give the impression they were still looking around but everyone knew the truth. As NBA Commissioner David Stern headed to the podium to announce the name of the selection, the world’s worst kept secret was released and LeBron James headed down the road to join his teammates. The addition of James added to the fan base and helped the team but other members contributed to the team that finished with a 35-47 record this season, just missing the playoffs.

The team played well in the Eastern Conference for stretches last season but had periods of basketball that showed just how inexperienced they were in big moments. Near the all-star break last year, the team made a move to acquire point guard Jeff McInnis, the first real point guard on the team for the season. The team played better but lost a few key games down the stretch and missed what would have been their first playoff appearance since 1998. In the off-season, the team terminated the last year of forward Carlos Boozer’s contract to make him a free agent and resign him to a bigger and longer deal but miscommunication led to Boozer signing with the Utah Jazz. The team was devastated but traded for Drew Gooden and Eric Snow to help ease the pain. Boozer and James were arguably the top two players on the team but some felt Boozer left to get out of his good friend’s shadow in Cleveland. The Cavs are LeBron’s team so if Boozer wanted to step out and be a star, he likely would’ve had to change teams to make it happen. Another story that few believe said that head coach Paul Silas and other members of the organization felt that Boozer had peaked with his performance last season and that the chances of him duplicating his performance (15.5 ppg, 11.4 rpg) were slim to none. The city of Cleveland felt betrayed when it learned that Boozer was leaving but James has said that he has no hard feelings towards Boozer and that he is simply doing what is best for his family. The two are both playing for the USA Olympic team in the summer of 2004 and their friendship doesn’t seem to have changed.

The team had only one draft pick in 2004 and selected Luke Jackson, a small forward out of Oregon, who should compliment James well. The starting lineup will likely see Eric Snow and Lebron James team up in the backcourt with Jackson jumping into the small forward spot. Drew Gooden will fill the four spot and Zydrunas Ilgauskas will play the center position. The Cavs should finally have something resembling a bench after years of searching for sixth and seventh men and that could help them hold onto games more effectively later in the season when some of the starters might be getting tired. The Cavaliers will match up with the Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Chicago Bulls in the newly realigned Central division. The Central will likely see at least three teams make the playoffs this year (possibly four) and the Cavs would like nothing better than to be one of those teams. The organization realizes the team is less than two years removed from finishing with the worst record in the league but they also realize this team is full of talent and could be one of the sleepers in a weak conference.

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