Staff report
Remember in the mid-1990s when the Cleveland Indians had an All-Star at practically every position?
Consequently, the team became one of the most dominant professional franchises in all of sports.
You can expect much of the same firepower this season from the Cleveland Cavaliers on the hardcourt.
Not every player will be an All-Star, but three of the five starters are and many of the players that fill the rest of the roster would have the same capabilities if they were the go-to player on a less-caliber team.
In fact, glancing at the Cavs’ roster from only a season ago, it is striking the amount of improvements the team made in the off-season.
Majority owner Dan Gilbert opened his wallet, while general manager Danny Ferry efficiently chose players that will naturally fit into a team that won 66 games last year.
It will be difficult for the Cavs to duplicate or best those 66 wins, but not because of lack of talent on the roster.
Consider these upgrades, and keep in mind that in order to upgrade, Ferry was not handcuffed into dropping significant players from last year:
• Shaquille O’Neal at center — This was the first move that began the domino effect of the Cavs’ busy summer. The team sent Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace and a future second-round pick to the Suns to acquire the recently nicknamed “Big Witness Protection.” O’Neal came with a hefty contract, but it ends after this year, giving the Cavs a center capable of helping the team to a championship, while also providing flexibility at the end of the year financially.
As long as O’Neal remains healthy, he will be the Cavs’ starting center, pushing Zydrunas Ilgauskas to the bench. Ilgauskas has been a starter his entire career and would likely start on many — if not all — of the NBA’s current teams. The combo of O’Neal and Ilgauskas in the middle immediately gave the Cavs depth.
• Anthony Parker at guard/forward — The Cavs nearly signed Parker three years ago when he was coming to the NBA from the Euroleague. Instead, the Raptors landed him, but now Parker has made his way back to Cleveland on a two-year deal worth $6 million. Expect Parker to come off the bench mostly, replacing the role filled by Pavlovic, Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson. Parker has all the versatility to play point guard, shooting guard or small forward. He shoots, dribbles, passes and plays defense better than any of those three, save possibly Szczerbiak’s shooting.
In his past three years Parker has started 226-of-235 (97 percent) of his games. It is not far-fetched that he could develop into a starter for the Cavs, but it is likely for him to come off the bench after Mo Williams and Delonte West played so well together last year.
• Jamario Moon at forward — Moon also signed a two-year deal for $6 million and is another long, versatile player that can play multiple positions. Moon will come off the bench and replace the roles that were provided by Szczerbiak, Pavlovic and even Joe Smith. In Moon’s three seasons in the NBA, he has started 195-of-238 (82 percent) of his games. Moon has all the talents necessary to be a starter on most NBA teams, but with the Cavs’ depth, Moon could be anywhere from the sixth man to the ninth man depending on game situations and matchups.
• Leon Powe at forward — The Cavs took a minor risk on Powe, considering his previous knee injuries. However, the team did not commit a large amount of money for him, and he will return anytime after the All-Star break to add a necessary boost to the lineup. Powe is another player that is capable of being a starter, and will replace the minutes of Ben Wallace and Smith.
Meanwhile, the team still lacks a true back-up point guard and they still may add one before the start of the season. However, if the team chooses to stand pat, the versatility of the team could allow LeBron James, Williams, West, Parker or Gibson to all play point guard at times.
Szczerbiak remains a free-agent, but the likelihood of him re-signing with the Cavs appears to be shrinking with the team filling roster spots with other free agents. The rumor of signing ex-Golden State Warrior forward Rob Kurz to a non-guaranteed contract would subtract yet another roster spot that Szczerbiak would lose out on.
Although Szczerbiak was a fan-favorite, the roster upgrades could make it easy for fans to move on. Additionally, the team’s acquisitions make the team younger.
O’Neal is 37, Parker is 34 and Ilgauskas is 34, but James is 24 and his running mates are all young — Gibson (22), Powe (24), Williams (26), West (26), Anderson Varejao (27) and Moon (29).