Cavaliers 106, San Antonio 80 (Cavs continue preseason success)

Who would have thought the Cavaliers would have been 4-1 with a 3-game winning streak in the middle of preseason? I think I know of only one person who would have said yes. That would have been my co-writer and creator, Ben Jackson.

Anyways, the Cleveland Cavaliers are proving to the rest of the NBA that they still belong in the league and are proving to the haters that the Cavaliers are a forced to be reckoned with.

The Cleveland Cavaliers (4-1) beat the San Antonio Spurs (2-2) Thursday night with a final score of 106-80. The Cavaliers and Spurs played at the University of Pittsburgh’s Peterson Events Center and just over 5,000 fans crammed together.

J.J. Hickson continued his strong preseason, finishing with 18 pts and nine rebounds.

Others that had big nights seem to be the norm, including the newly acquired Ramon Sessions. He finished with 14 pts and nine rebounds as well. Daniel “Boobie” Gibson showed his all-around game tonight, finishing with 13 pts, six assists and four rebounds.

The Cavaliers used an 11-2 run late in the third quarter to help outscore the Spurs 56-39 in the second half. However, the short-handed Spurs didn’t play Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker or Richard Jefferson.  Minor detail. 

Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao were dressed and with the team, but did not play. Also, Antwan Jamison did not play after sustaining a left knee sprain in the second quarter. I have not heard how serious the injury is or how long he will be out. I also heard Anthony Parker also had an injury as well, not sure about him either.

The win against the Spurs continued the Cavaliers streak at 3 games in a row. Even though its preseason, the Cavaliers are starting to look they have found themselves and are starting to find a swagger. Maybe, the Cavaliers are starting to play with a chip on their shoulders, or maybe they always have had one since someone “Took their talents to South Beach” and we didn’t even know.

The Manny Harris Watch:

- News broke that former second-rounder Danny Green may soon be getting cut. With Manny Harris emerging as a Cavalier Legend, how could you not cut Green? Harris fits the system better and he has raw talent you can’t find around the world.

- Speaking of Harris, the man played again tonight. If you guess he played another stellar game, you’re right. Manny went 3-8 from the field, with 11 points in 24 minutes of action.

- Harris had a PER (Player Efficiency Rating) of +17. That was second best tonight, second to Boobie Gibson of +20. Let’s face it, if he continues to play like this, Byron Scott will have no choice but to start the soon to be Hall-of-Famer.

- I would suggest starting to pre-order your Manny Harris jersey’s now before they sell out.

All for One. One for All

Keep your heads up Cleveland

Training Camp Preview (Part 1)

A new feel for the 2010-2011 Cleveland Cavaliers is on the horizon. Training camp is less than a week away and with so many changes that happened in the off-season, one has to wonder, how will the team react?

A quick review for all the rookies out there, it all began at the top of the food chain. Danny Ferry resigned, along with the firing of former head coach, Mike Brown. And all of that to go with the loss of number 23 as his talents were taken to South Beach, kind of a lot to deal with in a two month period. The Cavaliers sure did take a big hit in the summer of 2010, losing a good GM, head coach and LeBron James.

However, some of the dark days of Summer 2010 are behind the Cavaliers, especially with newly hired head coach Byron Scott and current GM, Chris Grant. The Cavaliers have made smart, strategic moves that will help them keep the winning tradition that was built in downtown Cleveland.

The Cavaliers will open training camp September 28^th with a completely different atmosphere than most are used to. There will be new faces (Sessions, Hollins, Graham, Eyenga, Samuels, Coach Scott and GM Grant) but the expectations should remain the same. Without LeBron James running the show in Cleveland, players and coaches will have to step-up and play beyond their comfort zones. This brings me to Part 1 of 4 in a special training camp preview to kick off the Cavaliers season and of course, CavaliersUnited.com.

Guards:

Daniel Green—This former rookie will have to prove to Coach Scott that he deserves some playing time. The former Tar Heel averaged just 2.0 ppg and 0.80 rpg in only 5.8 minutes. He is known as a three-point specialist that can stretch the defense. His shooting outside will help him win minutes over with Scott and could play into a very nice bench player for the Cavs. However, Green will have to earn every second he plays with other guards looking ahead of him.

Anthony Parker— One of the two oldest players on the Cavaliers roster. Anthony will provide leadership and be a mentor in the locker room. Parker’s outside shooting is pure and he showed it at times last season. Last years starting shooting guard averaged just over 8.0 ppg while shooting .414 from long distance. The guy can shoot from the outside, we all know that. However, Parkers biggest asset that may be overlooked is his defense. Sure, at times it looked shaky but what player’s defense doesn’t look shaky at times? Parker might be one of the better defenders the Cavaliers have and that will earn him minutes.

Ramon Sessions—One of the newest faces of the Cavaliers family, Ramon came from Minnesota in part of the deal with Delonte West and Sebastian Telfair. Ramon goes way back with Mo Williams. Teammates in Milwaukee, Ramon always looked up to Mo and enjoyed being his backup. Now in Cleveland, the two are reunited again but this time Ramon doesn’t plan on backing up Mo. He has in mind the two of them starting together in the backcourt. While that may or may not happen, Ramon is happy to be in Cleveland. Ramon averaged just over 8.0 ppg with Minnesota and 3.0 apg as well. Ramon is not much of a shooter from 3-point land but is has a very high IQ for the game of basketball and knows how to run a team. His drive-and-kick style will be key to open up shots for our strong outside shooting core. His hard work ethic and High IQ will be key in earning big minutes for the Cavaliers.

Boobie (Daniel Gibson)—If you don’t know who Boobie is by now then you aren’t a true Cavalier fan. Anyways, Boobie will be another key part of the Cavaliers this season. Remember back in 2007 when he WAS a big part of the team? In the post-season he was 2^nd or 3^rd option in the offense. He was simply on fire and couldn’t miss from anywhere on the court, and that all seemed to disappear as Boobie sat on the bench for the majority of last season. Boobie looks to get his “swag” back and is expecting a big season with LeBron gone. Another part to Boobie that may be overlooked is his defense. He is quick on his feet and gets right into the player. Boobie is expecting big minutes and with that sweet stroke of his and underrated defense, it will be hard for Coach Scott not to play him.

Mo Williams—In losing LeBron James this summer to the Miami Heat, Mo Willams was appointed the leader of this team. It will be interesting to watch this young man try to fill LeBron James' shoes as the Cavaliers leader. Will he succeed or fail? All this, on the shoulders of a point guard who considered retirement soon after hearing LeBron would no longer be his teammate. Mo Williams will be the most intriguing player to watch on this team. A former All-Star and solid contributor, all while playing as LeBron James sidekick. The question is, can he still play at that same level without LeBron? Can he average 15 points again or even more? Can he make all the right passes while still creating for himself? All of this is still to be answered, but for now Mo Willams is the man in Cleveland, like it or not. Hey, at least he wanted to stay in Cleveland.

Mo Willams will be our starting point guard, but who is going to fill the shooting guard role? Parker is the logical choice but don’t count out Ramon Sessions. Parker and Sessions could be battling it out in training camp for the starting two-guard. Stay tuned in for Part 2.

All for One. One for All.

Keep your heads up Cleveland