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Cleveland Cavaliers 2008-09 Season Preview & NBA Picks

Written September 30, 2008 by Luke Knight

The Cleveland Cavaliers have become one of the best defenses in the league as a collective group, without one All-Defensive Team member. The Cavs have only one player that has been around since LeBron James rookie season, and that is Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The Cavs shipped out 6 players in the middle of last season, bringing in 4 new ones. The Cavs also acquired Mo Williams this offseason. Read on to see if we think these personnel changes will keep Cleveland at the top of the Central Division and in contention for the Eastern Conference and the NBA Championship. If you want to bet on the Cavaliers this season, head over to BetUS and check out their odds on the Cavs to win the NBA Championship.

Mo Williams is generally considered to be the Cavaliers best starting point guard since they traded away Andre Miller in 2002. Williams averaged 17.2 ppg last season along with 6.3 assists while playing 36.5 minutes per game. Williams is expected to relieve Lebron James of some of the playmaking responsibilities. Delonte West was acquired midseason last year to play the point and did a steady job and played solid defense. West provides a capable backup to Williams as Cleveland worked out a deal to keep West around. The Cavs don’t really have another true point guard. Daniel Gibson is an excellent shooter, but doesn’t really create shots with his passing or penetration skills. In the past Lebron James has been the guy expected to create shots for his teammates, but the Cavs will look to Mo Williams to fill that role this season to create scoring opportunities for not only LeBron James, but for the rest of the team as well.

Sasha Pavlovic was the starter when the Cavs made it to the Finals in 2007, but he held out early in 2008 then suffered an injury and Cleveland has since brought in Wally Szczerbiak. Szczerbiak is a sharpshooter, but hasn’t really found his touch since becoming a Cavalier. Pavlovic is athletic and better suited to Coach Mike Brown’s defensive system. Devin Brown will also get some time here. He is a good athlete but better suited as a reserve than a starter. It will be interest to see who emerges as the starter between Szczerbiak and Pavlovic. Also, don’t be surprised if Delonte West gets time on the court with Williams with both camped out behind the 3-point line to keep defenses from collapsing on LeBron James.

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LeBron James led the NBA in scoring with 30.0 ppg and ranked 8th in assists with 7.2 apg and 10th in steals with 1.8 spg. James is an unselfish player and is largely unguardable due to that fact. James’s strength and quickness driving to the hoop combined with his willingness and ability to pass the ball make him impossible guard. James has also improved his defense since being in the NBA. James now has one area he needs to improve, and that is his outside shot. Teams began sagging off James in the 2007 and 2008 playoffs essentially forcing him to take the outside shot or making it difficult to drive or pass the ball. James needs to be more consistent with his jumper which would completely eliminate this type of defense. Keep in mind it takes a very disciplined and talented team to guard James this way. The teams doing so successfully: the 2007 San Antonio Spurs and the 2008 Boston Celtics. James averaged 40.4 minutes per game, but when he is out you’ll see either Szczerbiak or Pavlovic picking up minutes in his place.

Ben Wallace is getting old and slowing down some, but moving to the power forward position, which will keep him from having to battle with larger centers should extend his career a bit. Wallace is still a solid rebounder and defender, but he has dropped off some. Behind Wallace is Anderson Varejao, who provides a major boost of energy off the bench and crashes the boards really well and plays solid defense. The Joe Smith trade will take some of the scoring out of this position as Wallace averages 4.2 ppg, but defensively it is solid. J.J. Hickson out of North Carolina State looked solid in the Vegas Summer League, but we will see how that translates into the NBA. Rookie Darnell Jackson out of Kansas will also play some at this position.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas is not exactly graceful, but he is highly skilled and can shoot, pass, rebound, and block shots. He is 7-3 so while not much of a leaper his size makes him difficult to keep off the boards. Depending on the matchups the Cavs are looking for Wallace, Varejao, and Dwayne Jones should also get some minutes at the center position.

Final Analysis

LeBron James has proven he is one of the best players in the league, and there is no reason to expect his game to decline. Mike Brown plays a tough defense and emphasizes rebounding the ball, which is how you win games. Most will agree that they don’t have the sexiest offense, and at times they play a boring style, but defensively they are sound, and they have Mo Williams, and perhaps Delonte West to create shots off the dribble for other players, including King James. Those things should make for a winning combination. We have the Cavaliers winning the Central ahead of the Bulls, Pacers, Bucks, and Pistons and going deep in the playoffs before falling to the Celtics once again.

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