The first name that drew your attention on the Cavaliers summer league roster wasn’t this year’s first round pick, J.J. Hickson. It probably wasn’t LeBron’s high school teammates – Romeo Travis or Dru Joyce. And it wasn’t Wayne Simien – the 29th pick in the 2005 Draft.

The first name Cavalier fans will probably be drawn to is Robert “Tractor” Traylor – who was last seen wearing the wine and gold back in 2004-05. Since then – in-between battling health and legal problems – the former Wolverine has played ball in Spain and, most recently, San Juan, where he helped the Santurce Crabbers capture the Puerto Rican National Basketball League title.

Like nearly all of the Cavaliers Summer League invitees, Tractor will be auditioning for a role on Cleveland’s regular season roster. Only this year’s first round pick – J.J. Hickson – is a lock for Opening Night.

But that doesn’t mean that the John Kuester-coached Cavaliers aren’t looking to find a diamond in the rough during next week’s run in Sin City. Traylor had a fairly productive seven-year stint in the NBA, Wayne Simien won a Ring with the Heat back in 2006, and Billy Thomas and Lance Allred parlayed D-League call-ups into postseason spots on the Cavs roster.

But for the Wine and Gold, the big ticket in Las Vegas will be Hickson – the 19-year-old power forward from North Carolina State.

Danny Ferry and Co. obviously liked what they saw in the Atlanta native; enough to make him the No. 19 overall pick in this year’s draft. The 6-9 Hickson will get a chance to show his stuff starting Monday afternoon when they take on Danilo Gallinari and the New York Knicks.

All in all, the Cavaliers will play five contests in the desert. After facing New York in the opener, Cleveland will take on the Rockets, Wizards, Hornets and Bucks. Aside from their first look at Gallinari, fans and scouts will also get a chance to see Houston’s Joey Dorsey, Washington’s JaVale McGee and Milwaukee’s Joe Alexander with their new clubs.

The Cavaliers have assembled an interesting roster heading into the annual Vegas invitational.

There’s Traylor – attempting to make a comeback at age 31. University of Akron teammates, Romeo Travis and Dru Joyce III, will try to be reunited with their St. Vincent-St. Mary’s running mate after playing overseas this past season. This will be Travis second straight summer league run with Cleveland.

There are three former Kansas Jayhawks in attendance. Simien was the Big 12 Player of the Year as a senior and played with Miami and Minnesota. Darnell Jackson, acquired on draft night from the Heat, was part of last year’s National Championship squad. And Billy Thomas, of course, was a February D-League call-up with Cleveland.

Of course, there are a few college standouts who are vying for the opportunity to play their trade in the big leagues.

Mike Green, started all 70 games for Butler after transferring from Towson State. He was the Horizon League’s Player of the Year in 2008 and holds Butler’s single-season record for assists. The tough-as-nails Green does much of his work in the paint and loves drawing contact. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Great Alaska Shootout.

UNLV’s Romel Beck earned Honorable Mention All-Mountain West Conference honors his junior and senior seasons. He can drill the three-pointer (.389 career) and is rock solid from the line (.800 career). He scored in double figures 44 times and surpassed the 20-point mark on 12 occasions, starting 48 of 59 career games at UNLV.

Clay Tucker is a wiry guard from Lima, Ohio who matriculated at UW-Milwaukee, where he finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer. He was the Horizon League’s MVP as a senior in 2005.

Will Conroy is a name college hoops fans will certainly recognize. He recently played in the Italian league as the starting point guard with VidiVici Bologna. He is the Huskies’ all-time leader in assists and has bounced around the NBA and NBDL since leaving Washington.

The annual showcase tips off on Friday in Las Vegas and will take place in two different venues – the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion.

For some players, Summer League will be their first chance to show their stuff in an NBA setting. For some, it’ll be their last.

Starting Monday, we’ll begin to see which is which.