By Chris Cates, TalentedMrRoto.com
September 26, 2006 - 8:45 a.m.

2005-06 OVERVIEW

Improve: to bring into a more desirable or excellent condition.

Sometimes season-ending losses can be deceptive. You see, despite how well a team played during a given season, despite how much better they were in one season than in the last, and despite how low the expectations were coming into the season – being bounced from the playoffs always leaves a bad taste in the mouth of fans. And such is the case with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Following a 2004-05 season which ended when the 82nd game did (they failed to make the playoffs), the Cavs bounced back - armed with an older and better LeBron James - and surprised many when they made their way not only into the playoffs but to the third best record in the Eastern Conference. And it didn’t end there as the playoff newcomers took out the Washington Wizards in the first round and gave the juggernaut Detroit Pistons all they could handle in the second round, forcing a game seven. Ultimately, they lost in that deciding game, but the team showed obvious improvements across the board. Now, the Cavs head into the 2006-07 season with even higher hopes.

You know who he is, and if you have the first pick in your draft, you're happy. (Gregory Shamus/NBAE/Getty Images)

21 years old. Twenty one years old! Lebron James is younger than most NBA rookies, yet his 2005-06 campaign was one of the single greatest individual seasons in recent memory. Other than LeBron, only three players averaged 25+ points per game and six-plus assists per game (Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, Gilbert Arenas). LeBron and one other man (Dirk Nowitzki) averaged 25+ points and seven-plus rebounds per game. And, then, it goes without saying that LeBron James was the only player in the league to average 25+ points, seven-plus rebounds and six-plus assists per game in the 2005-06 season. Few players can boast that in a lifetime, let alone in the same year they can legally drink for the first time.

And that is pretty much the state of the Cleveland Cavaliers: There’s LeBron James, and then there’s everyone else. After a solid draft and a somewhat active free agency, the “everyone else” is only getting better – which is both a blessing (in reality) and a curse (in fantasy) for the team. LeBron will get his and we all know that, but how the other players take what’s left will make the state of their respective fantasy values clearer as the season progresses. There’s no question this is a better Cavs team – they return the same starting lineup that led them last season, the only difference in the roster being obvious bench upgrades and high-upside draft picks that will make immediate impacts. If James keeps getting better, there are even fewer points to go around, and with a deeper team that will require more players playing more minutes, the scoring averages may look less than stellar when it’s all said and done. This is a Cavs team with few certainties and many question marks heading into the 2006-07 season, and one that will likely be among the best teams in the league for the second year in a row. LeBron has brought them to the forefront, and there’s nowhere to go but up.

ADDITIONS:
Scot Pollard, C
Eddie Basden, G
David Wesley, G
Shannon Brown, G
Daniel Gibson, G
Ejike Ugboaja, F

LOSSES:
Martynas Andriuskevicius, F
Ronald Murray, G
Alan Henderson, F

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP:
C – Zydrunas Ilgauskas
PF – Drew Gooden
SF – LeBron James
SG – Larry Hughes
PG – Eric Snow

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2006

An improved bench, the acquisition of talent via the draft and the continued maturity of LeBron James have things looking even better in 2006-07. The same four big men that played most of the front line minutes last season (Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Drew Gooden, Anderson Varejao and Donyell Marshall) return in the same roles this season but will have yet another PF/C competing with them for minutes this time around in the form of the newly-acquired Scot Pollard. Five legitimate big men – all deserving of significant minutes – competing for two spots…not pretty for our purposes.

Expect little from the whole point guard situation here, as Eric Snow and Damon Jones don’t hold much value at this point. LeBron will play some point, and there’s enough talent that both Snow and Jones (listed as one and two there on the depth chart) could log around 20 minutes per game, maybe less in one of the cases.

Veteran David Wesley joined the team in the off-season but given his age (35) and recent statistical drop-off (PPG, APG and SPG all lowest totals since way back in 1994-95 season), he likely won’t be much more than a veteran presence for the team who logs mostly insignificant minutes.

Rookies Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson will be valuable down the road, but the capacity in which they are used will determine how far down the road that is. There isn’t much in the way of expectations and there’s a lot of talent on this roster, so let others waste the draft picks on these rookies, as they can likely be had on the wire soon after the draft.

KEY BENCH POSITIONS / POSITION BATTLES

Starting Point Guard – Not necessarily the starting point man, but the guy that runs point most often. As of now, the aging Eric Snow is listed as the starter. He’s fallen into fantasy obscurity and doesn’t really play starter’s minutes, and at this point is more the guy that steals minutes from your fantasy option than the guy that irritates you with his undesirable minutes (and stats). LeBron James led the team in assists last season and often runs point thanks to his versatility. He’s obviously the best option on the roster for assists, but that doesn’t mean that all his minutes will come at point guard. Damon Jones played about as much as Snow last season. He figures to be of about equal value to Snow as their minutes should be close to identical, but he’s a streaky shooter that sometimes receives his minutes in chunks. The rookie Daniel Gibson doesn’t figure to see the court too often with so many options at point guard, but he’ll play some and with the two guys listed ahead of him on the depth chart on the wrong side of 30, there’s the chance he’ll play decent minutes at some point this season. Overall, there’s not much difference in fantasy value between Eric Snow and Damon Jones – and with so many better point guard options out there, do you really want them?

The Rookies – When asked about his expectations for rookies Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson, Cavs’ coach Mike Brown said he had none. What I take from this is that he knows they can contribute, but he doesn’t feel they need it this year given the overall talent and depth of this team. Both are currently listed as backups at their respective positions, but there’s significant talent in front of each. Expecting more than 15 minutes per game – at least in the early going – would be unrealistic.

PLAYERS WE LOVE

LeBron James – Who doesn’t love King James? He was the only player in the league to average 25+ points (he averaged 31.4), seven-plus rebounds and six-plus assists per game last season, the second year in a row he’s accomplished that feat. He’s accumulated a career’s worth of accolades by the youthful age of 21 and should continue his improvement this season. He showed in 2004-05 that he could average well over seven-plus boards and seven-plus assists per game, and while there was a small drop off in both categories last season, it’s nothing you should worry about. The Cavs are a deeper and more talented team this season, meaning there will be weapons on the floor at all times (more assist opportunities). With yet another man entering the point guard mix (Daniel Gibson), LeBron could be in line for more boards as he’d be playing in a more rebound-friendly position more often. After writing all this about him, I realize it was unnecessary: I simply could have written “He’s LeBron James” as the explanation, and the same effect would have been had. Unfortunately, you only have one shot at landing him in your draft – the first pick. Good luck with that.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas – You wouldn’t think so by looking at him, but the big man named Big Z can play. A couple years back, he would have been in the “avoid” section as he was a walking injury year in and year out. But he’s missed only 10 games during the past four seasons, and he boasts the board and block numbers one would desire in their fantasy center. What’s more, he scores more than your average big man, and – in addition to his 50-percent-plus field goal percentage – he hits free throws at a better clip than his teammate LeBron. At 31, he’s still got some good years ahead of him and looks to be worth the price of admission this year.

PLAYERS TO AVOID

Eric Snow – As I said above, Snow has fallen into relative fantasy obscurity, and his numbers won’t be acceptable for those of you in average-sized leagues. He’s competing with tons of better options for minutes at point guard and while he might start, it won’t mean much as he’ll be spelled early and often. Don’t expect much more than 20-25 minutes per contest from Snow.

Larry Hughes– It hurts me to put him here as he’s got more potential than most, and a track record to prove it, but there are a couple factors contributing to his “avoid” distinction. For one, he’s about as big an injury risk as there is in the league right now: He’s missed nine or more games in seven of his eight NBA seasons, and he’s missed 21 or more in each of the last three. Those are not the kind of statistics you want on your team. Also, his numbers decreased dramatically with the presence of LeBron being felt. He’s a stat-sheet filler just like James but not as good in any area. With a better version of himself stealing his stats and the spotlight, one must wonder how Hughes will manage to put up numbers similar to what we came to expect in Washington. As I said, he’s got tons of potential and could prove me wrong here, but there are so many reasons not to like him that I’m avoiding him this year.

BOTTOM LINE

This team is built around LeBron James, and as he goes – they go. In some cases you know what you’re getting, be it good or bad (LeBron, Ilgauskas, Snow), and in others only time will tell (Hughes, Gooden, Marshall, Brown, Varejao, Gibson, Pollard). The Cavs have great depth behind a starting five that was with the team last season, which will likely mean a little more rest for the starters and a better overall team (more talent on the court at all times, more guys that could step up from fantasy obscurity to fantasy relevance). Keep an eye on the rookies as they could make an impact down the road but keep the expectations very low in the early going. Cleveland will be one of the better teams around, plus they’ll have the best player in fantasy basketball running the show and a supporting cast of reliable guys with potential playing second fiddle.

The views expressed by TalentedMrRoto.com represent only the views of the writers; they do not represent the views of the NBA or any NBA team.

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