Cleveland Cavaliers Look to Defend Eastern Conference Title

The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the verge of opening training camp in their brand new training complex, the Cleveland Clinic Courts, without two key players from the 2006-2007 season. A Cleveland Plain Dealer report by Branson Wright on September 24 explains that both Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao are both considering European options. The recent addition of shooting guard Devin Brown only goes to show how far apart the Cavaliers and Pavlovic may be in regards contract value. Varejao and the Cavaliers may also be nowhere near a deal as Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal reported that Varejao's agent is looking for a contract that would pay $10 million per year.

No matter what happens with Pavlovic or Varejao, Cleveland fans should expect to see another excellent season from the Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, after they finished up last season beating Detroit four games to two in the Eastern Conference finals, but then getting swept by a dominant San Antonio Spurs team in the NBA Finals. Without Pavlovic and Varejao to consider in the depth chart, the starting five as of now appear to be Larry Hughes and Daniel Gibson in the backcourt and LeBron James, Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the front court. The key bench players going into the season appear to be Shannon Brown, Devin Brown and Donyell Marshall.

This will, essentially, be Shannon Brown's first season in the NBA, though he technically he is no longer a rookie. Having only playing in 23 games and 201 minutes of playing time as reported by ESPN due to injuries, Brown has not had enough time to show the impact he can make in the NBA after an outstanding three year college career at Michigan State. While Brown will not most likely be a starter this season, he will be a key player off the bench for the Cavaliers, and should start sharing more time with Gibson as the season progresses.

Devin Brown is coming in from the New Orleans Hornets, appearing to be Pavlovic's replacement, should he opt to not come back to the Cavaliers. A starter for the majority of last season with New Orleans, Brown will be a solid addition to the Cavaliers bench, providing a solid shooter to come in for Gibson and Hughes. Look also for the Cavaliers to put him in from time to time with Gibson, Hughes and James for a solid shooting lineup with Ilgauskas playing under the basket.

Daniel Gibson is ready to be a consistent starter for the Cleveland Cavaliers. While only starting in a quarter of the games he played in last season, Gibson made rapid progress as the season developed and was an impact player and fan favorite in the playoffs. Look for Gibson and Hughes to start, with Devin Brown and Shannon Brown to rotate in from the bench to keep a set of fresh guards in the game to run a fast-paced offense.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas and his health will play a major role in whether the Cavaliers have a successful season this year. His recent health over the past few years has been fine, but he does have a history of having foot problems that sidelined him frequently early in his career. In the event that Varejao does not return to Cleveland this coming season, Ilgauskas can expect to average over thirty minutes per game, as the Cavaliers do not have another large, dominant center. The Cavaliers will have to keep an eye on Ilgauskas if this is the case however, as more minutes for the big man also means that his body will be taking more wear and tear.

If Varejao does not return for another season with the Cavaliers, Donyell Marshall can also expect to see increased playing time. Only slightly smaller than Varejao, Marshall will be the one that is called upon to step up and serve as a reliable frontcourt reserve, coming in off the bench to give Gooden and Ilgauskas rest.

Mike Brown and Danny Ferry appear to have a team that is set to defend their Eastern Conference championship from the 2006-2007 season, though having Pavlovic and Varejao back would only make it easier. The Cavaliers remained relatively quiet in the offseason in regards to player signings, showing the confidence they have in their current roster and I would have to think the city of Cleveland and Cavaliers fans everywhere have to be pretty happy with the roster the Cavaliers are taking into training camp at their new home, the Cleveland Clinic Courts, in Independence, Ohio.

Statistics used in this column are from the Cleveland Cavaliers team page on ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.