The Cavaliers have re-signed restricted free agent Sasha Pavlovic to a new three-year contract. He played in 67 games (28 starts) for the Cavs last year and he averaged 22.9 minutes, 9.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Pavlovic is one of the Cavs best long range shooters as he hit 40.5% from three point range last season. Pavlovic screwed himself out of competing with Daniel Gibson for a starting job making him the likely sixth man for the Cavs this season.

The Cavs have signed rookie forward Demetris Nichols who was recently cut by the Knicks. Nichols played in 5 pre-season games for the Knicks and he averaged 7.8 minutes, 4.8 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Nichols was a good player in college for the Syracuse Orangemen. He played in 123 games at Syracuse and he averaged 10.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.0 steal and 0.8 blocks per game. Nichols also is a good shooter as he hit 42.3% from the floor, 35.8% from the three point line and 75.2% from the free throw line at Syracuse. This was a good move by the Cavs as Nichols is a good offensive player.

Without Pavlovic and Varejao to start the season the Cavs bench production will likely suffer. Devin Brown will likely back up Larry Hughes at shooting guard and the Cavs are hoping that he can repeat the fine season he had last year for the Hornets. Brown played in 58 games (49 starts) and he averaged 28.7 minutes, 11.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Donyell Marshall will see increased minutes behind both Drew Gooden and Z. The Cavs need Marshall to pick his game back up after a disappointing year in 2006-07. He played in 81 games (0 starts) last season for the Cavs and he averaged 16.8 minutes, 7.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. The Cavs are hoping that new C/F Cedric Simmons can pick up some of the slack with Varejao not in the picture at the start of the season. Simmons played in 43 games (4 starts) as a rookie last season for the Hornets and he averaged 12.4 minutes, 2.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. The Cavs also have high hopes for last year’s first round draft pick Shannon Brown. Brown played in 23 games (5 starts) and he averaged 8.8 minutes, 3.2 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. The Cavs also need Brown to improve his shooting as he only hit 37.8% from the floor as a rookie. The Cavs could also use some help from three veterans who have been disappointing the last couple of seasons. Eric Snow is a solid defensive point guard but he’s a liability on offense. He played in 82 games (45 starts) last season for the Cavs and he averaged 23.5 minutes, 4.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Damon Jones likes to proclaim that he’s the best shooter on the planet but his numbers don’t prove that out as he only hit 38.6% from the floor last season. He played in 60 games (0 starts) and he averaged 19.6 minutes, 6.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. The Cavs might even get Ira Newble out of mothballs to play a little bit of small forward or shooting guard. Newble played in 15 games (1 start) last season for the Cavs and he averaged 8.6 minutes, 3.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.

The Cavaliers don’t have a lot of quality depth on the bench so they will focus on the starting lineup playing big minutes this season. Look for LeBron James to become a little more selfish with the ball this season and that should benefit the offense. James played in 78 games (all starts) last season and he averaged 40.9 minutes, 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Look for LeBron to increase those numbers especially if he improves his shooting from three point range (31.9%) and the free throw line (69.8%). The Cavs would benefit if James drove to the basket more where he’s too strong for small forwards to cover and too fast for power forwards to cover. 2nd year guard Daniel Gibson will start at the point guard position for the Cavs. He really stepped up in the playoffs for the Cavs last season and he has the potential to be a game changer because of his speed at pushing the ball up the court and his shooting which has no boundaries on distance. Starting Gibson at the point will enable the Cavs to play Larry Hughes at his natural shooting guard position which is good for the Cavs. The Cavs need to convince Hughes to drive to the basket more and utilize his outstanding moves and quickness. He played in 70 games (68 starts) for the Cavs last season and he averaged 37.1 minutes, 14.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He will improve on those numbers if he improves his shot selection. He only shot 40% from the floor, 33.3% from three point range and 67.6% from the free throw line. Starting power forward Drew Gooden will likely see a boost in his minutes with Anderson Varejao out of the picture at the start of the season. Gooden played in 80 games (all starts) last season for the Cavs and he averaged 11.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game in 28.0 minutes. Look for all of those numbers to improve in 2007-08. Starting center Zydrunas Ilgauskas will also play more this season for the Cavs. He had to deal with a personal tragedy last season and it seemed to affect his play on the court. Look for him to return this season with a chip on his shoulder and that’s a good thing for the Cavs. Z is one of the best offensive centers in the NBA and the Cavs need to feed him the rock. He played in 78 games (all starts) last season and he averaged 27.3 minutes, 11.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Look for his numbers to improve across the board this season for the Cavs.

This will hurt the Cavs as both players were important to the Cavs rise to power in the Eastern Conference. Sasha Pavlovic played in 67 games (28 starts) last season for the Cavs and he averaged 22.9 minutes, 9.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He gave the Cavs good energy and shooting from long range. Anderson Varejao backup up both Ilgauskas and Gooden along the front line for the Cavs. Varejao played in 81 games (6 starts) last season for the Cavs and he averaged 23.8 minutes, 6.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. The Cavs will miss his energy off the bench and his willingness to take a charge. The Cavs will not be as good this season without these two guys.