Anthony Parker is a outstanding shooter from long range as he is hitting 45.6% of his shots behind the three point line. But, the Cavaliers could use more than just that out of the shooting guard position which is usually reserved for a good offensive player. He has played in 46 games (all starts) for the Cavaliers this season and he is averaging 28.9 minutes, 7.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. The one thing that Parker does bring to the court every night is that he is a pretty good defensive player.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have the best record in the NBA (35-11) and LeBron James is the obvious reason why.  King James has been amazing ever since he stepped on to the court as an 18-year-old rookie in 2003, and has continued to improve every season.  This year is no different, as his outside shot has been looking better than it ever has and he is shooting a career-high 51% from the field.  This season he is averaging 29.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks.  The Cavs are 9-3 this month and LeBron has been playing even better than his ridiculous regular season averages.  In the month of January, LeBron is averaging 33.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.4 blocks on 52% shooting.  The Cavs have won 7 of their last 8 games, including a big win over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant.  LeBron had 37 points in that game, which was a big statement game for the Cavs since it gave them a season sweep over Kobe and the Lakers, who is LeBron’s only competition for MVP this season.

21-year old J.J. Hickson is really playing well this season. He has played in 44 games (38 starts) for the Cavs this season and he is averaging 18.8 minutes, 6.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Hickson is also shooting 54.2% which is the result of most of his shots being really close to the basket. I think he is the Cavs player that should have gotten a invite to the dunk contest. Hickson didn’t do a whole lot as a rookie last season playing in 62 games (0 starts) in which he averaged 11.4 minutes, 4.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. The Cavaliers are happy with Hickson’s improvement this season and they are really glad they didn’t trade him last season when teams were asking about him.

With Mario Williams out of action maybe the Cavs should focus more on their big men offensively. The combination of Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson at power forward has resulted in 49 minutes per game, 15.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Neither of them have much of a jump shot with their strength being movement without the ball. That means that the Cavaliers probably couldn’t get much more out of his duo offensively. However, I do think the Cavaliers could get more offense out of the centers. Shaquille O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilguaskas are averaging 43.7 minutes, 18.3 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game between them this year. The Cavs could decide to go down low more to Shaq who can still dominate games in short spurts. Ilguaskas has really improved his outside shot so the Cavs should start letting him shoot it more. The Cavs should let the big guys shoulder more of the load in the offense until Mo Williams is ready to return to action.

With Mo Williams out for a while due to injury the Cavs will need Delonte West and Daniel Gibson to step up. West will start tonight against the Lakers. He has played in 34 games (0 starts) for the Cavaliers this season and he is averaging 22.9 minutes, 7.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. West can play much better than he has this season and the Cavaliers need him to step up starting tonight against the Lakers. The Cavs will likely also get Daniel Gibson out of mothballs. He has played in 36 games (0 starts) for the Cavs this season and he is averaging 16.6 minutes, 5.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Gibson is shooting 47.7% from three point range and the Cavs will be sure to take advantage of that skill whenever his is in the game. The Cavs are going to need big minutes out of Gibson at the point as long as Williams is out of action.

Starting point guard Mo Williams will miss some time with a left shoulder sprain. He will miss tonight’s game with the Lakers and he might also miss additional time due to the injury. Williams has played in 43 games (all starts) for the Cavaliers this season and he is averaging 35.6 minutes, 16.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He is also shooting 42.9% from three point range this season. The Cavaliers will really miss Williams’ toughness and willingness to take a big shot. They will also miss the fact that he brings the ball up the court every time. Without him in the starting line-up look for LeBron James to do this more. Despite having decent players below him on the depth chart the Cavs will miss him. They need Mo Williams to get well soon.

UPDATE: The Cavaliers will be without Mo Williams for the next 4-6 weeks due to his shoulder injury. This will likely hurt the Cavaliers quite a bit unless Delonte West and Daniel Gibson step up.

Last year LeBron James promised to enter the 2010 Slam Dunk Contest, and he recently took back that promise and will not be participating in the competition in Dallas during the All-Star Weekend.  First off, LeBron should have kept his word and shown his stuff in the dunk contest this year.  Shaq has a great idea that just may change LeBron’s mind.  Shaq has come out and said that all of the big stars who can throw down in style like Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, and yes…his teammate LeBron James should participate in a high-stakes ($) dunk contest this year with at least half of the winnings going to the victims of the Haiti Earthquake.  It seems doubtful that this high-stakes, star-studded contest will happen, especially since the contestants have already been announced.  They are two-time winner Nate Robinson (Knicks), Gerald Wallace (Bobcats), Shannon Brown (Lakers), Eric Gordon (Clippers), and DeMar DeRozan (Raptors).  My pick is the high-flying Shannon Brown, but it would be great if the stars would listen to Shaq’s idea.  It would bring a lot of the excitement back to what has become a pretty dull event, while also providing aid to the tragedy in Haiti.

27-year old PF/C Anderson Varejao might not be in the starting line-up but he plays just as much as one. He has played in 40 games (6 starts) for the Cavaliers so far this season and he is averaging 30.4 minutes, 8.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 blocked shot and 1.0 steal per game. Varejao has been outstanding without the ball cutting to the basket which has resulted in him hitting 51.2% of his shots from the floor this season. Lately though Varejao has been even better than usual as he is averaging 33.4 minutes, 10.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocked shots per game in his last five contests. Other than LeBron James and Mo Williams it could be argued that Varejao would be the hardest Cavs player to replace.

26-year old small forward Jawad Williams has been stepping up for the Cavaliers in the place of the injured Jamario Moon. In his last five games for the Cavs, Williams is averaging 16.8 minutes, 7.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists on 62.5% shooting from the floor. He has really been giving the Cavs a jolt off the bench with his offense which has been a pleasant surprise for the team. He has now played in 17 games (0 starts) for the Cavaliers this season and he is averaging 7.5 minutes, 2.7 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists. Williams will probably go back to the end of the bench when Moon returns to action but at least the Cavs know that he can contribute when called upon.

In the last month the Cleveland Cavaliers have been the hottest team in the Eastern Conference, going 15-3 since December 11th.  Everyone knows LeBron James is the main reason why, but the Cavs have been getting great contributions from everyone.  One of those main contributors has been Shaq, who many have said is too old and slow to still make a difference.  Yes, the days were the “Big Aristotle” would drop 30 and 15 while playing 36 minutes a night are gone, but the 36-year-old future hall-of-famer is still a force down low and makes a major impact on the game.  On the season, Shaq is averaging 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.2 blocks while shooting 53% from the field and playing 23 minutes per game.  Shaq has not been slowing down either, and has actually been improving on most of his numbers.  In the last 10 games, Shaq has averaged 11.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 58% and the Cavs have gone 8-2.  Shaq is not the player he was a few years back, but he still gets the opponents’ big men in foul trouble and really protects the paint on defense.  If he can stay healthy, the Cavs will have a force down low all season.