29-year old Anderson Varejao is going to be the starting center for the Cavaliers this year and they need him to stay healthy.  He played in 31 games (all starts) for the Cavs last year and he averaged 32.1 minutes, 9.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  He has now played in 419 games (103 starts) in his first 7 years with the Cavaliers and he is averaging 24.7 minutes, 7.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  “The Wild Thing” is a fan favorite in Cleveland and the Cavs need his all-out hustle, rebounding and defense in 2011-12.  27-year old Ryan Hollins opted to come back to the Cavs in 2011-12.  Hollins played in 70 games (16 starts) for the Cavs last year and he averaged 16.9 minutes, 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  He has now played in 275 games (47 starts) in his NBA career so far and he is averaging 13.0 minutes, 4.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  The Cavs need Hollins to toughen up a bit, as he is an underachiever.  25-year old Semih Erden came to the Cavs last year in a deal with the Celtics.  He played in 41 games (8 starts) for the Cavaliers & Celtics and he averaged 14.5 minutes, 4.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.

The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be in good shape at power forward for the 2011-12 season.  35-year old Antawn Jamison will be the starter, if the Cavs don’t deal him.  Jamison played in 56 games (38 starts) for the Cavaliers last year and he averaged 32.9 minutes, 18.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.  He has now played in 920 games (793 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 36.5 minutes, 19.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  20-year old first round pick Tristan Thompson will likely backup Jamison this year.  The Cavs have high hopes for Thompson as he was an impressive rebounder and defensive player for the Longhorns last year.  22-year old Samardo Samuels made the team as an undrafted rookie last year and he played pretty decent basketball.  Samuels played in 37 games (10 starts) for the Cavs last year and he averaged 18.9 minutes, 7.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  23-year old Luke Harangody came to the Cavaliers during the season last year in a deal with the Celtics.  He played in 49 games (0 starts) for the Cavaliers & Celtics and he averaged 13.1 minutes, 3.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.

The Cleveland Cavaliers dealt for 23-year old Omri Casspi on the day before the lockout with the idea of starting him at small forward in 2011-12.  Casspi played in 71 games (27 starts) for the Kings last year and he averaged 24.0 minutes, 8.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  He has now played in 148 games (58 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 24.5 minutes, 9.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  24-year old Alonzo Gee will also likely get some minutes at small forward and maybe even some at shooting guard this year.  Gee played in 56 games (34 starts) for the Wizards, Spurs and Cavaliers last year and he averaged 20.0 minutes, 5.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He has now played in 67 games (36 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 19.4 minutes, 6.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  It looks like Gee has finally found a team that he will stick with for a while.  22-year old Christian Eyenga will likely be #3 in line at small forward for the Cavaliers in 2011-12.  He played in 44 games (18 starts) as a rookie for the Cavaliers last year and he averaged 21.5 minutes, 6.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Eyenga is very athletic as he skied to block shots and dunk the ball last year, often making Sportscenter highlights on ESPN.  29-year old Joey Graham appears to be the odd man out for P.T. for the Cavs in 2011-12.  He played in 39 games (8 starts) for the Cavs last year and he averaged 15.0 minutes, 5.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  Graham has now played in 377 games (84 starts) in his first six years in the NBA and he is averaging 16.2 minutes, 5.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.

25-year old Daniel Gibson will likely be the starting shooting guard for the Cavs this year.  He played in 67 games (15 starts) for the Cavs last year and he averaged 27.8 minutes, 11.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.  Gibson has now played in 316 games (67 starts) in his first five years in the NBA and he is averaging 23.7 minutes, 8.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  Gibson has a beautiful shot from long range as he has connected on 41.8% of his shots from three point range in his career for the Cavs.  22-year old Manny Harris showed glimpses of talent as a undrafted rookie last year for the Cavs.  He played in 54 games (15 starts) for the Cavaliers last year and he averaged 17.3 minutes, 5.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, but, he only shot 37.4% from the floor.  If his shooting improves, he could turn into an asset for the Cavs as early as this year.