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.

32-year old Baron Davis will likely be the starting point guard for the Cavaliers when the 2011-12 season starts.  He played in 58 games (44 starts) for the Cavaliers & Clippers last year and he averaged 28.4 minutes, 13.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  Davis has now played in 806 games (678 starts) so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 34.7 minutes, 16.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game.  25-year old Ramon Sessions played pretty well in his first year with the Cavaliers, but he’s likely to get dealt before the 2011-12 season begins.  Sessions played in 81 games (38 starts) for the Cavs last year and he averaged 26.3 minutes, 13.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.  He has now played in 239 games (85 starts) in his first four years in the NBA and he is averaging 25.1 minutes, 11.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.  19-year old rookie Kyrie Irving will likely be doing a lot of learning in 2011-12.  I look for him to backup Baron Davis this year and then taking over as the starter in 2012-13.  The Cavaliers are confident that Irving is going to be the real deal.

49-year old head coach Byron Scott signed on to run things for the Cavs before he even knew where Queen James was going to play. Scott is replacing Mike Brown who led the Cavs to a 61-21 record last season. Brown routinely got outcoached despite usually having better talent on the basketball court. That won’t be the case with Scott in charge. Scott was fired early last season by the New Orleans Hornets after a 3-6 start. Scott has a career record of 352-355 (49.8%) during the regular season in the NBA as a head coach and he is also 33-24 (57.9%) in the playoffs. Scott has a 33-24 (57.9%) record in his post season career and he led the Nets to back to back Eastern Conference Championships before losing in the NBA Finals. Unlike Coach Brown, Scott was a NBA player and he won some rings with the Lakers which gives him instant respect in the locker room.

28-year old Anderson “Wild Thing” Varejao will be the Cavaliers’ starting center in 2010-11.  Varejao played in 76 games (7 starts) for the Cavs last season and he averaged 28.5 minutes, 8.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  He has now played in 388 games (72 starts) in his six years with the Cavs and he has averaged 24.1 minutes, 7.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  Varejao has hit 51.8% of his shots from the floor but only 60% from the free throw line in his career so far.  Varejao will probably average a double-double for the Cavaliers this season.

26-year old Ryan Hollins will back up Varejao in the pivot this year.  He played in 73 games (27 starts) for the T-Wolves last season and he averaged 16.8 minutes, 6.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  Hollins has now played in 205 games (31 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 11.6 minutes, 3.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CAVALIERS CENTERS IN 2010-11:  B

22-year old J.J. Hickson was a player that a lot of teams coveted at the trade deadline but the Cavaliers were smart to keep him.  Hickson will be the starting power forward for the Cavaliers this year.  He played in 81 games (73 starts) for the Cavaliers last season and he averaged 20.9 minutes, 8.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  Hickson has now played in 143 games (73 starts) in his first two years with the Cavs and he has averaged 16.8 minutes, 6.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game on 54.3% shooting from the floor.  Look for Hickson to approach a double-double this year for the Cavaliers.

34-year old Antwan Jamison will likely be the sixth man for the Cavaliers this year.  Jamison played in 66 games (64 starts) for the Wizards & Cavaliers last year and he averaged 36.5 minutes, 18.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  He has now played in 864 games (755 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 36.8 minutes, 19.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  Don’t be surprised if Jamison leads the Cavs in scoring this year despite coming off the bench.

26-year old Leon Powe appears to almost be 100% healthy so he will be a asset for the Cavaliers this year.  Powe played in 20 games (2 starts) for the Cavs last season and he averaged 11.8 minutes, 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.  Powe has now played in 209 games (16 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 14.3 minutes, 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CAVALIERS POWER FORWARDS IN 2010-11:  B+

With Queen James off to the Miami Heat the Cavaliers are rebuilding at small forward in 2010-11.  30-year old Jamario Moon will likely be the starting small forward when the season begins.  Moon played in 61 games (2 starts) for the Cavaliers last season and he averaged 17.2 minutes, 4.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  He has now played in 219 games (137 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 24.1 minutes, 7.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  Moon is a solid defensive player and rebounder but he won’t likely come near double figures in scoring this year for the Cavs.

27-year old Jawad Williams could be a player to watch at small forward.  He played in 54 games (6 starts) for the Cavaliers last season and he averaged 13.7 minutes, 4.1 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  Williams has now played in 64 games (6 starts) in his two years with the Cavaliers and he has averaged 11.9 minutes, 3.7 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  He had some decent games for the Cavs last season so he could push Moon for P.T.

21-year old Christian Eyenga was the Cavaliers’ first round pick (#30 overall) in 2009.  He played last season in Spain appearing in 29 games in which he averaged 12.0 minutes, 3.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game on 56.1% shooting from the floor.  Eyenga was solid for the Cavs’ summer league team so he could surprise for them this year.

28-year old Stephen Graham will also get in on the action at small forward for the Cavs this year.  Graham played in 63 games (18 starts) for the Nuggets last season and he averaged 12.0 minutes, 4.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  Graham has now played in 338 games (76 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 16.4 minutes, 6.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CAVALIERS SMALL FORWARDS IN 2010-11:  D-

The Cavaliers shooting guards were usually the #5 option offensively in 2009-10 but the team will need more production out of this unit this year. 35-year old Anthony Parker will be the starter here. He played in 81 games (all starts) for the Cavs last season and he averaged 28.3 minutes, 7.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Parker has now played in 371 games (307 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 28.0 minutes, 9.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. The Cavaliers will ask Parker to take more shots this year and that’s not a bad thing as he has hit 41.5% of his shots from 3-point range in his NBA career.

24-year old Daniel “Boobie” Gibson will likely see increased minutes this year for the Cavs. He played in 56 games (10 starts) for the Cavs last season and he averaged 19.1 minutes, 6.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Gibson has now played in 249 games (52 starts) in his career with the Cavaliers and he has averaged 22.6 minutes, 7.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Gibson might be a liability on defense due to his size but he has shot 42.4% from three point range in his career so he won’t be shy offensively.

23-year old Danny Green didn’t play much as a rookie but look for him to get more P.T. in 2010-11. Green played in 20 games (0 starts) for the Cavs last season and he averaged 5.8 minutes, 2.0 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CAVALIERS SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2010-11: C-