Cavs camp

Training camp began for the Cavaliers this morning, officially kicking off Season Three of the LeBron James era.
Unlike the Indians or Browns, who were both kind of unknown quantities when they started their seasons, the Cavs know exactly where they stand.
They are supposed to win, often and convincingly.
Danny Ferry spent several hundred million dollars of owner Dan Gilbert's money this summer to bring in players we have actually heard of. And for the investment in Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall, Damon Jones and Zydrunas Ilguaskas, we the fans are expecting that LeBron finally has the supporting cast to lead this team among the Eastern Conference elite.
No one is expecting an NBA title this season, but 50 wins and a playoff series win is a good place to start.
Unlike this past season's edition of the Cavs, unlike the Indians, we are also expecting this team to make the playoffs with little suspense. By April, we should be concerned about what the Cavs' playoff seeding is going to be, not whether or not they'll make it.
Now that the ground rules are clear, le's take a look at some highlighted issues for your 2005-06 Cavaliers.

1. LeBron James is a self-proclaimed veteran. It's time for him to lead that way.
LeBron has put up with a lot of organizational garbage since coming to the Cavaliers two years ago, so he might be excused for not being able to lift this team singlehandedly to greatness, superlative talent aside.
Last year, while Paul Silas was busy getting fired, Jeff McInnis was busy quitting and Ira Newble was busy being Ira Newble, LeBron clammed up and tried to raise his game to the challenge of dragging a lazy, sulking, undertalented albatross to the playoffs by himself. This year, no more of that.
It has long been said Michael Jordan won championships not only by being great, but by making his teammates great. How? Well, it had less to do with great passing and far more to do with kicking ass and taking names in practice.
Jordan made his Bulls teammates afraid to fail, afraid to do anything that might hinder a chance at winning.
No one is expecting LeBron to turn into a drill sergeant, but if LeBron should encounter another group of teammates happy to let the boy wonder do all the heavy lifting, his response should not be to grin and bear it. It should be to hold his teammates accountable. That's what veteran leaders do. That's how leaders make a team out of group of players.

2. Drew Gooden must be content as a rebounder/defender, or Ferry must find someone who will be.
Drew Gooden was brought here last year to replace the rebounding of Carlos Boozer. To that end, he did a reasonable job, averaging nearly 10 boards a game. But he was also counted on as a third or fourth offensive option, allowing him to net a career-high 14 points per game.
Gooden is heading into the last year of his contract, and odds are he's not going to want to see those number slip just in time for a new contract. But on a team loaded with shooters, passers and penetrators, there almost certainly won't be enough offensive plays to go around for Gooden.
Gooden will be forced to make a name for himself as an enforcer. He unquestionably has the talent to be the team's best rebounder and low-post defender. Last year, only LeBron had more explosive legs than Gooden, something that serves him well as a rebounder.
But will he want that role? In the past, an unhappy Gooden has become a sulking, unmotivated and inconsistent Gooden. The Cavs lack a lot of size and muscle in the low post as it is. If Gooden is dogging it, or shooting the ball every time he touches it, Ferry might have to go the trade route to find a tried-annd-true low post man to replace him. One who doesn't need the ball to be effective.

3. Mike Brown must step in and take charge from Day One.
Brown has a chance to be a very good NBA head coach. Unlike Paul Silas, he is an adequate strategist who preaches team defense. Also unlike Paul Silas, however, he doesn't inspire fear in his players by his mere presence.
That's not to say Brown should adopt many of the people skills of Silas, who was known for a volcanic temper, talking down to his players, and inconsistent messages. One Silas trait Brown should examine, however, is the ability to make his players respect him at all times.
Brown needs to realize being an NBA head coach is about managing people. Assistants can busy themselves drawing Xs and Os on dry-erase boards, and get lost in the concepts of the game. Head coaches need to live in the here-and-now of practices and games far more. Assistants-turned-leaders who don't grasp that don't stay employed very long.

4. Enter the $76 million backcourt.
Damon Jones and Larry Hughes represent a hefty investment in improving a team weakness last year. They must jell and be as good as advertised for the Cavs to make the large jump to conference contender.
Last year, Jeff McInnis played hard on offense and treated defense like a side effect. By the end of the season, he was a malcontent and being followed around by the "Q" word ("quit," not "Quicken.")
Shooting guard was manned largely by bench players Ira Newble and Sasha Pavlovic. We'll not mention the failed Lucious Harris and Jiri Welsch experiments.
This year, $60 million was spent to bring All-NBA defensive first teamer Hughes to the shooting guard spot, and $16 million for Jones, a three-point specialist who was a favored member of Shaq's court in Miami last year, to man the point.
These guys represent the main difference between last year's team and this year's. If the Cavs get the production out of Jones and Hughes they are expecting, this team is a threat to make it to the Eastern Conference finals in May. If not, start slamming your head against a wall.

5. Z must pass more.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas got $55 million to stay in Cleveland this summer. It was a good signing, at least in the short term. Z is a low-post offensive talent with few peers, even if his defense is suspect and mobility limited. But Z, for all his offensive prowess, must realize this team has other scorers now besides he and LeBron.
He averaged 17 points per game last year by taking the ball to the rim almost every time he touched it. He's a good free throw shooter, so it's hard to argue with Z drawing fouls and getting himself to the line. But with Hughes, Jones and Marshall, in addition to LeBron, Z has to recognize when his teammates are open and get the ball to them. He needs to start realizing that the rim isn't the only option when he gets the ball in the block. If he becomes as good at seeing open teammates as he is getting to the line, the Cavs' offense will have a lot more texture and varied ways to beat teams.