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NBA's Cavalier Fantasy Preview

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Winter Is Here
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http://www.nba.com/fantasy/features/preview05_cavaliers.html


Cavaliers Fantasy Preview
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By Pravin Bhandakkar
www.talentedmrroto.com



2004 OVERVIEW
A great start, some hiccups, great performances and a fade out. Net result, another trip to the draft lottery. That has been the story of the Cavaliers for the first two years of King James’ career. And yet both times the Cavaliers have come out with more positives than negatives and lot of promise for the future.

The Cavaliers played with glaring holes in their backcourt all of last season and once Jeff McInnis feuded with Coach Paul Silas it ended any hope they had of resurrecting the situation. The Cavliers didn’t have any perimeter threat which allowed defenses to collapse inside and stifle the Cavaliers into scoring droughts.

LeBron James’ talents kept them close but in the end fell short of a playoff berth. Credit the Cavaliers management to act swift and make moves to improve their roster this off season. The Cavaliers managed to steal Larry Hughes from the Wizards, bring in Donyell Marshall and re-sign Zydrunas Ilgauskas. With a superstar like LeBron James who just keeps getting better, the Cavaliers have got the fans excited about a playoff spot and a possible extended postseason run.

ADDITIONS:
Donyell Marshall
Larry Hughes
Damon Jones
Martynas Andriuskevicius

LOSSES:
Desagana Diop
Jeff McInnis


PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP:
PG: Damon Jones
SG: Larry Hughes
SF: LeBron James
PF: Donyell Marshall
C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas


Key Bench Guys / Positional Battles:


Eric Snow, Drew Gooden, Anderson Varejao, Luke Jackson
There is a strong possibility that the Cavaliers will go with a big lineup featuring Hughes and LeBron in the backcourt with Marshall, Drew Gooden and Big Z up front. Damon Jones comes from the Heat to run with the team and provide another outside shot when LeBron drives and dishes. Gooden will see reduced minutes this season but would be hard to ignore off the bench and should get valuable minutes.

Anderson Varejao impressed last season with his energetic style of play and will get some playing time in the post. Varejao is a great rebounder who can come good if given a chance. Luke Jackson, renowned for his shooting touch, didn’t get the opportunity to showcase his talents last season but with the Cavaliers in need for perimeter shooters, he will get quality minutes. Not draft worthy but worth keeping an eye on the free agent list.

THE GUY ON THIS TEAM THAT WE LOVE:

Okay, so he’s obviously amazing but make no mistake: LeBron James should be the No. 1 overall pick in fantasy drafts this season, edging out Kevin Garnett.

That’s not a bold prediction but merely the truth. King James is just that good. Questions surround whether he will be able to repeat his last season’s performance with addition of players like Larry Hughes and Donyell Marshall. With defenses unable to key on him and more help on the defensive end, expect LeBron’s assists and steals to possible increase while his scoring and percentages stay the same. Definitely worth the No. 1 pick. If you get him any lower you could be jailed for stealing.

lebron-james_200_050111.jpg

Cleveland's LeBron James
David Liam Kyle/NBAE/Getty Images

THE GUYS ON THIS TEAM WE SUGGEST YOU AVOID:

Drew Gooden hovers around the double-double mark every night, contributes with both blocks and steals, shoots at high percentages and is only in his fourth season. Why is he being downgraded then? Two reasons: Donyell Marshall and soft defense.

Though Gooden filled up the stat sheet, coaches didn’t think highly of his defense and often played Robert Traylor or Anderson Varejao for extended minutes in place of Gooden. With a versatile talent like Marshall and a hustling youngster like Varejao in the fold, Gooden will find it tough to get minutes. He will post good stats whenever given the opportunity but we fear he will go lot higher in the draft than his playing time and performance justify.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2005:

The Cavaliers have shored up their backcourt with addition of Larry Hughes and added a three-point threat in Donyell Marshall. And they still have LeBron. What’s not to like about them?

Well, for one thing, their coach Mike Brown is a defensive specialist and will look to slow down the tempo as often as possible. That is never good news in the fantasy world. With a lot of offensive options available, division of shots is a big puzzle. One thing for sure, LeBron will get his and if Larry Hughes can post great stats with Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison, there is no reason to believe he won’t get them with this group.

Everyone else however needs to be downgraded especially on the offensive end. The starting lineup isn’t fixed and there are quality guys on the bench resulting in a complicated time share.
 
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ive been meaning to make a cavaliers fantasy preview. Nice find.
 

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