About me: Much talk has surfaced about the Cavaliers’ game 7 loss to the Celtics. It was an unexpected and abrupt ending to the Cavaliers season and everyone is pointing fingers. From coaches, execs and players, to passing, plays and points, everybody has someBODY or someTHING that they believe is to blame for not being able to watch LeBron and the Cavaliers continue their quest for an NBA championship. Personally I feel, as a whole, we (pardon me, I’m a Cavalier in spirit) just lacked the confidence it takes to win in a game 7 situation, on the road. Like many, I agree that a lack of varied offensive plays and coaching may be a factor too, but I think that Mike Brown is an excellent coach- he's the best Cavs coach thus far and one of the best in the league. Remember when LeBron answered a question during the game 6 post game press-conference regarding the Cavs level of confidence? He said, "For me, I don't need extra confidence. For me, I know as an individual, I know I can go out there and prepare myself to help our team get a win. For some of the other guys, I'm not sure- that's a question you'll have to ask them". LeBron knew going into game 7 that the difference would be largely based on the confidence level of his teammates. He knows his teammates... well... so he knows when to pass and when he's going to have to shoulder it all and go one-on-five. LeBron knows if we’re hitting from the back-side Cavs can win it. That's why he went on to say, "We can win. We know we can win. We just gotta go out there and do it”. I have to admit that after witnessing such a heartbreaking loss, like a lot of Cavalier fans, supporters, players and executives, I felt like some drastic changes were in immediate order. I was ready to unload the roster. But once I calmed down… made some logical evaluations and got my hateration under control I started to realize that what we’re currently working with is pretty good. We came damn close to beating the number one team in the league... on the road. Sure I’d love to see a second All-Star in a Cavalier uniform, but drastic changes can be costly in the long run. We all know that the moment we get a second All-Star a string of NBA championships is inevitable. But in building upon that notion, I think that Delonte West and Daniel Gibson have great potential to become All-Stars. I’ve heard a variety of opinions surrounding the selection of upcoming free agents… Baron Davis, Shawn Marion, Gilbert Arenas, Monte Ellis, Antwan Jamison and others. Honestly, I’m no longer as amped about seeing the Cavaliers make a blockbuster trade. There's a delicate team balance right now. Personally I think excessive roster changes could prove to be very counterproductive. Continuing to allow the current roster to develop in concert is a stronger move. I guess I could be feeling a little trade shy because I sort of miss Drew Gooden and I don’t think he’s been well replaced. Ben Wallace is doing a pretty good job holding us down on the defensive end, but there’s still a lot to be desired. And I'm not sure about Wally Szczerbiak... he may be one of those players that just needs more time to catch rhythm with a new team. Plus I’m not really in support of purchasing any injuries at this juncture- there’re a lot of bad knees out there. One thing is true: WE MUST HAVE SHOOTERS!!! LeBron said it himself... "If our shooters are shooting we can be a tough team to beat”. They can't double team LeBron if our shooters are hot. I’d like to see something really delicate happen. Cap issues and contract restrictions considered, the only play I’d like to see made is one for Shawn Marion of the Heat and/or James Jones of the Trailblazers. Erik Snow is pushing for a career in coaching, Devin Brown and Joe Smith’s contracts are optional- as well as a few other bench players. Mostly I'd like to see us lose Devin Brown to acquire James Jones- he's shootin' the three ball a lot like Boobie, and he's a free agent- not too expensive. Of course, like most, I’m in favor of re-signing Daniel and Delonte without a doubt. Cap issues could be a problem but making a play for Shawn Marion would be really nice- at which point we wouldn't need Joe Smith or Lance Allred. Though I like Joe- Shawn could hold it down much more effectively. This would make for a strong yet very subtle shift towards “getting better” and would improve upon the trade. The Cavaliers are a pretty good, title contending team. Delicate tweaking, a little more time together and the sting of that game 7 loss will prove to be quite the confidence builder that will get us back to the Finals.
