1. It’s amazing to me how many people who clearly don’t know what they’re talking about (I’m referring to you, Cleveland.com comment-writers) are freaking out about the Cavs off season moves and calling for Danny Ferry’s head. Here’s another example of that negative, woe-is-me Cleveland attitude I’ve railed against recently. Could we please try to remember that this team won 66 games last year and recently got one of the all-time great centers for what amounts to beads and trinkets? Seriously, it’s not like the team has to be completely revamped!

2. It was pretty much universally agreed upon that the Cavs’ two biggest off-season needs were a reliable shooting guard/swingman with size and a “stretch-forward.” They started off by grabbing Shaq which didn’t solve either of those problems, but solved another one by adding a true low-post presence on both ends of the floor. It now seems that the Cavs will sign Anthony Parker, who should be the reliable shooting guard they were looking for.

3. Parker is solid and is younger in basketball years than his actual age of 34. That’s because he played several years in Europe where they have a much shorter season. He can shoot and consistently knocks down open threes. At 6-6, he adds much needed size at the 2. He is faster and more athletic than Wally and Sasha, which should help on both ends. And that’s really how these moves should be evaluated: Did the team get better, or not?

4. Not only is Parker better than Wally and Sasha, but Tarence Kinsey might be as well and Danny Green has the potential to be an upgrade too. Let’s take a look at the whole picture and imagine the depth chart. Does it look better today than it did yesterday? I say yes.

5. Anderson Varejao has been re-signed. The details of the deal aren’t out yet, but it appears to be worth up to $50 million over 6 years. The 6 years might seem odd until you consider that with that length deal the Cavs might never have to put up with Dan Fegan again… which is nice. Fegan is quickly becoming the Scott Boras of the NBA, which is to say he’s growing horns and a tail. At 26 Andy has 4-5 more “peak” years left. So the Cavs now have a known quantity at PF locked up for his prime years and still have the option to trade him with the last year of his expiring contract and get something in return. As for the amount of the deal, we’ll likely learn that there are kickers to get up to that $50 million amount and Andy will be paid something less than that in reality.

6. Brian Windhorst is reporting that the Cavs may also pick up Channing Frye. He’s not my first choice. I’d rather have gotten McDyess for 1 or 2 years. But the deal he got from the Spurs is crazy and I’d rather not commit to him for 3 years so they’re welcome to him. Shawn Marion? No thank you. He’s not a power forward anyway. If you look at who’s left and what the Cavs want to pay, Channing Frye might be the best option. His diminishing minutes and production worry me, but that could change in a hurry with a new team and a shot at winning a title. We’ll see. Worst case scenario is that Frye becomes an insurance policy in case J.J. Hickson’s back becomes a major long-term problem. And after the bench performance in last year’s playoffs, improving that part of the roster is about the best thing the Cavs can do this off-season.

7. People need to stop having pipe-dreams about players who were never a possibility for the Cavs. I saw somebody comment that the Cavs need to get David Lee. First of all, he doesn’t fit the Cavs’ need at all. Second, he’s demanding $10+ million and the Cavs don’t have it. They just don’t! Ditto for Lamar Odom, who some people still mention as a possibility. Not only is he too expensive, but Lamar Odom will never play outside of L.A. unless a team wildly overpays for him. You want to be that team? Didn’t think so.

8. As for the guys that the Cavs “missed” on, Artest got his first choice. He said he wanted to play for the Lakers, so the Cavs only would’ve had a shot if the Lakers opted to re-sign Ariza. And Ariza seems to be a typical NBA player who only has 2 things on his mind: dollar bills and warm weather. The Cavs would have given him all the money they could have and he simply chose to go another route. Oh well. Charlie Villanueva? Dollar bills. The Cavs just couldn’t match that offer from Detroit and that’s the way it goes.

9. The biggest loss of the off-season is Assistant Coach John Kuester to Detroit. Pray to whatever God you pray to that Mike Brown doesn’t attempt to take back the offensive coaching. Especially since that offense now involves Shaq, Mike Brown simply isn’t up to the task. It’s not him and he and Danny Ferry need to either promote another coach who can do the job, or hire somebody. If you see Mike Brown in the huddle during pre-season games scribbling LeBron “iso” plays on his little board, get yourself ready for disappointment.

10. As it stands today with guys who have officially signed, the Cavs starters will be Shaq, Andy, LeBron, Delonte, and Mo. Z, D-Block, J.J., Gibson, and Green will get regular minutes off the bench with Kinsey on the fringe. If the Parker deal is finalized, he could become the starting 2-guard or a first or second guy off the bench. Frye would be added to the frontcourt depth and likely take some of J.J.’s minutes. Ask yourself if you would rather have Ben, Sasha, Wally, and Joe Smith instead. I wouldn’t. Overall I think the team is more athletic and flexible with a perhaps more potential.