I’m so excited, I might pass out. The Indians were awful this year, the Browns are, at best, a work in progress… but it’s Cavs time!!!! Woohoo!

Let’s get right to it. I’ll touch on each of the players currently on the roster by breaking it up into sections.

Aaaaaaand, go!

The Additions

Shaq. The Big Cuyahoga. He’s the biggest thing to happen in Cleveland since… well, LeBron actually. Having them both on the same team is ridiculous. No, Shaq is not the same guy he was with the Lakers, or even the Heat. But he is a force and he’s going to help the interior of the Cavs’ lineup on both ends of the floor. I also believe he still knows how to win championships and will bring that pedigree to a team desperate to win the big one.

Jamario Moon. Finally, the Cavs have a true backup small forward. Trotting out Wally Szczerbiak in that role last year was not exactly successful. Ditto for The Space Cadet, Sasha Pavlovic. Moon has athleticism, speed, and swagger that didn’t exist on the Cavs’ bench last season. He has the ability to defend well on the perimeter, which is key on Mike Brown’s team, and can finish strong on breakaways and in the paint. Jamario’s biggest question mark is his outside shooting. Beyond the mid-range, he may not be much of a threat to shoot the ball and defenders can then back off to be in a better position to stop his dribble penetration. However, if the team can get him the ball as he’s moving to the basket, look out.

Anthony Parker. The recent struggles of Delonte West have made this addition to the squad even more important than I originally thought. Parker can shoot the lights out, has great size for a shooting guard, and plays above average defense. Playing on a contender for the first time since his days in Europe should put a charge in him and I’m excited to see what Parker can do. He should have plenty of open looks whether he starts or comes off the bench.

Danny Green. He may have played small forward in college, but it appears that Green is undersized for that position in the NBA. The good news is that he might also have the stroke to be a shooting guard. He’s a rookie, so I expect him to play most of the season like a rookie. Anything he does that hints at development into a solid player will be a bonus. And I’ll take anything he can do that pushes down Daniel Gibson’s minutes.

Leon Powe. Picture this: March 14, 2010. The Q, on Sunday, live on ABC. The Cavs have 16 more regular season games to play and are building momentum towards the playoffs. A few more wins should give them the best record in the Eastern Conference. And their opponent that day is the Boston Celtics. After several months off, Powe should be by that point healthy and fully recovered from his knee surgery. He’ll be pushing both Andy and J.J. for playing time and itching to prove himself against his old club with his new fans right behind him. I think he could score 20, rebound 12 and block 2 that game. Seriously. In a three game stretch last year, Leon scored 55 points with 31 rebounds. The opponents were three playoff-bound teams, including the Cavs. My point is, Leon Powe is an emotional juggernaut and has the ability to absolutely explode. And he likes to do so in big games, which will look pretty good next spring.

The Fringe

Rob Kurz. He’s on the bubble to make the roster. His size and shooting ability are big positives, but I question his defense. On Mike Brown’s team, you play defense or you don’t play. Period. Since the Cavs are now looking pretty deep in the frontcourt, I wonder how many one dimensional players will stay around.

Jawad Williams. I feel like Jawad or Kurz will make the team, but not both. Maybe Jawad will be kept warm on the D-League team. But he didn’t play much last year and I would argue that this year’s team is even deeper. Plus there are other needs to address, so keeping a sub-par combo forward likely won’t happen.

Andre Barrett, Coby Karl, Luke Nevill, Darryl Watkins. I’d be surprised if any of Karl, Nevill, or Watkins makes the team. They’re just not good enough. Barrett, however, might squeak into the number 15 position because of the lack of depth at point guard. Not because he’s so great, but because it fits an emergency need that the Cavs have. If Delonte is back, healthy, and contributing, then they might keep Jawad Williams instead. Tough to say, but neither player is relevant on a championship caliber team.

The Returning Players

LeBron. The reigning MVP is poised to have another dominant season. He’s not going to let the biggest contract year in the history of sports (sorry, it is) fade away without a king-size season. Prepare to be constantly picking your jaw up off the ground. Oh, and remember he said last year that he’d be entering this year’s dunk contest. Let’s just sit quietly and contemplate that for a moment…

Andy. Big(ish) contract, big expectations. He played well this summer for Brazil, and so should come into the season already in good basketball form. It will be interesting to see if he’s added any tricks to his offensive repertoire. I actually think that Andy has pretty much tapped out his potential. He is what he is. That’s not bad, but don’t be surprised if he’s getting pushed hard for his starting spot by J.J. and Leon Powe.

Mo. He no longer needs to carry the burden of being the team’s number 2 scorer. I think that will help. He also admitted to being a little overwhelmed in the playoffs last year. Keep in mind, he’s played for awful teams in Milwaukee up until now. I expect him to be better prepared this year and much looser come playoff time. Even if Mo doesn’t have an all-star caliber season this year, he’s a very good player on a very good team.

Delonte. His head is elsewhere right now, and that’s where it needs to be. Let’s assume he gets himself right and keeps it that way until next off-season. Then the question is whether he should start, or come off the bench in the backup point guard role. Tough call. He provides great value either way and is certainly capable of running the point well against second string opponents. Right now, I’ll just take having him back with the team and playing regularly.

J.J. Hickson should have a monster year. He spent much of the summer with LeBron learning how to be a pro basketball player. If he can get his head right and work toward improving his game, he has tremendous potential. This past off-season appears to be a step in that direction and I expect him to seriously challenge Andy for the starting power forward slot. In the first pre-season game, J.J. looked like he added some low post scoring ability AND a mid-range shot. That versatility is huge whether he’s on the floor with LeBron and Shaq, or with Z and Jamario.

Darnell Jackson. He works hard, but just doesn’t have the talent to contribute on a regular basis. He provides good depth at the power forward position, but it would be unfair to expect much from D-Block this year. J.J. appears to have made a leap way ahead of Jackson and Powe will eat up minutes next spring. He just needs to be ready to contribute solid defense and some offensive hustle when his number does get called.

Daniel Gibson. If he finds his shot and stops turning the ball over, then he might be useful as a backup point guard. Let’s just say I’m not getting my hopes up. Gibson is officially the poor man’s Damon Jones, only he doesn’t seem to know it. He’s had ample time to work on his shot so that he can be an asset again. I haven’t been to Cleveland Clinic Courts, so I don’t know if he is actually doing that. But the product on the court last year suggests that he’s coasting and it’s not like we’re hearing eye witness accounts every week of how much extra time Gibson is putting in at the practice facility. Right now, he might be the biggest personnel liability the Cavs have.

My Favorite Story Nobody is Really Talking About

Z. Big Z is going to come off the bench. If his shot is dropping, he is going to light up second team defenses. I keep hearing people say that Z is terrible and can’t play in the NBA anymore. I don’t get it. He shouldn’t start, that’s for sure. Shaq is the starter. But Z coming off the bench is an enormous mismatch against second string centers in the league. I think this is even more true if the Cavs find the right fit at power forward to pair with Z. As of right now, I might be more inclined to start J.J. Hickson and bring Andy off the bench with Z. First, J.J. has way more versatility on offense than Andy. If he can hit the mid-range jumper, that will open up space for Shaq, who will be glued to the paint. Andy can’t hit that shot and will have to get his points inside, which might be difficult when he’s paired with Shaq. Second, Z is like a super stretch forward. He likes to live on the edges and that’s where he is most effective scoring the ball. That type of center opens up space for Andy to score in the paint and get put backs off any misses from the outside. Third, Z and Andy have played well together before and get along. Having two bigs who are on the same page coming off the bench together could be very valuable.

Biggest Question Mark

Some say it’s Delonte. Certainly the point guard depth is suspect. But I think the biggest question mark facing the Cavs this year is the loss of Assistant Coach John Kuester. Mike Brown is faced with a number of new faces, including Shaq, and weapons galore. He has far more flexibility in his lineup and options to match up with any team in the league. Can he handle it? It appears Mike Malone will be taking over running the offense for Brown, but he’s untested. If he’s able to use all the weapons at his disposal, this could be a very special year.

The Verdict

I expect a parade in June. Period. Anything short of that will be a massive disappointment and I’ve had enough disappointment since last year’s let down in Orlando. The Indians stunk. The Browns are an embarrassment. All we have left is the Cavs. Danny Ferry did a great job improving the team, both in the starting lineup and on the bench. The team now has unprecedented talent, versatility and depth. We’ve never seen a Cavs team built quite so obviously to win now.

Guys will get banged up. There will be slumps. But if this team avoids the big injuries and keeps working on getting better, I see no reason why an NBA Championship wouldn’t be within reach this year.

Call me crazy, but I’ve looked at every game on the schedule and as things sit right now, I see the Cavs finishing with a record of 68-14. Then the real season begins…

Buckle up, kids. Go Cavs!

Kevin Hignett hawks insurance during the day. He spends the rest of his time being a dad and dreaming of a mid-June parade in downtown Cleveland. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinHignett