Ribbon Cutting, Chrome Domes and Merry Pranksters

On Wednesday afternoon, the Cavaliers officially unveiled their breathtaking state-of-the-art practice facility – the Cleveland Clinic Courts. It was the first time that the local media got a look at the complex and it’s fair to say that they left mightily impressed.

It’s hard not be impressed by the hoops utopia located just north of Rockside Road in Independence. From the spacious weight room to the cavernous courts, the new complex should ensure the Cavaliers’ continued ascent among the NBA elite. Quite simply, the Courts will provide players the opportunity to work longer and work smarter. They’ll be able recover more quickly from injuries and even stave off a few from the grind of an 82-game campaign.

And while The Q is still one of the premiere arenas in the league, the Cleveland Clinic Courts are all about the business of basketball.

The impressive attributes of the CCC are almost too numerous to mention and it’s a toss-up between Strength and Conditioning Coach Stan Kellers and Head Trainer Max Benton as to who got the cooler toys.

Stan’s stash ranges from high-tech (Kaiser machines, which use air-pressure training instead of weights) to low-tech (kettle bells, which have been around, literally, for centuries).

Max has a pair of high-tech gadgets that sets the Cleveland Clinic Courts apart. One is the HyrdroWorks underwater treadmill – something only a handful of teams have throughout the league. Basically, the hydrotherapy area allows players to work out their aches and pains using water’s therapeutic elements. The other is the Primus computer rehabilitation system – used by just one other NBA team as well as the U.S. Olympic Committee. Among other things, the Primus system allows the training staff to test players’ range of movement and strength before and after an injury.


Despite tight security, somehow some merry pranksters made their way into the Cleveland Clinic Courts just before the Grand Opening. Their first bit of chicanery was to paint infamous Duke alum, Danny Ferry’s office North Carolina blue. As if the color wasn’t enough, Tarheel decals festooned his walls and windows.

Mike Brown got off relatively easy. His office got the Haden Fry treatment – it was painted pink.

The Cavaliers GM vowed: 1. revenge against the culprit, and 2. to get “that mess” off his wall, in no particular order.


The start of Training Camp is somewhat akin to the first day of school. It’s always interesting to come back from an off-season away to see who has changed their look over the summer.

Several Cavaliers have been working out at the Cleveland Clinic Courts in the past couple weeks and a few were on hand for Wednesday’s opening ceremonies and/or working out in the gym.

Three quick observations …

1. Daniel Gibson has a little more hair. 2. Zydrunas Ilgauskas has a little less. OK, maybe he has a lot less. Big Z busted it down, shaving his head down to stubble. Mixed with a nice tan, Ilgauskas looks pretty good – much younger. He said he buzzed it off around two days after the Cavs were knocked out of the Finals. 3. For all the talk of LeBron James gaining weight over the summer – (the rumor had him at 260) – the only places it looks like he’s gained anything are in his guns and his shoulders.

It’s known that muscle weighs more than fat, so if LBJ is tipping it at 260, the Eastern Conference can drop the allusion that it’s 10 pounds that will slow the young King down.

Questions, Questions

Why hasn’t Danny Ferry made a move and when will he?
The Cavaliers have never had a summer as quiet as this past off-season’s, but then again they’ve never reached the pinnacle of success that they did this past June. Still, while the East champs sat tight, other foes in the Conference took that opportunity to reload. Boston re-tooled their entire team, Chicago had a productive Draft, and Detroit re-signed Chauncey Billups while getting younger and more athletic.

The Cavaliers – without a Draft pick or the salary cap space to go after a big fish – were content to stick with last year’s developing combination of young guns and savvy vets. Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson looked good in Summer League and Cleveland might have found a Training Camp keeper in Darius Rice.

Other than that, the ink hasn’t exactly been flowing on the corner of Huron and Ontario. Even free agents Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao are without contracts with Training Camp less than three weeks away. The four-corners approach to Pavlovic and Varejao – both integral parts of the Wine and Gold’s young nucleus – works well for the Cavaliers’ bottom line, but it remains to see how happy the duo will be when they get into Camp.

A mid-summer deal that might have landed Sacramento’s Mike Bibby fell through, but Ferry continues to look for ways to make the Cavaliers better. But he won’t make a deal just to make one and the last thing Ferry wants to do is retard the growth of Gibson – (and to some extent Shannon Brown) – by unnecessarily clogging the backcourt.

If a move is going to be made, the brass will wait until the right offer is on the table; one that won’t cripple them cap-wise or ruin the chemistry of a team that reached the Finals slightly ahead of schedule. So to narrow it down, Ferry could make a move any time between when you read this blog and February 22, 2008.


What will Cavaliers’ backcourt look like?
After 139 consecutive starts, Eric Snow was moved to a reserve role – with Daniel Gibson and Sasha Pavlovic taking over alongside Larry Hughes. The Cavaliers found immediate success with Hughes at the point, running off eight straight at the beginning of March.

The combination of Hughes and Pavlovic propelled the Cavaliers into the postseason feeling good. With Hughes orchestrating the action, the league’s longest lineup was free to run off rebounds and blocked shots. In regular season games that Hughes had five or more assists, the Cavaliers were 21-3. Combined with the athletic Pavlovic, Cleveland seemed to find the perfect combo. The Wine and Gold were 20-8 in games Sasha started – 10-3 when he netted 15 points or more.

But Hughes and Pavlovic both found the sledding much tougher in the postseason. Hughes battled an ankle injury heading into the Finals and Pavlovic showed both the flashes of greatness that got him in the starting lineup and the mental lapses that kept him out of it. Emerging amidst all of this was Daniel Gibson, who seemed to get better as the Playoffs continued along, including his 31-point outburst against Detroit that put the Cavaliers in the Finals for the first time.

The Cavaliers would still love to land a “true” point guard if he was a major upgrade, but – (see Question 1, above) – won’t clog up the backcourt or take minutes away from Gibson for just anyone. Boobie showed glimpses of stardom last June and will be looked to for more of the same heading into 2007-08.

Shannon Brown, chosen 19 players ahead of Gibson, will also look to make him impact felt after last year’s underwhelming rookie season. And Eric Snow is as solid a backup point as you’ll find in the league. Anyone who can’t see Snow’s value now that the Cavaliers are contenders either didn’t watch the Detroit series or doesn’t know anything about basketball other than the ball’s round.


Will LeBron’s off-season experiences (FIBA and otherwise) have an effect on his game this year?
It’s hard to say with a straight face that LeBron James can still get better, but he showed exactly how dominating he can be when he’s playing off the ball or with his back to the basket. LeBron had his way in the FIBA Americas Championship this past August, shooting an astonishing 76 percent from the field(!)

LeBron established himself as the ultimate team player – deferring to Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony – but also grabbing the reigns when necessary. He netted 31 points in the title game against Argentina and, for the first time in years, Team USA looked like the dominant Dream Teamers from yesteryear.

On the negative side, if anything, James experience with Team USA might have spoiled him. He has a nice talent pool around him in Cleveland, but it’s tough to work out all summer with Jason Kidd and not get used the sweet dimes he put on James during the tournament.

This was also supposed to be a semi-restful summer for the young King. But unlike the rest of the Cavaliers, James had a very busy off-season. Aside from winning the gold medal at the FIBAs in Vegas, LBJ hosted the ESPY Awards, got Lasik eye surgery and will host the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live” in less than two weeks. Oh, and speaking of no rest, he also became a father for the second time on the final night of the Finals.

How will the Cavaliers respond to playing with a bull’s-eye on their backs?
The words “Cleveland” and “champion” don’t always go together smoothly, but for the first time in franchise history, the Cavaliers will carry that title when they travel throughout the league. The Wine and Gold have always been a marked team, simply because of LeBron James. But now, teams will be bringing their A-game every night as the Eastern Conference Champs roll through the schedule.

And while this ups the ante on a nightly basis, it might be just the thing the Cavaliers needed. According to Austin Carr, Cleveland dropped about 14 or 15 games to lesser opponents that they easily could have won. But this wasn’t a new problem; the Cavaliers have had a penchant for playing down to the competition. If that lesser competition turns it up a notch, so will Cleveland. You always fight harder when someone’s trying to take something from you.

The Cavs whirlwind tour begins on opening night, when they take on the heavyweight Mavericks. (This, after a preseason that sends them to China for eight days.) Mike Brown’s men take the show on the road early this year – making a six-game West Coast swing – after just two contests at The Q.

Usually, it’s the Pistons that had the opportunity to get their prolonged Western Conference swing out of the way early – before those teams had completely settled or the Pistons/Cavs became road-weary heading into/out of the All-Star break. This year, the Cavaliers get that chance. It’s just one of the spoils of winning the East.

So where do the Cavaliers go from here?