2010-2011 Finish: 48-34

What went well

Each and every season, the Insider bemoans Cleveland GM Alejandro's strategy of loading up a bunch of large contracts and then stacking the bench with stiffs. In past years, Chris Kaman, Al Jefferson, Andrei Kirilenko and Monta Ellis ate up so much cap, that if only one went down, the rest of the Cavs followed them down the crapper.

This season opened up with Alejandro maybe trying to change his ways. Finally healthy, he traded Ellis to Clippers for Luc Mbah a Moute and Sonny Weems. If this seemed like robbery, you only had to wait a few days to see why the Cavs were in the news so much at this point in the season. After a dramatic radio show called The Decision, Lebron James opted to don the Cleveland uniform, a place not afraid of whopper contracts. Carlos Boozer and Jonny Flynn also went in the deal. So with the King joining the ranks of Kaman, Jefferson and Kirilenko what did Alejandro haul in with his $0 cap space? How about names like Danny Green, Jeremy Lin, Manny Harris, Sherron Collins and Eugene Jeter. You see where this going (not the Finals....)

Cleveland played out the rest of the season with this roster, doing well when everyone was healthy, dropping games when they weren't. They finished around the same place they did the season before, grabbing the 5th seed in the East. Not bad considering they had Arron Afflalo playing a PG for most of the year.


What went worse

Once again, the lack of depth kills the Cavs. Not even LBJ's ego could help them beat the Toronto Raptors. The Cavs were swept in the first round.

Stars

- Al Jefferson, FC -

Jefferson managed to make it through the season without missing a single game, a first since the 07/08 season. Though he will likely never re-capture the magic of that All-Star year, he still beat his scoring and rebound numbers from the prior season. And with the lack of competition on this Cavs squad, he will likely get the starting job again next season.

- Lebron James, F –

After seven years in a Clippers jersey, Lebron James came home to Ohio. He had solid, but not remarkable season, hitting 25.7ppg, 5.2 rpg and 4.9 apg. He led the team in points in the series against Cleveland, but it wasn't enough to get the job done. He will remain the new identity of the Cavs.

Goats

- Chris Kaman, C –

Another big pay, limited production season for Kaman, punching in for only 28 games. When he did play, he was effective (18.5ppg and 10.3rpg) but 28 games is not what you want out of your starting center. Maybe that is what finally forced Alejandro to make a move....




Looking to the future

Following the draft, the Cavs lucked into a trade scenario that may have saved the franchise. Desperate to get Nolan Smith on his team, OKC GM Boyd took on Kaman's contract and the young man, sending phenomenal (and cheap) big man Serge Ibaka and Anthony Tolliver in return. Not only did the Cavs save $10+ million in their frontcourt, they also received a player who will actually play for them. 

After the trade, the Cavs walked away from the draft with not much. They got Keith Benson in the second round, but it's unclear he has the bulk or the desire to make it in the NLL.

The Cavs go into the new season with nearly $18 million in free space. They should let Kirilenko walk, move LBJ to SF, keep Afflalo and move him to SG and use the money to get a PG. Even better, they can make a deal for Steve Nash, even though that eliminates the chance of shoring up the bench. Speaking of the bench, it's a complete wasteland. If he comes cheap, re-signing Mbah a Moute gives them some defense, but otherwise they got nothing. New season, same story for the Cavs. Look for a bench of nobodies this time next year.