Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving and 10 Things To Look Forward to in 2011-2012

As a fan coming off a tough year in any sport, naturally we desperately search for things to look forward to, signs of optimism and better days to come

2011-2012 should provide just such days for the Cavaliers, as they have essentially nowhere to go but up.  With a strong draft and young core to build around now, fans can take solace in knowing there will be things to look forward to next season, even if they don't automatically translate to victories.

Here are the top 10 reasons to watch the Cavaliers this fall.

The Wild Thing Returns

Anderson Varejao missed 51 games last season due to a tendon tear in his right ankle that shut him down for good on January 7th.

Before then, Varejao was averaging career highs of 9.1 points and 9.7 rebounds a game while starting at the center position.

After he went down, the Cavs were forced to start (gasp) Ryan Hollins at times and were often exposed inside by bigger, stronger opponents.

Hey now, hey now, the Wild Thing's back!

Andy should be ready to go by the beginning of the season and resume his terrorization of opposing teams' post players with his energy, hustle and rebounding.

Welcome back Andy, we missed you greatly.

Skyenga's Development

Anybody remember this play?

Christian Eyenga was about as raw a basketball player as they come after being drafted in the first round by the Cavaliers in 2009.

After spending a year overseas and some time in the D-League, Eyenga began to show flashes of his amazing potential as a basketball player, and as an athlete.

This year will be crucial for Skyenga's development, as he will have to fight for playing time instead of winning it by default like at times last year.

More dunks like this are definitely something to look forward to.

New Canton D-League Team

The Cavaliers announced this summer they would begin to operate their own Development League franchise in Canton.

While previously sharing the Erie Bayhawks with the Toronto Raptors, this now gives Cavs fans a chance to keep up on the team in a more centrally located area.

As of right now, the team is looking for a name, with fans encouraged to submit their own ideas on the official website here.

Having their own minor league team should only serve as an advantage to the Cavaliers and help them with their talent evaluation process.

Yes, you'll likely find Luke Harangody lighting up Canton soon.

Tristan Thompson's Dunking

Thompson definitely has some weaknesses to his game, but dunking a basketball is not one of them.  He plays a power game around the rim that is truly a pleasure to watch.

Some of the things to take away from this video: Thompson is 6'9" with a 7'2" wingspan, three inches longer than that of dunk master Blake Griffin.

His vertical measures in at 38.5", an inch higher than Griffin can leap.

Putting all of this together and being able to grab a rebound, at 12 feet in the air is going to win you a lot of rebounding battles and bring 20,000 people to their feet with some earth-shattering dunks.

No More Joey Graham

At least, we hope so.

Byron Scott-Kyrie Irving Connection

It's well known that Scott is a point guard guru who's been around some of the best in the business.

He won three rings with the Los Angeles Lakers in a starting backcourt with the greatest point guard of all time, Magic Johnson.

He led the Nets and Jason Kidd to two finals appearances and helped turn Chris Paul into one of the best point guards, if not the best, in the game today.

When comparing Irving to current NBA players, Paul's name often pops up.  Similar in stature and game, who better to tutor Irving than Scott himself?

This season will hopefully be the start of a brilliant career for Irving. 

If he's anything like Scott's former point guard affiliations, Cavs fans are in for a treat.

What Can Erden Do for You?

Semih Erden suffered through multiple injuries in his time with the Cavaliers last season after a trade over from the Boston Celtics, so it was difficult to assess his game and future with the club.

If healthy, Erden should have plenty of opportunities to show what he can do, as he is one of the few true centers on Cleveland's roster. 

The seven-footer from Turkey provides some much-needed size and has shown a nice touch around the rim in his rookie season, mostly with the Celtics.  His best game with Cleveland was a six-point, three-rebound, two-block effort against the Bucks in almost 23 minutes of play. 

From what I've seen of him so far, it appears he needs to be more aggressive in every aspect of the game.  He appeared to take the game a little too casually when he was in, but that's something that can be changed easily.  His size and touch around the rim are a nice start to build around.

His health and development are worth keeping an eye on this season.

Omri Casspi Fills Small Forward Black Hole

Last year the Cavaliers' small forward position was pronounced clinically dead for three months.  Despite their best efforts, Jamario Moon and Joey Graham could not revitalize what was one of the thinnest positions on any NBA roster.

This year already looks to be better, with 23-year-old Omri Casspi coming over in the Hickson trade.  Casspi was somewhat buried on Sacramento's roster last season due to their abundance of wing players.

With Cleveland, he has a chance to nail the opening night starting five and hold onto it all season long.  Casspi can knock down threes, drive, dunk and as Chris Grant described it, get "nasty" on the defensive end.

He's a young player with a lot of potential and will be a major upgrade over everything the Cavs threw into the spot last season.

Class Acts Last Year in Cleveland

Antawn Jamison is and will forever be one of my favorite NBA players.  His game is unconventional to say the least, and defensively he can be a liability, but you will find no greater person or leader on a basketball court.

Going into his 14th pro season, Jamison has been on a wide variety of NBA teams.  He enjoyed some great seasons in Golden State before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2003.  While relegated to the bench despite being a 20-point-a-game scorer, Jamison never complained and instead sacrificed his minutes for the team and ended up winning the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award.

After that, Jamison was traded to a rebuilding Washington team.  Instead of complaining about going to a bad team, Jamison was once again a class act and assumed a leadership role and along with Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler, transformed the Wizards into a perennial playoff team.

When Arenas single-handedly destroyed the Wiz, Jamison was dealt to the Cavs who went from title favorite to lottery favorites in the first six months he was in Cleveland.

Again, Jamison never complained.  He instead assumed another leadership role and was the Cavs' leading scorer last season at 18 points a game. 

This season, Jamison sees his contract reach its final year at $15 million.  A trade piece like this is too valuable for a young team to hold onto, and Antawn will certainly be dealt to a contender before the February deadline. 

While it's only natural the two sides part ways, Cavs fans should enjoy having Jamison around as long as he's here.  Not once has he bad-mouthed the organization, complained about playing time or given less than 100 percent.  He's what every young basketball player should strive to be as an athlete, and as a human being.

I hope he gets a ring before his career is over, because perhaps no one in the game today deserves one as much Antawn Jamison.

Kyrie Irving Takes Over

With Baron Davis on board, maybe not right away, but it's clear who the new Cavaliers will be built around.

Irving will satisfy all his doubters this season, I can promise you that.  All the fans who screamed for Derrick Williams or Brandon Knight will soon realize just how special Irving is, as a player and as a person. 

This season will not be much better record-wise than last, however Irving will make it worth watching.  Many fans haven't had a chance to see what Kyrie can do, as they only witnessed him at full strength for eight college games.

His high school stats were extremely impressive however, putting up 24.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.5 steals and 2.0 blocks a game his senior year for St. Patrick High School in New Jersey.

His skill set, athletic ability and overall demeanor clearly set him apart from the rest of the players in the draft.  With Byron Scott's help, a Rookie of the Year Award is likely in his future.