Why The Cavs Won't Win a Title In 2010

     With all the noise being made in free agency you would think that the Cleveland Cavaliers made the biggest sound of all by signing Shaquille O'Neal. You would be wrong. While the Diesel represents a significant upgrade, does it really solve their problems? There were a number of reasons the Cavs succumbed to Orlando and shaq actually makes things a little worse.

     Cleveland tore through the NBA last season amassing an impressive 66 win resume, but one thing stood out. They couldn't play with 2 teams in particular: the Magic and the Lakers. Cleveland fans would tell you that this was a weird anomaly, something that would straighten itself out in the playoffs. But from the 1st tip of the ECF you could sense Cleveland was in trouble. By the time Lebron hit his miracle shot to win game 2 you knew they were dead. Why? The prevailing thought was that Orlando was a good match-up for the Cavs, but it was a little more than that. Orlando was a nightmare for Cleveland. They dominated every match-up on the court save one, and they held their own in that one. Based on this theory and as Rasheed Wallace says "the ball don't lie" how did they prepare themselves going forward?

They signed Shaquille O'Neal. The problem is that although he makes them tougher he doesn't address their glaring weakness: Team speed. The main reason Orlando whipped Cleveland was because they were so quick to the ball, and their transitions from defense to offense kept the Cavs moving backwards. Shaq, even though is no slouch lacks the  conditioning and stamina to run with a young hungry Dwight Howard and the speed of Orlando prevents the Cavs from making it a half-court game where they would have an advantage. The Cavs added a few other pieces, most notably Jemario Moon and Anthony Parker which upgrades their athleticism but not much else. Boston represents pretty much the same problem for the Cavs. If (and it's a big if) Kevin Garnett is healthy, and with the addition of Wallace the Celtics have multiple big men that will present more nightmares for the Cavs. Should the Cavs make it out of the East(doubtful) they will run into that same problem with whoever should come out of the west. Versatile bigs who are quick and can get up the court.

Shaq will provide some excitement and hope for the hometown guys, but in the end it will more than likely be a repeat of 2009. Cleveland fans should start making their "Don't Go Lebron" posters now. Unless the frontcourt of the Cavs morphed into the frontcourts of the Lakers, Celtics, Magic, or the Spurs Lebron will again be enjoying an early summer.