NBA 2010-11: Cleveland Cavaliers Begin Post-LeBron James Era Tonight

For the past seven years Cleveland Cavaliers fans have had a superstar named LeBron James as a reason to get excited for the NBA season.

Well when the Cavaliers take the floor for their first preseason game tonight at Quicken Loans Arena, the former No. 23 for the team will be taking the floor in Miami as No. 6 for the Heat.

The Post-LeBron James era officially begins tonight in Cleveland, and the Cavaliers will already be featuring a new-look lineup under new coach Byron Scott.

With starting point guard Mo Williams out with an injury and starting center Anderson Varejao with his family after a death, the starting lineup for the Cavaliers will look like this:

Point Guard: Ramon Sessions

Shooting Guard: Anthony Parker

Small Forward: Joey Graham

Power Forward: Antawn Jamison

Center: Ryan Hollins

If you look at tonight's starting lineup, there is one glaring change: the starting small forward.

The Cavaliers go into the 2010-2011 season without having a real starting small forward on the roster.

Right now, the Cavaliers will be using a three man rotation of Jamario Moon, Joey Graham, and Jawad Williams to find out who is right for the spot.

I wouldn't get to used to those guys at the starting small forward though if I were a Cavaliers fan. 

It's only a matter of time before the time acquires a real starting small forward, or finds a way to start Antawn Jamison and J.J. Hickson together.

This new-look Cleveland Cavaliers team has a lot of learning and soul searching to do if they want to remain a playoff team in the East this season.

At first it will be hard for Cavaliers fans to find reasons to get excited about this team, and that's why I have come up with a few things to watch for as the preseason gets started tonight.

New Era, New Players

As always, when there is a new era, you will have new players on the team.

And coach Byron Scott will be introducing Cavaliers fans to three of those players tonight in the starting lineup.

Ramon Sessions, Ryan Hollins, and Joey Graham will get the opportunity to prove their worth to Cleveland Cavaliers fans as members of the starting lineup tonight.

Sessions was the Wine and Gold Scrimmage stand out, and Hollins has the tough job of replacing Zydrunas Ilgauskas as the Cleveland Cavaliers center this evening.

But the man with the toughest job is Joey Graham, who will be the first person to replace LeBron James as the starting small forward since 2002.

Another newcomer to watch out for is 2009 Draft Pick Christian Eyenga.

Eyenga's athleticism and natural talents are off the charts, and now he has to learn how to translate those abilities into his basketball game.

A player that I am excited to see is undrafted rookie free agent Samardo Samuels out of Louisville.

Samuels was a beast a Louisville, and while some people have said he is undersized at 6'9" for the small forward position: I think fans will be pleasantly surprised with his energy and hustle.

The Battle of the Non-Guaranteed Free Agents

The Cavaliers currently have four training camp/preseason invites listed on their roster. 

These players are: Manny Harris, shooting guard from Michigan, Cedric Jackson, point guard from Cleveland State, Tasmin Mitchell, forward from LSU, and Loren Woods, center from Arizona.

If you have read my articles before, you know I am not particularly convinced with the scoring and athleticism that the Cavaliers have at the shooting guard position.

This is why I feel that Manny Harris, the 21 year old rookie from Michigan, could have a chance to make a name for himself this preseason.

Another guy out of this group that I like is Tasmin Mitchell, the combo forward from LSU. 

He showed off his scoring abilities during summer ball, and could prove to be the most physical small forward candidate that the Cavaliers have on the roster.

Cedric Jackson is a long-shot to make the roster at point guard with the plethora of those the Cavaliers have, but you may remember that he was a member of the team last season.

And Loren Woods could provide much needed depth at the center position with his 7'2" frame.

How Will Byron Scott Utilize the Point Guards?

If you read the notes from the Wine and Gold Scrimmage last week, the two standouts were Ramon Sessions and Daniel Gibson.

Coach Scott praised how both of them took control of the offense as facilitators, and how good they looked running an up-tempo offense.

You will see more of this action tonight because Mo Williams is out with an injury, which means that Williams may be falling behind in proving himself to Coach Scott as the facilitator in the offense.

Unless Scott decides the Cavaliers can start Sessions and Williams together and have Gibson come off the bench with Anthony Parker, the Cavaliers could end up with a big problem once Mo Williams returns.

Will the Real Starting Small Forward Please Stand Up?

Gone are the days of a guaranteed 20 points, six rebounds, and six assists coming from the small forward position in Cleveland.

Now the Cavaliers will look to the group of Joey Graham, Jamario Moon, Jawad Williams, and even Danny Green to make up for lost scoring at the position.

Graham and Moon are better known for their defense, while Williams is more of an outside shooter.

Green has shown flashes of a good mid-range jumper and slashing ability, but the second year man from North Carolina needs to take this preseason as an opportunity to prove himself.

Like I said in a previous section, I like the undrafted Tasmin Mitchell from LSU a lot, and I think that this preseason could be his time to shine and earn a roster spot.

It's J.J.'s Time to Shine

Even though he won't be in the starting lineup tonight, J.J. Hickson will be the starting power forward for the Cavaliers very soon.

The untouchable man from every trade the past two seasons will finally get his chance to show Cavaliers fans why the organization wouldn't part with him.

I doubt we will see any "Witness" posters with Hickson's picture on them any time soon, but Hickson could be just the thing that Cavaliers fans need to identify with this team for the future.

Have Faith in the Franchise

It is going to be hard to go from a perennial Eastern Conference power house to recreating an identity for the fans.

Luckily, we have coach Bryon Scott at the helm, and his rebuilding record is pretty good in these situations.

There will be a lot of learning going on with this team, but the fans should be very happy to have a committed owner and general manager at the helm of this organization.

I am still optimistic that the Cavaliers will make the playoffs this season, and I hope that Cavaliers fans have not lost hope yet.