Cleveland Cavaliers Have Plenty of Decisions To Make Moving Forward

The NBA season is set to begin on December 25 after a 149-day lockout. There is so much uncertainty surrounding the upcoming season, the flurry of activity and movement will be like watching a child with ADHD moments after downing a two-liter bottle of Mountain Dew.

Training camps are set to open on December 9 and players will want to be on a team by then. Some rosters (see New Orleans Hornets) only have four active players. Some players (see J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler) probably feel like POWs as they are currently trying to escape from their Chinese commitments. Ah yes, the hectic, crazy but never dull NBA has returned.

If you are a Cavaliers fan, you might have been hoping for the work stoppage to continue. After all, going 19-63 last year was rough going. Many people (myself included), couldn't wait for the season to end. The possibility of being able to keep the No. 4 draft pick for next season seemed like a pretty good deal. However, the season will start and the Cavaliers will in fact play games this year.

The other side of the coin will allow for maturation, growth, learning, experience, teaching and hopefully competitive basketball that was almost nonexistent last year. The two dynamic rookies Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson will surely bring excitement to a team that was on life support. Newly-acquired Omri Casspi will surely fit nicely at the small forward spot and all indications show Omri Casspi is excited for a fresh start.

The Cavaliers do have some decisions to make and not much time to do it in.

They must decide if they will use the $14.5M trade exception which they more than likely will get an extension on. They must also decide whether or not to use a newly-implemented amnesty clause on either Baron Davis or Antawn Jamison.

It would make less sense to use it on Jamison because he is in the final year of his contract. It would also be tough to use it on Davis because he could mentor Kyrie Irving.

The Cavaliers also must decide on a number of free agents. The organization has stated publicly that they would definitely like to bring Anthony Parker back. It is doubtful Parker would stay in Cleveland where contending is out of reach.

The Cavaliers will probably also need to decide whether or not to keep Joey Graham, Alonzo Gee, Manny Harris, Semih Erden and Luke Harangody. All five are currently under contract, but I have a hard time believing all will make the roster.

There is also a good chance that if Baron Davis is not waived (via amnesty clause) that Ramon Sessions or Daniel Gibson could be moved in order to free up the logjam at the point guard position.

Sessions has the most value after having a solid campaign last season. The Cavaliers would seek a first-round draft pick in the early-to-mid 20s for his services. Gibson would probably be traded for depth at another position of need (see SG or SF). The roster will more than likely undergo some changes before the first regular-season game.

The Cavaliers are a huge long shot to make the playoffs this season, but it doesn't make this season irrelevant. While Byron Scott and his staff have their work cut out for them, the development of young players is certainly the first order of business. Improving each and every day will also be important. The Cavaliers won't win a ton of games, but this season is of great significance moving forward.