Hey, Cavalier fans! It’s Mr. Cavalier, A.C.  What’s happening?

The homestand continues on and what the Cavaliers have done – running off eight straight wins without their top two guards – has been amazing. That speaks to the depth of the team.

The fact that we can keep moving forward without too much of a problem means that the team was built to withstand anything – injuries, different styles of play. This team is built to win. And if we stay healthy – if our big people stay healthy – then I think we’ll be alright. We’ve already proven that we can get by for a while without our guards. (I’m not sure about how we’d handle our big people missing time.)

It’s almost as if the Cavaliers made the adjustment on the fly – moving Boobie into the lineup and LeBron into the backcourt for stretches. And Boobie has played well.

One thing Boobie does a good job of is that you don’t get a lot of dribble penetration off of him. He’s a tough little guy. He doesn’t let you beat him off the pick-and-rolls easily. That’s helped quite a bit because it keeps the pressure off your big people and keeps them out of foul trouble.

Right now, LeBron is playing more of the 1, anyway. Boobie starts the offense, but once we’re into it, LeBron becomes the 1 and Boobie becomes the 2 – with Gibson spotting up for the jump shot. That’s another move that was made on the fly.

But no matter who’s in the lineup, the Cavaliers hang their hat on defense. And having Jamario back is huge. He can defend three or four positions, he can run the floor, he’s full of energy, he shoots the ball well. It’s just a huge upgrade to have him back and healthy.

We’ve made all those adjustments to the backcourt with Mo and Delonte injured. But maybe the biggest thing in this recent run has been that Shaq is starting to pick it up – big time.

I’ve been out of the game for so long that I’ve forgotten, as a veteran, what it takes to work your way into the season. At first, I didn’t understand. But now, watching Shaq, I remember exactly what it was like, because I did that towards the end of my career. You just learn how to ease your way into the season. And because you’ve eased your way in, you can keep your legs longer.

A perfect example came in the Indiana game. In the first half, Shaq blocked a shot in front of the Pacers bench – and it was a “quick block” not a “muscle block.” It was the kind of block I haven’t seen him make this year. Mike Dunleavy had beaten his man and drove to the basket and Shaq cleaned it right off. At first, I thought it was J.J.

Shaq’s bringing it on little by little. He’s starting to get more lift off his shot. He’s using the square more when he gets in traffic. His free throws look different – Coach Egan has him working on his form. (He’s even got the “gooseneck” going now!) So, it’s just good to see the Big Fella coming.

If you don’t double-team the Diesel, you’re going to be in trouble – because now you have to pick your poison. And you can see that LeBron is starting to know how it works with Shaq, and how he takes the pressure off the rest of the guys. Because when Shaq gets the ball down low, the opponent is aware of what’s getting ready to happen. You can slip through the back door, you can cut down the lane, you can diagonal cut up the lane. There’s a lot of options with a big man who can pass the ball like Shaq.

Shaq’s added another huge dimension to our team. But defensively is where the biggest change has come. There aren’t those open driving lanes any more. They close quickly. And if players don’t get through those lanes quickly, you will have the Big Fella waiting on you. As an opposing guard: you don’t want that.

The Diesel’s been to 15 All-Star Games, but only one Cavalier will be making the trip to Dallas this year. And I think that puts a chip on the Cavs’ shoulder. It’s a smack in the face.

Even the coaches didn’t pick one of our guys, and for us to be where we are – with the best record in the NBA – and have but one All-Star (and the Celtics with three and Atlanta with two), it just doesn’t make sense. To me: if we don’t have two All-Stars, then we have five All-Stars.

For the fans to think it’s just a LeBron James team, that’s one thing. But the coaches see us every day. That’s an insult.

And I hope the team takes it that way. I would love to win a Championship with one All-Star. Then you really can say we have five All-Stars.

But before then, we have this homestand to get through. It’s nice to be home. The team has a chance to get their legs back – regroup, be around family a little bit, focus on ending the first half on a positive note.

Tuesday night will be tough; Memphis is playing well. And it’s going to be Zach Randolph against J.J Hickson. That’s their strong suit and J.J.’s going to need to grow up in a hurry.

And the rest of the games – I expect us to either win out heading to the Break, or have no more than one loss. If we get by tonight, I don’t see us struggling until Orlando. And I don’t see Orlando beating us. And The biggest difference there is how we’ve changed.

The Magic still play the same style. But we are different now. Shaq can deal with Dwight Howard, like he did last time. And then you have the other guys – you play them one-on-one and see what they have, instead of letting them shoot three-pointers while we’re doubling-down on Howard.

Let’s see how they play regular basketball without that three-point shot. That’s what I’m looking forward to – when the time comes. 

Hey Cavs fans – it’s A.C., checking in. What’s happening?

Tonight’s the big one – The Lakers are in town!

Some people are saying this is a huge game; others are saying it’s just another game. It’s not just another game.

To me, I look back at last year. We won 66 games and best record in the league. But we lost to all the big teams twice – both times we played them. So, we lost only 16 games and we dropped two to Orlando, two to Boston and two to the Lakers.

So to me, these games mean a lot to you mentally. But, the biggest thing this game means is that if we finish with the same record as the Lakers, we win the tie-breaker for homecourt advantage if we should meet in the Finals. That’s why this game is huge – and they know it, too.

So, I expect them ready to come to play. I’m just hoping we don’t have the attitude where this is just another game. Because it’s not.

I’ve also heard it said that the Lakers didn’t take the Cavaliers seriously when they played on Christmas Day in L.A. But I don’t see why not. You’ve got Shaq, LeBron. How can you not take that team serious? The Lakers are World Champions, but they’re not invincible.

I don’t buy that they didn’t take the Cavs seriously. Nobody wants to be embarrassed like they got embarrassed. They just got flat-out out-played. And we were coming off the long road trip, not them. All those people that are saying they didn’t respect us, that’s a bunch of crap. They just got out-played. It’s as simple as that.

What I really liked about that Christmas Day in L.A. is how we used the twin towers of Shaq and Z. Now we match their twin towers. It’s a big difference. Big! In L.A., they couldn’t just go around and hit high-percentage shots. With our twin towers of Z and Shaq, you can neutralize their size advantage.

You have LeBron on Artest, which is going to push Artest, because he can’t score like LeBron. So his whole focus is defense. So all he’s trying to do the whole game is stop LeBron.

Then, the game comes down to Kobe going against our guards. Anthony Parker is big and quick enough to at least give him a hard time. You’re not going to stop Kobe; you need to do what we did last time and just make it difficult for him. He’s too good a player to just stop. So Parker and Delonte will take turns on him.

Matchup wise, we’re in good shape. We just have to use it properly. We did that in L.A. – Shaq was physical with Gasol right off the bat. They’re going to be expecting that. So now, we have to come at them, with maybe not the physical approach, but maybe more finesse.

In other words, let’s come out with an up-tempo game to start. Attack them and don’t give them room to breathe. And then … let’s get physical! 

Hey, Cavalier fans! It’s A.C., checking in from Salt Lake City. What’s happening?

We’re more than halfway through the longest road trip of the season and things are starting to shape up similar to the West Coast trip before the holidays.

Both trips started out with tough losses to a team without its superstar. It’s ironic, in a way, how similar both trips are – especially if we win tomorrow. If so, that’ll give us the opportunity to do what we did on our last West Coast trip – run the table after dropping the opener.

It seems like maybe the Cavs get their “sea legs” on that first stop. It’s like they get that certain mentality for the road and that first game is like a measuring stick. And now they understand what they have to do and they go out and do it.

As usual, LeBron’s amazing play has been garnering all the headlines. But the underlying story of the trip has been Cleveland’s own Jawad Williams.

He’s been working hard all the time in practice. He’s a guy who understands what he’s trying to do and where he’s trying to go.

People forget that this man played four years in college and was a significant piece to a National Championship-winning team at Carolina. He knows what it takes to get there; it’s not like he’s new to the game. He’s constantly kept himself ready and I’m happy to see he’s having success. He’s a pretty good basketball player; he’s no chopped liver. Jawad can play.

Jawad just gives us another weapon off an already-deep bench. And, to me, that’s where you win in this league.

In this league, the starters all do their thing and they should give you what they give you on a nightly basis. The bench gives you the extra edge to win. Because when they come in, they’re either trying to sustain a lead or catch up. And if a team can constantly have the strength and energy off the bench to do those two effectively, your team will be in every ballgame.

The bench is easily the biggest improvement to this team from last year’s. This team might not win 66 games this year, but it’s a different team than it was last year. And that’s a good thing.

Last year, they were searching. They didn’t know. Now they know what’s in that “twilight zone” at the end of the year, and they understand what they have to deal with now. 

They also have a low-post presence and they are using their low-post presence more than they ever have in the past. Now, they use it not just with Shaq, but with the guards and with LeBron, -- which you saw a lot of on Monday night against Golden State. They’re learning how to take advantage of the low-post game and that is so important in the playoffs because it’s a half-court game and that changes the dynamic of your entire team.

We could see more of that style on Thursday night against the Jazz.

The matchup with Utah is going to be another tough one because it’s going to be inside game vs. inside game. Utah, they do a lot of slip-screens, but it’s all around the paint area. But it’s going to be interesting because they can run, too. (And they like to run.) And there could be a size mismatch between Deron Williams and Mo Williams.

It’s going to be a tough matchup and it could be the tortoise against the hare. We'll see who comes out on top. 

Hey everybody and Happy Holidays! It’s AC – what’s happening?

I hope everyone’s enjoying their family and friends and everything that comes with the holidays. Lately, it’s been the Cavaliers, who will be playing on Christmas as long as they have LeBron. That’s the cost of success.

This year’s battle will be a great one. I wish I was calling the game.

I see it being a pretty close matchup between two tough, deep teams. For all the hype, I don’t see it turning into a strictly “Kobe vs. LeBron” thing.

I don’t think it will get into that because both players know that, in a game like this, you needeverybody participating. They might have a quarter where they go at it like that. But I don’t think it’ll be a whole game like of Kobe vs. LeBron, because they both know that you must have five guys operating in unison to win a ballgame.

You don’t want to put too much emphasis on this game. It’s too early in the season. But we can use it as a measuring stick.

We put a ton of emphasis on the game last year when they came to Cleveland, and they spanked us. Then, the Cavaliers got hot the rest of the season. So, I don’t think that this game has any bearing on what’s going to happen.

To me, last year’s losses proved that we had work to do. And we did.

This early in the season, about all the game can show you is where you have to go to get to the level you want to be. It's a measuring stick game. That's all you can call it.

Now if it was the end of March or mid-April, you might say they need to tweak that or tweak this. But this time of year, all you need to know is what level you need to get to -- (and learn something to beat them the next time you see them). Or, we just beat them this time!

I've played on Christmas Day before, but I sure don’t have good memories from it.

We were playing later that night, against Kansas City I think, and I ate a turkey dinner at 1 o'clock. And I was just too filled up with turkey. In the second half, I couldn’t move. It was as if someone had nailed my feet to the floor. I couldn’t move around, and I felt like I was going to get sick when I did.

It was the worst experience I’ve ever had.

But playing on Christmas, like the current Cavaliers are going to have to get used to, is tough.

For me, back then, it didn't matter because I wasn't married then. But I imagine if you had a family, like a lot of these guys do, it can have a drain on you.

At the same time, you have to keep your mind on what you're doing and not get caught up in the whole thing. And it's hard to do, mentally. That's why you try to develop a certain style, and you use it the minute you step on the court. Your energy level is the exact same.

That consistency can get you through times like these.

So, good luck to the Cavs on Christmas in L.A. To end the West Coast trip at 3-1 with the last win over the Lake Show – that would be the best present of all!

Before I go, I want to wish everyone out there a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Good Health and Good Wealth in the coming year!

Hey everyone! It's A.C. here. What's happening?

That was a nice win on Friday night over the Bulls and an even better homestand. The wins were impressive, against two tough teams from the West and a Division opponent. And one of the best moments was when Z broke the games-played record on Wednesday night.

That record is a great testament to, I think, a guy who’s given his heart and soul to the organization. You think about all the lonely days and lonely hours that he had to do rehab.

I went through the exact same thing. They took a piece of bone out of my hip and put it in my foot. I hurt my knee three times and had major surgery. A lot of days you want to get out there and you can’t or it hurts too much. There’s so many things that you go through mentally, and the kicker is, when the rehab is over and it’s time for training to begin … it hasn’t healed!

It’s such a difficult process that very few players have gone through or understand. And Z getting through that is a testament to his will and determination to get back out on the floor.

I played five years without any type of injury until I had my final knee surgery with Washington. Three of those years, I played all 82 games. And that’s how Z has gone with his career. And you can see that finally the right formula was found to work him in. It’s nice when you get that consistency and get back into the game.

When I got back, I probably could’ve played a couple more years and I think the same is true for Z. Those years that you’re off, that’s less wear and tear on your body.

Another encouraging thing from the homestand was Delonte’s play.

He had a rough game on Friday night, but in the Dallas game, he was off the charts. Same with the Phoenix game.

The team gets into a comfortable setting when Delonte’s on the floor. He’s the orchestrator. It gives Mo a chance to play off the ball and do his thing. That’s how we won all those games last year – because everyone was in their perfect position.

That’s why it’s important that Delonte continues to progress – because he puts everybody in the right position. Everyone fits. And that makes us very deep. His basketball IQ is very high; he orchestrates the game. And I love to watch him play.

The Cavs are back on the road this week. Life on the road isn’t like it used to be, but it still can be difficult – especially during the holidays.

You want to be with family and friends during this time of year. And this season, we play on Christmas Day; we were out of town for Thanksgiving. It has a tendency to get you into a little bit of a funk, but you have to focus and keep your focus.

That’s how the holidays would affect me. You’d have to Christmas shop and try to spend time around the family. And, especially when my kids were younger, it was tough.

We’ve been lucky in the past. But the Cavs are one of the hottest items in the league right now, people want to see us, and we get the marquee games. That’s just the price of success.

But having a bunch of road games early in the year isn’t all bad, either.

We’re starting to establish our home court again like last year – which is good. But your test – especially early in the season – comes on the road. That’s where you get to measure yourself. You get to know who you are.

And these little stretches – four games in five nights, three games in four nights – they toughen you up. And you can get in a rhythm on the road, especially if you’re successful. That can really get you feeling good about yourself.

On Sunday, we’ll get our first look at Brandon Jennings, who’s changing Milwaukee’s fortunes and putting people in the stands. They like to go up and down and take advantage of his skills. The Bucks miss Bogut, but he wasn’t setting the world on fire. And Redd is out with a knee problem.

We might be catching them at the right time, but it’ll still be an electric atmosphere with Jennings facing LeBron for the first time.

I think we’ll be ready for them.

Then we go into Memphis, and hopefully that’ll be a game to shut them down in the first half and get that one over with. And from there we head to Houston.

Houston always plays us tough. That’s the one team in the Western Conference that has always played like the Cavs, even back in my day. Every game, they might not be the most talented team, but they’re always trying to be the hardest-working team. They’re tough mentally and they beat you up with undersized guys.

That should be the game of the trip. Both teams play very hard, and you’re going to win a certain amount of games in this league if you play hard. That’s going to be a tough game for us.