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

Well, I won't go over what happened against the Magic in the East Finals. That's over and done with, and now we have to start focusing on next year.

We won 66 games, but we really didn't perform that well this season against the elite teams - so that tells me that there are issues that need to be addressed. There aren't huge issues, but there are areas that need to be addressed.

And I think we need to look at three areas. The Cavaliers need some help in the backcourt. I would say a bigger two-guard - either coming off the bench or starting - because we need more size. The bench needs to be improved. We need to get more athletic off the bench. And we need to become more athletic in our frontcourt.

The days of the "specialist" in the NBA are going by the wayside, especially when you face the elite teams in the postseason. You can get away with specialists during the regular season, but when you get down to the top four teams in the league, you have to have guys who are multidimensional, who can do almost everything well. You have to have that.

The Cavaliers might be active on the trade and free agent market, but they also have some guys in-house who I believe will step up their contributions next year. Specifically Tarence Kinsey and the two rookies - Darnell Jackson and J.J. Hickson.

I like T.K., because he's long and he's aggressive. He could become that two-guard off the bench - the swingman that we need. He has that potential. And I like his attitude. He's an aggressive player by nature and he's a competitor.

I think Darnell Jackson needs to get a good look next year. He's a physical guy. He wants to be physical and he wants to get better. And I like that about him. And J.J. can be as good as he wants to be. It all depends on how hard he's willing to work.

J.J. is athletic; he can get up and down the floor. He definitely needs to improve on his 15-foot jumper. He has no confidence in that shot. If he can hit that shot consistently, he can become an All-Star, because he can do everything else. But, again, it all depends on how hard he wants to work.

You see what Darnell's doing. The season's barely over and he's already at Cleveland Clinic Courts doing work. When J.J.'s healthy enough, he should be there too. He should be down there working on that jump shot. I think the coaching staff knows where he needs to improve and they will focus on that area in the offseason.

I remember how bad it hurt when the season wrapped up - getting eliminated or not reaching the playoffs.

You work so hard for all those months, and it hurts when it's over. But then, after about a month of licking your wounds, you get back into it. And the drive comes back. And you just have more resolve for that next season. And nine times out of ten, your teammates are right with you.

I remember when we missed the playoffs in that first year - (the year before the Miracle year) - by a last-second shot late in the season. It hurt like hell, but after about three weeks, we were all running the track, lifting weights, getting into it. And we went on to the playoffs in the Miracle year the next spring.

I'm not too worried about the Cavaliers' mindset going into this season. Still, when you have the best record in the league this year and you don't make it to the Finals, you have a tendency to say, 'Well what do I have to do to make this work?' And the answer is: You have to have the best record in the league the next year and make it work. And, really, that's what it boils down to.

It's a never-ending quest for perfection. That's what this whole thing is. And I think as long as you keep that attitude - that perfection is what you're trying to achieve - you won't have any problems getting motivated to get there.

The guys will be ready to get back after it in a few weeks. Right now, I think, in their minds there are question marks. What happened? Why didn't we perform like we had in the first two rounds? If it wasn't for LeBron's jumper in Game 2, we would have gotten swept. And I know that's a question mark in their minds. The players, the coaching staff. What happened?

So, it'll take everyone three weeks or a month to analyze and process everything, go over it, and set the game plan for next season.

There are holes that need to be filled to make a run next year. Personally, I think we knew where the holes were. We were just hoping to hold on.

But we know that we have to get younger and more athletic in the frontcourt and get a little bigger in the backcourt. And we need to bolster the bench. These are the areas that have to be addressed and I think management and the coaching staff knew that, but were just hoping to get by this season - and we almost got there. But now you realize that once you get closer to the top, your deficiencies become illustrated. Now we know they've been exposed and we're going to have to deal with them. It's as simple as that.

Teams around the Cavaliers are going to keep improving. Philadelphia's going to be a tussle, Chicago's going to be better. So the Cavaliers - even though they won 66 games - are going to have to continue to improve. And if they do, they'll be one of the elite teams again in 2009-10 and they can make another run at the title.

So, moving forward, I feel good. I have confidence that Danny and his group and the coaching staff will come up with the talent that we need and make the necessary improvements to make to make another run next year.