Hey Cavs fans - it's A.C. here! What's happening?

Well, I liked what I saw on Tuesday night in the first exhibition game. The starters didn't play much, but they looked good when they did.

When Shaq and LeBron are on the same side of the floor, it leaves a lot of open avenues - not only for those two, but for players on the opposite end of the floor. It really puts the defense in a bad position.

There was one play where LeBron got the ball, was headed to the basket off a pick-and-roll from Shaq, and the defender was caught between the two. (That's a bad choice to have as a defender.) He chose to double Shaq, and LeBron went right in for the layup.

If Anthony Parker is going to start at the two-guard, they're going to have to get him more shots. He's doing a lot of running around and didn't get many touches. We need to get into his game - find out where he likes the ball - because you're going to need points from that position. The two-guard has to put points up to balance Shaq and LeBron.

It's no secret that the Cavs have some adjustments to make. They've never really had a low-post guy who demands the ball as much as Shaq does. They have to understand that a lot of our offense is now going to run through Shaq. Shaq passes the ball well - he gives it up. But when he gets low-post position, you have to give him the ball. You have to. That's his position. And he can still overpower one man.

There are adjustments they have to make; they see it.

One player that really impressed me against Charlotte was J.J. Hickson - someone we talked a lot about over the offseason.

J.J. looks like a new man. His confidence is there - he's more sure of himself. He knows what Coach Brown wants now as far as his defensive effort is concerned. A couple times he got beat because he didn't close out properly. That'll come with time. But as far as reacting offensively and protecting the basket defensively - it's like night and day.

His confidence is there and that's huge for a young player. It's positively affecting his free throw shooting and his jump shot.  You can see that he's ready to break out.

That was a smart move by LeBron this summer - taking J.J. under his wing and showing him the ropes. You can see that's helped him mature and he's starting to understand what it takes to be a professional on a nightly basis.

That's all you need as a rookie or a young player - just to learn the ropes. He's beginning to understand how to act socially and professionally, on the floor. It's good to see.

When I was a young player, the guys who did that for me were Lenny Wilkens and Nate Thurmond. Lenny came first - I learned so much from Lenny. And then Nate came in and put on the finishing touches.

Young guys need veterans to help them understand the ins and outs of professional life - on and off the floor. And that's just a solid job by LeBron.

There were less distractions than when I played, but you still need that guidance. But the key is if you're willing to listen. If you're not willing to listen - I don't care if you have the most experienced NBA vet showing you the way - you're going to fall on your face. You must be willing to listen.

A lot of people that go back into Cavaliers history are comparing Shaq's arrival to Cleveland with Nate Thurmond's. And that's an apt comparison.

Shaq brings that energy. (He's already brought the excitement. The community has welcomed him with open arms - as they did with Nate.) Now, he just needs to bring the play on the floor. Nate's presence galvanized our team. And we were extremely tough to handle when that happened. And I see Shaq's presence as similar to that.

You saw it firsthand on Tuesday night. Guys came to the rack and Shaq put them on their butt. There's no ifs, ands or buts about it. Don't come in here.

We've not had that. And the beauty is, Darnell Jackson does that to the next guy that comes into the paint. The mentality, the toughness of protecting the lane seeps into the whole team. Even the guards start thinking that way.

Defensively, that makes you a lot tougher, when teams know that there's no going into that paint.  And we all know that this team takes great pride in their defense. And that should make for another successful season.