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

Well, we're almost getting down to the nitty-gritty here, people. Summer's over, the kids are back in school, and the Cavaliers season is right around the corner.

Anybody who reads my blog - or hears me on TV for that matter - knows that I love the game of golf. And with Training Camp coming, I know my days out on the links are numbered this summer.

Over Labor Day, some buddies of mine and I play in a three-day event. It's about 25-30 guys and we do it every year. We have a big picnic on Monday with crabcakes and the whole affair. We've been doing it for quite a while, so it's become a staple in our summer vacation.

After the knee replacement, it's taken a while for me to get used to transferring the weight on my swing, because I had played so long with that bad knee that I didn't realize that I was compensating for it. I'll play five or six great holes and - BAM! - I'll have a couple bad swings putting weight on the wrong leg, but little by little it's getting better.

Right now, I'm playing at about a seven handicap. And I want to get that back down to normal, but it might not happen until next year.

I love this time of year - right before Training Camp. You start to get that feeling of anticipation. And mentally, you start to gear yourself back toward the routine. Even though you've been doing it all summer, there's something different about doing it when it counts. When the lights come on and all the statistics start adding up, that's a big difference from messing around in the gym during the offseason.

And so, you get that anticipation of being ready to go. And it was always good to feel like you made the necessary improvements to get better over the summer. The closer you get to it - like now, being only two weeks away - you can't wait anymore. And I think that any player that loses that excitement needs to get out of the game.

I'm excited to see what this year's team is all about.

If you look at the team from last year and compare it with the team we've put together this year - with the addition of all the new pieces - we are a much better squad on paper.

First of all, our bench is going to be much better. You're going to have live action coming off the bench. They have length, they have experience. That's going to be a big help right away. If you look at our bench, there aren't many teams in the league that can bring guys of that caliber into the game. That's a huge advantage.

That's how we won back in the day. Our bench was like a "second line" to our starters.

The addition of new faces actually helps the young guys like J.J. and Darnell, as far as getting them more acclimated to the team. It will help them mature much faster. And they'll just know what's going on this year.

As a team, I think we'll be better because - depending on Yao's health - we have the last two conventional centers in the league. If we use them both correctly - using good floor spacing and spreading the floor for Shaq and then playing to Big Z's strengths away from the basket - I think that should really help us.

Mike Brown has to figure out how to make all these pieces work together but, let me tell you, that is one good problem to have. You don't want to be in a situation where you'd like to have a low-post offense and you don't have anyone to put down there. As a competitor, you know Coach Brown is ready to accept the challenge. And again, it's a good challenge to have. It'll be interesting to see how we're able to use both big men to our advantage.

Some people have quietly criticized Shaq for doing his reality show this summer. But the way I look at it is, I'm hoping he's like LeBron. And by that I mean, LeBron does things like this during the summer, but he always has his workout as part of that day. He keeps focused on the main goal - improving for next season.

And I'm hoping that Shaq has a similar regimen. I don't know much about Shaq, as far as that's concerned. But I do know LeBron's habits. And those habits are outstanding. You can do things outside of basketball as long as you keep your mind on your job. And if Shaq does that - and as a four-time Champ, I'm sure he will - we're in for another incredible season here in Cleveland.

For as big as he is, I'm sure Shaq will still blend right in. Chemistry was a big factor last year and it will be again this year.

It depends on the individual players. And it sounds to me like Shaq really wants to fit in. And if he wants to fit in, he will fit in. From Anthony Parker's comments and Jamario Moon's comments, they just want to be a part of this team. And if they have that attitude, things will just fall in line under LeBron's leadership.

The bottom line is that everybody's after the same goal. So if everyone stays focused on that same goal, chemistry will be there automatically. Everyone's working towards the same end result and I am too.

I want LeBron to get his first Championship this year, and I'd love to see Shaq get his fifth ring before Kobe does.  

Hey, Cavalier fans! It's A.C. - what's happening?

I've been passing the summer enjoying the great outdoors out on the links, but I'm starting to get that bug for basketball. Training Camp is basically right around the corner.

This will be a new-look Cavaliers club in 2009-10. The big difference - figuratively and literally - will be in the middle, where Shaq will move into the starting lineup ahead of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who's been a fixture there.

I don't think moving to the bench will be a problem for Z.

I remember when I got to that point in my career, because of the numerous knee operations. I was only a 24-minute-per-night guy anyway. And I think that's about where Z wants to be.

Whether it's at the beginning of the game, the midst of the game or the end of the game - he just wants his minutes. And he's going to get them, regardless. Because Shaq can't afford to play more than 25-30 minutes, himself. So the minutes are going to be there. Where you get them doesn't really count. What does is that you make them productive. And I think that's how Z's going to look at it.

You have a different mindset, coming off the bench - and Big Z will begin to understand that.

As a starter, you focus on the guy that you have to guard and how he fits into their system. As a starter, you know who's coming off the bench, but you don't focus on one particular guy. It's a different mindset when you come off the bench.

When I came off the bench, I wanted to make sure that I brought energy to the game and that I knew what was going on within the game. In other words, if they're fast-breaking us, you want to stop the outlet passes, rebound better, and so forth. When we wanted to speed the game up, you'd try to create turnovers and get out on the floor more. The tone of the game has already been set. The starters set that tone.

And to be honest, Big Z going against second team centers can't hurt either. With Yao out until who knows when, we have the last two conventional centers in the league. And to able to take advantage of it is really going to help our team.

Danny Ferry made some nice moves over the summer. But I'd also like to see some of our current guys step up from last year to this year.

I was looking for J.J. to do that, and I'm hopeful that his back situation is improving.

If he's worked on his 15-foot jumper, that young man has a chance to be really effective this year. But he's got to be consistent with that shot, because he's going to get a ton of those. You can improve on everything else - almost through pure experience - but you have to work on your jumpshot. His jumper is loose. He has to get consistent and tighten it up a little bit. If he can do that, he has potential to become an All-Star.

For last year's rookies - J.J. and Darnell - the game will slow down for them. Once you know what you're going to face, it changes everything. When I started out, I was in awe of all the names: Walt Frazier, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Phil Chenier, Nate Archibald. I was all into that. I was wide-eyed. But the next year I knew what to deal with. I knew that I had to be ready every night.

LeBron's contract situation is back in the news. I don't put much into it; it's just the media looking to stir the pot.

It could become a distraction for LeBron if it's not handled right. But it's already started and the situation's been talked about for years, so LeBron knows how to deal with it. The team already knows how to deal with it. They know it's going to be there.

Shaq's going to deflect a little bit of it. But LeBron's a man; he knows how to deal with this situation. And his objective is to win a Championship. So I don't think LeBron is going to let some gossip about where he might play next season affect his pursuit of the Championship. He's already been disappointed after last season, so he should have intense focus this year, because he knows: it ain't over until you cross the finish line.

Just because you have a lead in the race doesn't mean squat. It's like Satchel Paige said: "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you."  LeBron understands that in that race to the Championship, you don't look back. You just go full-go until you pass that finish line.

One thing about LeBron's offseason that's made me happy is that he took the summer off - no Team USA for the first time in, I believe, the past three summers.

It's a matter of self-preservation. I'm glad he didn't go because he has to give his body a rest. He takes a great deal of punishment during the season and then he'd go through a summer of basketball, taking even more punishment. He needs to take a rest - let his body cool out. Let the muscles get back to normal. (Maybe even get a little flabby.) And build yourself back up. You have to take a break because sooner or later, it'll catch up to him. Then you're talking about nagging injuries. And you certainly don't want that.

Like everyone else, I've already started marking up next season's schedule. Naturally, we'll be in L.A. for Christmas. (Usually, we're home.) And I think we'll be gone over Thanksgiving, as well. But that's what happens when you have Shaq and LeBron on your team. So, it's an interesting schedule. I think our longest road stretch is the one that culminates with that Christmas game against the Lakers.

We have 24 of our last 40 games at home, so that's a good ratio to establish ourselves down the stretch. That helps you establish any type of postseason positioning that you might be looking for.

Again, I really think this year they understand, it's not the best record that counts. It's playing the best basketball you can play, heading into the playoffs. That has to be the mindset.

They have experienced a lot of the ups and downs of what it takes to win the Championship, and I think they're about ready to cross that finish line now. 

Hey, Cavalier fans! It's A.C. checking in. What's happening?

It's been a while since I've written and I hope everyone's having a great summer. I've been spending some time on the local links. It can be aggravating, but I love the game!

It's been a busy summer for the Cavaliers. Danny Ferry has really been busy getting this team ready to compete for a Championship. If the Heat don't match the offer for Jamario Moon, that adds just one more nice piece to the puzzle.

With all these new faces, I'm interested to see how LeBron's game changes - especially around Shaq.

I think in the low-post game, he'll add the little pull-up jump shots and stuff like that, because there's going to be a lot of congestion with Shaq in the lane. And I think he's going to do a lot of passing and cutting because Shaq's a very good passer. Drop it in low and cut.

Our offense has to be set up to take advantage of teams trying to double-team Shaq - again - because he's so good finding the open man.

I think with Parker and Moon, we have guys who can shoot and defend. And these are guys who can run with LeBron. And they have decent size.

I don't think LeBron's game will change too much. He probably will add to his repertoire. Like I said, the little ten-foot shots, the little pull-up shots will be there for him, because the space won't be there to just go flying into the lane and dunk like he's been doing - unless it's in the open floor.

I think he might even play some low-post with Shaq around.

I think LeBron's going to play off Shaq. Because right now, we have enough weakside shooters around - Parker, Mo, Delonte - all these guys can put the ball in the basket playing off of him. And I'm just anxious to see how it's going to work with two guys on the floor at the same time that have to be double-teamed.

Actually, it's going to be very interesting to see how we handle it, in terms of floor spacing. The most important thing for us this year is "floor spacing" - understanding the dynamics of having Shaq and LeBron on the floor at the same time.

Coach Kuester being gone will definitely affect this, and the Cavaliers will have to find the offensive imagination to be able to take advantage of this.

One thing that the offseason moves have guaranteed is that our bench is much stronger than it was.

I think the bench should win us a lot of games this year. It will be just as strong or stronger than any team's bench in the league. And when you take a look at the talent we have that we can move in and out of different positions, we will be greatly improved. Our bench won't collapse like it did at the end of the Playoffs last year.

We have guys who can defend, who can shoot and who have the ability to make plays for themselves if they have to.

Really, last year, the reserves did a great job all the way up to the Eastern Conference Finals. It seemed like at that point, they lost their swagger. But I think with the moves that Danny's made in the offseason, these bench guys will be able to sustain themselves.

With all the new guys we've brought in this summer, some people are forgetting about last year's rookie class. But I think those guys - Darnell Jackson and J.J. Hickson - can make a big leap this year.

I'm hopeful that, this summer, J.J. has worked on his 15-foot jumper - because that was one of his weaknesses. He can pretty much do everything else. He was learning how to defend as the season went on, but unfortunately his back went out on him.

But he needs to learn that 15-foot jumpshot. It's right there - it's wide-open, and he's going to get a bunch of those looks.

And with Darnell, he's a pretty decent face-up jump shooter. He just needs to learn to finish better. He gets to the basket because he has quickness and strength. He just needs to learn how to finish.

If they learn these things, they'll be very productive as sophomores.

It's important to work hard in the summer. Your time in this league is precious and you want to get better every season. I remember my summer routine back in the day. It was tough, but much different than how the young men do it today.

When we weren't winning or in the Playoffs - the offseason was much longer and I'd take a longer time off - maybe a month. And at first, we'd go out to California, the Summer League in Bakersfield. Guys like me, Jim Brewer, Fred Foster. That was pretty much our whole offseason, playing games in the Summer League. On off-days, we'd get up and go run the beaches and then - after we got all our work in - it was fun time!

When we stopped going to Bakersfield after we started going to the Playoffs, we'd start going to upstate New York. We'd rent a house up in Great Neck. It would be myself, Campy, Nate Archibald, and Phil Chenier came up a couple times. We would all work out and then go play in the Rucker League. That was a ball! We'd get huge crowds; it was like playing in an arena, except with people hanging off the fences. Man, it was good stuff!

The current Cavs will need all the work they'll get in this summer. This upcoming season is not going to be easy, because the Eastern Conference is getting tougher. The power is starting to shift towards the East - you can see it.

(In the West, San Antonio reloaded, but they always reload. They just find a way to find the right guy at the right time. I don't how they do it, but they just seem to get the guy you don't think they can get.)

I think the East will be very competitive. I think it'll take around 60 wins to win it, but I don't know if anyone can get 60. The Celtics are going to be tough with Garnett back and Rasheed in the fold. The Pistons are a different team. Chicago will be tough. They'll be one year better and confident after what they did with Boston.

There won't be any pushovers - especially in our Division.

We're going to have to come out ready, come out of the blocks like we did last year.  Come out strong and establish a pace. That's what we did last year by coming out and winning right away. We established a pace that we were able to sustain. You don't want to come out and have to dig yourself out of a hole.

I don't see that as being a big problem. The Cavaliers know what it takes to win and they've proven their regular season mettle last year.

They've added a lot of really nice pieces this summer. And in a couple months, we'll start to see how they all fit together. 

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.

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

I know we're just a few hours from Friday's tip, but I wanted to check in real quickly.

I'm looking for a different effort from the Wine and Gold tonight. On Wednesday, we didn't stick with what got us the lead in the first half. We were moving the ball well - we had 14 assists. But we only had eight in the second half. And I think we got a little intoxicated with greatness. We got caught up watching a great player and he was on his game.

They fell into that trap - watching LeBron operate - and they couldn't get out of it. And it got to the point where, when the other guys were called on to finish the game, they were out of rhythm - it's as simple as that. We got away from moving the ball from one side of the floor to the other. I think, had we continued to move the ball well, we would have won that game by 20.

And I think, defensively, we made some changes that hurt us. But mostly, we need to figure out what to do with Dwight Howard.

As good as Howard played in the first half, we still had a 15-point lead. Like I've been saying: He is not going to score enough points to beat you. It's when you start allowing a second man to get hot that Orlando is truly dangerous.

Once you start "hedging" off your man to help with Howard, that's when you get in trouble. It gives that shooter just enough space to can the shot. Lewis' shots were contested, but we hedged off Howard to give him just enough space.

The last three-pointer Lewis made, you know a three-pointer is the only shot that can beat you. So you have to run him off that spot. You can't let him have that spot. You have to be cognizant of that. I would have let him drive towards the basket, and if your defense lets you down behind you, the worst you have is overtime. But you can't let him shoot a shot that can beat you.

In terms of Howard - you have to attack him. You have to get physical with him. You cannot let him have his way around the basket. If you watch how the Celtics guarded him - they kept a body on him at all times. They forced him to shoot over people. You can't let him get one bump, one step and get right to the basket. Somebody's got to put a body on that young men.

Well, this is the first time this year the Cavaliers have faced a "must-win" situation.  And let's see how they react to it. It's been smooth sailing this year, and now they have their backs against the wall. You have to win this game tonight - everyone knows that. It's been a struggle to win down in Florida, so you don't want to go down there needing two.

Tonight, I would like to see two halves of basketball like Wednesday's first half. I'd like see 25 or more assists on Friday night. The Cavaliers don't lose games when that's the case.

You need this win tonight and if we can go down there and split, we'll come back here with the homecourt advantage intact. And we will win the series.