Is anyone else frustrated by Jamario's lack of playing time?  How'd he get in MB's dog house?  I'm glad to have Delonte back in action, and I know he plays an important role on our team, but I'm confused as to why West (6'3") has assumed all of Moon's (6'8") minutes.  Comparing these two players is like comparing apples to oranges. I know the SF spot is occupied by #23 for 40 minutes per night and I'm not suggesting that we juggle the lineup to accommodate our 9th best player.  But I can't help myself from wondering how quick we'd be with Moon at the 3 and Bron at the 4?

My uneducated impression of Jamario before he arrived in Cleveland was that he was a high flyer with sub-par offensive skills who was a decent wing defender.  Lo and behold after visiting 82games.com I discovered that his effective FG% on jumpers last year was 46.5% - higher than guys like Joe Johnson and Kevin Durant who receive constant praise for their mid-range games.  I'm not implying that Moon is All-Star material, but he seems to deserve at least 20-25 minutes a night on the basis of his propensity to collect steals and blocks, let alone his shooting skills and ability to energize the crowd.

I'm also frustrated to see LeBron spend such a high % of the shot clock outside the 3 point arc, whether he has the ball or not.  I know he's become a decent 3pt shooter and I know it only takes him about 3 steps to get to the rim from anywhere on the court.  And I realize Bron is a fantastic passer and ball-handler.  But the offense has clearly been unable to find it's rhythm so far this season.  I know we've had success in the past when we've spread the floor with shooters and allowed LeBron to drive from the top of the key and either dish or get to the hoop.  But it seems like the word is out, and the good teams especially have found effective ways to defend this set.

Has a reporter ever asked LeBron how he envisions his game changing over the course of his NBA career?  I wonder if he plans to eventually move to the 4 and spend more time in the post with his back to the basket later in his career.  If so, I don't blame him for wanting to play the perimeter and constantly have the ball in his hands while he's still spry.

Bron probably figures he'll still be quicker than all of the PFs in the league even when he's in his 30s.  And he probably enjoys having such an obvious strength advantage over the SFs he matches up with each night.  Perhaps he thinks playing the perimeter early in his career will lengthen his tenure?  This may be true but I would think the wear and tear on his body is greater when he tries to play light.  Then again I've never had to bang bodies with 260 lb-ers on the low block.

The real question is this - what look gives the Cavs their best chance at getting back to the Finals?

Very nice analysis by LeJuiceman on the East vs West breakdown.  I agree - Dallas, San Antonio, and New Orleans are off to weak (by recent standards) starts.  Utah, Houston, Phoenix and Portland are all very beatable.  Denver is the only Western team exceeding expectations.

On the flip side, Cleveland, Boston, Detroit and Orlando have all come out of the gate strong.  All four of these ballclubs reached the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.  New Jersey, Miami, Chicago and Atlanta haven't been too shabby, either.  I expect Toronto, Philly and Washington to improve vastly as the year goes on.

All in all, I have to agree - it's fairly safe to say that the balance of power has shifted back to the East.  But don't get me wrong...I'm thankful we don't have to see the likes of the Western elite more than a couple times a year.

Here's a look at the distribution of young talent (less than 5 years in NBA)

Young guns in East:

Bron, Wade, D. Howard, Bosh, J. Smith, D. Harris, Granger, Mo, Beasley, Rose, Iguodala, Bargnani, Augustin, Rondo, Stuckey

Young guns in West:

Paul, D. Williams, A. Jefferson, Roy, Melo, Durant, Mayo, Gay, West, Oden, Aldridge, Westbrook, Kevin M., E. Gordon, Bynum