I don't know if it was an omen, and if it was, I don't know what it meant.

About halfway through Monday's Media Day - the Christmas Morning of Cavaliers basketball - high winds knocked out the lights at a bustling Cleveland Clinic Courts, with local scribes, radio and TV personalities (and various Cavaliers) mulling around a dark gym for an hour until the annual affair was finally called.

LeBron James - who had already done his thing for a media throng - unofficially made it official when he jogged across the court, decked in his home whites, declaring: "OK - Media Day's over!"

Of course, nothing is over until the Diesel speaks - which Shaq did in the Cleveland Clinic Courts' weight room, the only indoor place that had enough natural light remaining.

"If it's a good omen, I want it," opined the Big Aristotle.

Shaq already seemed at ease with his new mates. "It's a great group of guys. I've been here about two weeks now and I've had some nice conversations. I know what they can do; they know what I can do. We're just going to get out there and gel, and it's going to be fun."

Last year, one of the Cavaliers biggest assets was the club's chemistry. That chemistry is part of the reason GM Danny Ferry didn't break up the team and bring Shaq here last February. But after just a couple encounters with the new-look Cavaliers, it looks like this group might enjoy each other even more.

"These guys have been in my house a million times already," said All-Star guard Mo Williams. "I'm from Mississippi, so those Saturday college football cookouts - that's me. I'm the king in pool, too. I've got the best record. Beat everybody at pool," emphasized Mo, making sure that reporters got that.

Mo knows that it'll take that same camaraderie to repeat last year's feat. (And it might take the team's new faces to surpass it.) One of the squad's leaders, Williams talked about how that chemistry can work for someone like his backcourt mate, Delonte West.

"I really don't know his whole situation, but whatever it is, when he's in the locker room, joking around - that's his safe haven. When he's in this gym, around us, it's like therapy to him. If he's open and wants to talk about it, we're all family. We'll listen and lend an ear."

West didn't speak much about it, choosing to respect the judicial process and concentrate on basketball.

"It was just bad timing, in front of Training Camp, but like I said, that's going to handle itself and all we can do is focus on basketball right now," said West.

Like the rest of his teammates, West - who looks like he's dropped a few pounds - is eager to see the Shaq-LeBron Show unfold.

"I know of Shaq, but I've never met him before," said West. "I know of his legendary on-the-court and off-the-court antics. I've been in Cleveland a couple hours now, and 30 minutes of that has been watching (Shaq and LeBron) carry on like a couple of big kids in the locker room. If that's a glimpse of how things are going to be like, I'm glad I'm here."

The Wine and Gold machine is ready to get back into gear - with the main ingredients from last year's 66-win season plus some new parts and the Diesel. And they're as eager to see how the pieces fit together as we are. 

Despite one of the most successful runs in franchise history, the Wine and Gold went back to the drawing board this summer. And after a busy offseason, the reloaded Cavaliers will have some questions to answer as they tip off Training Camp in just over one month.

1. Will the offense bog down with Shaq in the middle?

The Cavaliers offense has taken on various forms over the course of the LeBron James Era. And in 2009-10, we're in for another adjustment.

Last year's offense was predicated on the "drive-and-kick" - taking advantage of LeBron's ability to work his way to the hoop, his prolific passing skills and the presence of outside shooters like Mo Williams, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak. Under that system - and the guidance of "offensive coordinator" John Kuester - the Cavaliers produced the highest-scoring duo in the NBA (Mo and LeBron - 46.3 ppg). And combined with the Wine and Gold's stingy defense, Cleveland was 38-2 when they topped the century mark.

Shaquille O'Neal won't be stepping out to drain the 18-footer like his predecessor in the starting lineup. Instead, Shaq will do his work in and around the paint - where LeBron likes to operate. Minus Kuester, who left for the head coaching job in Detroit, can the Cavaliers figure out a way to maximize both of their superstars talents and still keep their shooters happy and involved?

2. Who will start at the two-guard and who will come off the bench?

The Cavaliers coaching staff and brass have always been high on Delonte West and whether he starts or comes off the bench, he'll still be an integral part of the club. West has always maintained that he's happy with either role.

West left everything on the floor against Orlando in the ECF, and has earned nothing but respect throughout the organization. And despite the fact that he can check players six inches taller than him doesn't mean that it's an ideal situation. With that in mind, the Cavaliers inked Anthony Parker this offseason.

Parker can also stick the open jumper, but has at least four inches on West. Defensively, they're in the same discussion. And no matter who starts, because West is also proficient at the point, they'll probably spend a lot of floor time together this season.

3. Will J.J. Hickson make strides between his freshman and sophomore seasons?

After being shut down late last season with a sore back, the jury on J.J. Hickson is still out. The No. 19 overall pick one year ago burst on the scene with a massive dunk on Emeka Okafor and went on to show flashes of his freakish athleticism through the first half of the season. But Hickson - who turns 21 on Sept. 4 - seemed to hit the rookie wall after the All-Star Break and, combined with the bad back, lost his minutes to fellow rookie, Darnell Jackson.

This year, both Hickson and Jackson will be asked to contribute even more and both have been working diligently at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Will it translate to the court this season?

4. Can Daniel Gibson rediscover the magic from his rookie season?

It seems like a long time ago that "Boobie" became a household name, almost single-handedly vanquishing the Pistons in Game 6 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals.

After raising his scoring average from 4.6 ppg in his rookie season to 10.4 in his sophomore campaign, Gibson regressed the season after signing an extension with the squad. Last year, Gibson's production fell to 7.8 ppg - dipping below 40 percent (.391) for the first time in his career. A nagging toe injury prohibited Boobie from being the player he wanted to be, but he did play well in the ECF against Orlando.

However, the Cavaliers have once again reloaded the backcourt, and unless Gibson can return to his rookie form, the minutes could be harder to come by in 2009-10.

5. What effect will Mo's playoff performance have on him moving forward?

During the Cavaliers playoff run last season, one reader wrote to ask me to: "... please tell Mo to relax."

That might have been the best fan suggestion that hit my mailbox all season. It became obvious by the time Cleveland was facing Orlando that Mo Williams - who had played a total of five postseason games before this year - was over-amped for the postseason.

Although the first-time All-Star averaged a respectable 16.3 ppg in the playoffs, Mo's numbers were down across the board in the postseason, including shooting percentage from the field (.467 to .408), from three-point range (.436 to .372) and from the stripe (.912 to .767).

No one could ever accuse Williams of not giving everything he had. But the man who plays fast without ever looking like he's in a hurry did both in the postseason.  A year of playoff experience should do Williams wonders next April.

6. How will Anderson Varejao react to a starting spot?

At the press conference to announce that he'll remain in Cleveland, when Anderson Varejao was asked about what it'll be like to play with the Diesel this year, he quipped, ""I hope Shaquille O'Neal doesn't mind coming off the bench."

Naturally, the Wild Thing got a good laugh. But it will be curious to see what Andy's role will be among the restructured frontcourt.

Last year, in 39 games off the bench, Varejao averaged 7.1 points on .526 shooting, with 6.6 rebounds 24.4 minutes. In 42 starts, he averaged 9.9 points on .542 shooting, 7.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 32.3 minutes. The Cavaliers were 33-9 with Anderson in the starting lineup. When the Wild Thing broke double-digits, Cleveland was 25-5.

Jamario Moon is definitely a three and Leon Powe won't be ready to roll until after the All-Star Break. Darnell Jackson and J.J. Hickson should improve, but there's nothing that would indicate they're ready to become starters this season. All that seems to indicate that No. 17 will be in the starting frontcourt alongside LeBron and Shaq.

7. There's no way LeBron can actually be better this year - can he?

It's difficult to find something that LeBron doesn't get credit for, but anyone who covers the Cavaliers knows that the reigning MVP is the embodiment of the sports cliché: "First one there, last one to leave."

Aside from being the team's (and league's) best player - both physically and cerebrally - LeBron is definitely one of the league's hardest workers. And just because he wasn't training with Team USA this summer doesn't mean that he wasn't working. In sporadic trips to Cleveland Clinic Courts, it's rare not to hear the hip-hop blaring from within the gym and not see James inside scrimmaging or just working with Chris Jent.

Like his idol, Michael Jordan, LeBron seems to get better in one area each year. When critics said Jordan was just a dunker, he developed a deadly jumper. When they said he couldn't play defense, he worked to become a defensive menace. After six years in the league, it's safe to say that the Cavaliers' No. 23 is cut from a similar cloth.

It's hard to imagine what the young King can improve upon, but a betting man would probably guess he'd like to get his free throw accuracy above 80 percent. He shot just under 75 percent in the postseason and left a lot of points at the stripe in the ECF against Orlando.

And if LeBron does make this improvement, he can be even better than last season. And if that's the case, Cavaliers' opponents will have even more question marks to deal with than you and I have in today's blog ...