The Cavaliers have been a busy ballclub between an eventful Draft day and yesterday's signing of free agent swingman Anthony Parker.
And while Danny Ferry and his staff are constantly attempting to make the team better, it seems like - for the moment - some of the offseason's smoke is starting to clear.
Through all of the Wine and Gold's early offseason maneuvers, I've written about what I think. (It's my job.) But, as a self-professed sports-talk-radio and fan-forum junkie, I've been keeping up with your thoughts on what the Cavaliers have done - both good and bad - and thought I'd try to find out a little more.
So here's 10 Questions. You can answer them in the "leave a comment" area below or just to yourself. Are these questions skewed in favor of the Cavaliers? Of course they are. (That's my job, too.) But that's the beauty of cavfanatic.com -- you can skew them however you'd like.
The Wine and Gold will likely continue their renovation through the summer. But from where we stand here in mid-June, what are your thoughts on the following?
1. On Monday afternoon, the Cavaliers inked free agent Anthony Parker. The 34-year-old swingman is coming off three straight seasons averaging double-figures with Toronto. He will essentially assume Sasha Pavlovic's spot in the backcourt and will likely compete with Delonte West for the starting spot.
Do you think Anthony Parker is an upgrade?
2. On June 25, Cleveland acquired Shaquille O'Neal for Pavlovic, Ben Wallace and cash considerations. O'Neal - a four-time Champion and 15-time All-Star - will be 38 when the season concludes. He will be the Cavaliers starting center from Day One and comes to Camp motivated for another Ring and a shot to silence Dwight Howard (and maybe a two-year contract).
Do you think Shaquille O'Neal is an upgrade?
3. In what still looks like a three-team race for the top spot in the East, the top triumvirate has been busy trying to keep pace. The Celtics added Rasheed Wallace but may lose Big Baby Davis. The Magic lost Hedo Turkoglu, Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston, but added Vince Carter and Brandon Bass. And in the Cavaliers' division, the Pistons lost Wallace and Antonio McDyess, but acquired Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon.
So far this offseason, have the Cavaliers kept pace with their Eastern Conference adversaries?
4. LeBron James played in the 2006 World Championships, the 2007 Tournament of the Americas Olympic qualifiers and the 2008 Olympics in Bejing. Of course, his NBA team had gone deep into the postseason in-between each Team USA appearance.
Will NOT taking part in any Team USA basketball activities be beneficial to LeBron James' upcoming season?
5. The acquisition of Shaq will move Zydrunas Ilgauskas to the bench and the signing of Anthony Parker will mean he or Delonte will join the second unit. Daniel Gibson should come to Camp healthy after nursing a toe injury through most of last season and Tarence Kinsey has a year under his belt. Wally Szczerbiak and Joe Smith are free agents. J.J. Hickson and Darnell Jackson will be looking to be part of Coach Brown's regular rotation.
Is the Cavaliers' bench stronger than last year's?
6. J.J. Hickson was shut down late last season with a back ailment, but has been progressing steadily. He showed flashes of brilliance as a 19-year-old out of N.C. State, but like most rookies, struggled with consistency. Jackson, a four-year man fresh off a National Championship at Kansas, started slowly, but came on strong to finish the 2008-09 season.
Will J.J. Hickson make a leap from his rookie to his sophomore campaign? Will Darnell Jackson?
7. Along with Pitt's DeJuan Blair, who was tabbed by the Spurs at No. 37, rookie Danny Green - picked nine spots later at 46 - was considered by many to be the steal of the 2009 NBA Draft. The "surprisingly athletic" Green played - and won - more games than any other Tar Heel in school history while rewriting the ACC record books with his versatility.
Can Danny Green crack the rotation by year's end?
8. With Shaq and Z entering the final years of their respective deals, the Cavaliers recently re-signed free agent big man, Anderson Varejao. The Wild Thing is coming off the best season of his career - starting 42 games, averaging 8.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The Cavaliers were 33-9 with Andy in the starting lineup, 25-5 when he notches double-figures.
Are you pleased to have Anderson Varejao in the fold for the foreseeable future? Do you think LeBron is?
9. As mentioned, Shaq and Z will be in their last seasons under their current contracts. Varejao's deal is nominal for a versatile 27-year-old big with 60 games of postseason experience. Anthony Parker's deal is negligible.
Have the Cavaliers offseason moves been cognizant of the not-too-distant future?
10. With all these moves in mind - and some moves that are likely yet to come ...
As of July 15, 2009, how do you feel about the Cavaliers?
1. yes
James2. yes (if he 'fits' the team)
3. just about.
4. Oh yeah, big time!
5. a little bit
6. No not a leap, just steady improvement.
7. he should be given mins from the begining.
8. hmmm, I like AV and so does LBJ, but I'm worried about him and shaq playing together.
9. Who knows what LBJ and/or Ferry are thinking?
10. 75% sure they'll make the finals... LAL or SAS will come down to matchups, so we will see!
05:26 PM EST