RISE UP! A Cleveland Cavaliers Dynasty (RETIRED)

[kibaxx7]

I'm afraid I won't be doing game by game recaps, I'm leaning on doing 1 game a month and just doing a much comprehensive monthly recap.

Yeah I think I will do that as well, maybe not 1 game a month but 3 or 4, because I always play 82 games. Loved the last chapter

[Martti.]

Nice chapter. Doing only 1 game a month is actually a good thing. Doing every single one takes time and gets boring.. That's why I'm doing only 29 games.

[Dee.]

The thing about playing 1 game a month is good,Because it's gonna be much faster then.

[XpLosibo]

nice chapter.. thats a great motivation, winning the championship really starts on how determined a team is from day 1

[Its_asdf]

That training camp article has me pumped for the regular season. Anything less than first place and a championship will obviously be a bust.

[homicide1550]

[[Hyperize]]

Was Ben's three a buzzer beater, or was he open so you just decided to shoot it?

[Skills]

The training camp article has me pumped as well! Can't wait for your Cavs to dominate! Also nice to see you'll be doing one game per month. Your dynasty will definitely go by faster.

EDIT: Nice scrimmage between the starters and reserves. Lol on Big Ben scoring that lone three and having a better 3PT% than Michael Redd. I hope your not planning to use him as a Jason Kapono-like player during the regular season.

[homicide1550]

Yeah I think I will do that as well, maybe not 1 game a month but 3 or 4, because I always play 82 games. Loved the last chapter

Glad you loved it.. Doing game by game recaps also takes a lot of time and effort and I want to catch up with the 2010 season...

Nice chapter. Doing only 1 game a month is actually a good thing. Doing every single one takes time and gets boring.. That's why I'm doing only 29 games.

It really wasn't boring me rather it was tiring, its just that it takes a lot of time to do recaps for every single game..

The thing about playing 1 game a month is good,Because it's gonna be much faster then.

Yup, that's the main goal, to speed it up..

nice chapter.. thats a great motivation, winning the championship really starts on how determined a team is from day 1

I just hope we can live up to our aspirations.. But its a good start to another long season..

That training camp article has me pumped for the regular season. Anything less than first place and a championship will obviously be a bust.

A slot in the Finals will be good, with my current roster it will be a great achievement...

[kibaxx7]

Big Ben scoring a 3 Good job.

[dascoot]

I'm considering doing this option too soon. seeing 82 games could get boring. But for now i won't do that because i want to learn to do screenshots.

[Bryan_C.]

The Cavs' performance on their training camp is a good sign for them being a finals contender. Also at Big Ben making 3s...Btw ,I know that this sounds kinda dumb but are attempting to enhance Big Ben's shooting ability in your dynasty?

[homicide1550]

PRESEASON 2008: Trouble in Paradise?
Posted: 25/10/2008 09:45:00 AM


Nathaniel Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Cleveland, OH -- The Cavaliers scheduled eight exhibition games for the preseason and they lost all of them but it wasn't for lack of trying. And as all teams do, they don't play their starters that much but still, things are not looking too good in Cleveland.

"It's pretty obvious that we need to work on team chemistry, we added several new players and they have to learn each others tendencies to make us a better team," said coach Mike Brown.

Their preseason started with a game against the Toronto Raptors where Anthony Parker scorched them with 33 points and lost by 12 points.

Their next task was to face the Boston Celtics. In the first game, Cleveland came back form a 26-point hole during the first three quarters but Roger Mason missed a trey that would've sent the game into overtime and fell 94-91. Their second game against the Celtics was like their first meeting, the Cavs tried to stage a comeback but again it fell short. And to make matters worse, their prized rookie Jason Thompson suffered a sprained right ankle that cost him to miss their next 2 games.

In a rematch of the 2007 NBA Finals, they met the San Antonio Spurs for their 4th exhibition game where Ime Udoka and C.J. Miles combined for 49 points as the Spurs completely demolished them at the Quicken Loans Arena.

Cleveland then faced the Philadelphia 76ers in their next two games and lost both. It was obvious that the team is suffering from their poor starts as they seemed to always play catch-up during the whole duration of the games.

Then they had a chance to play against the first pick of the draft, Derrick Rose and the Detroit Pistons. Rose posted 16 points and 6 assists to help Detroit clinch the 101-93 victory over their Central division rivals.

And to end the preseason, the Cavaliers were handed a major beat down against their arch rivals, the Washington Wizards as they lost by 33 points. Caron Butler and Nick Young scored 21 points apiece and their newest acquisition Ersan Ilyasova added 16 points and 8 rebounds to the Wizards' cause.

With all these losses, the coaching staff still saw something good from them. Roger Mason had a great preseason averaging 12.13 points and close to 2 steals per game. Ramon Sessions also continued to show progress in his game by averaging 8.75 points and 3.88 assists per game.

And despite missing two games because of a mild sprain in his ankle, 22nd pick Jason Thompson posted solid numbers (7.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.8 BPG) in six appearances. Undrafted rookie J.J. Hickson also showed that he deserves the roster spot by playing good defense and hustling for the ball. He averaged 6.38 points and 4.63 rebounds in 8 preseason games.

"We have good players but I don't think its enough to get us over the hump," LeBron James said who averaged a mere 17 minutes during the preseason. "I'll let the front office do their job and just try to win games with what we have. I have trust in our GM."

Cleveland will face the Charlotte Bobcats on opening night (Oct. 28) in a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Finals.

Results (click links for boxscores)

Date	Opponent	Score	Player of the Game
Tuesday, Oct. 7	Toronto Raptors	103-115 (L)	Anthony Parker - 33 pts, 6 ast
Friday, Oct. 10	at Boston Celtics	91-94 (L)	Ray Allen - 21 pts, 2 stl
Tuesday, Oct. 14	Boston Celtics	116-123 (L)	Kevin Garnett - 16 pts, 5 stl
Thursday, Oct. 16	San Antonio Spurs	111-133 (L)	C.J. Miles - 22 pts, 8 ast
Saturday, Oct. 18	Philadelphia 76ers	95-100 (L)	Samuel Dalembert - 10 pts, 12 reb
Tuesday, Oct. 21	at Philadelphia 76ers	86-98 (L)	Thaddeus Young - 22 pts, 4 ast
Wednesday, Oct. 22	at Detroit Pistons	93-101 (L)	Rasheed Wallace - 11 pts, 11 reb
Friday, Oct. 24	Washington Wizards	77-110 (L)	Nick Young - 21 pts, 6 ast

Cavaliers Top 5 Plays of the Preseason

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[Martti.]

A very poor pre-season.. Luckily, this is the pre-season. Best of luck against the Cats!

[homicide1550]

Big Ben scoring a 3 Good job.

Hehe.. Just to inform you guys, his 3 pt rating is just 2, as in TWO!

I'm considering doing this option too soon. seeing 82 games could get boring. But for now i won't do that because i want to learn to do screenshots.

Yeah, 82 games is quite tiring and somewhat boring..

The Cavs' performance on their training camp is a good sign for them being a finals contender. Also at Big Ben making 3s...Btw ,I know that this sounds kinda dumb but are attempting to enhance Big Ben's shooting ability in your dynasty?

I am really not planning on training Big Ben, the thing about this is I discovered that it was quite easy to hit the three with him because of his sigshot.. But I won't be forcing him to take treys like Michael Redd, if he's open then I think he has the green light to shoot it..

[newc]

well i guess this preseason showed, where you would be without LeBron, who played only 17 min per game..

and it's veird to see Rose as a Piston

[kibaxx7]

Martti just said it: it's preseason, so don't worry. Cleveland will never start a season 0-8

[XpLosibo]

even though it meant nothing its still a bad start for a team with a CHAMPIONSHIP mindset.. love the top 5 plays esp. the redd fadeaway and slam of lbj on prince

[[Hyperize]]

Oh well. The Preseason doesn't affect your chances of winning The Finals. Hopefully you can turn things around in time for the Regular Season.

[Clutch]

really weird preseason. were i a Cavs junkie, i'd be a little nervous...

[homicide1550]

WESTERN CONFERENCE


PACIFIC DIVISION
Projected Order Of Finish

1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Phoenix Suns
3. Los Angeles Clippers
4. Golden State Warriors
5. Sacramento Kings


Team-By-Team Previews


COACH: Phil Jackson | RECORD: 43-39


LA swept the Bobcats to win the 2008 NBA Championship.



PG Derek Fisher
SG Kobe Bryant
SF Lamar Odom
PF Pau Gasol
C Andrew Bynum
----------
F Trevor Ariza
G Jordan Farmar
F Luke Walton
F Mikki Moore



G Mario Chalmers (Draft)
G Roko Ukic (Draft)



G Sasha Vujacic (Free Agent)
G Vassilis Spanoulis (Free Agent)
F Ronny Turiaf (Free Agent)
G Coby Karl (Free Agent)



PPG Kobe Bryant 28.1
RPG Pau Gasol 9.7
APG Kobe Bryant 10.6
SPG Kobe Bryant 1.9
BPG Kobe Bryant / Pau Gasol 1.82



The Los Angeles Lakers are favorites to win the division primarily because they are the defending NBA Champions but it will be a tight contest against the Phoenix Suns. They lost some solid rotation guys due to free agency but they added a solid young point guard in Mario Chalmers that will surely help them in the future. If Kobe Bryant can continue his MVP-style of play and co-exist with Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, the Lakers' chances of a repeat is a strong possibility.



COACH: Alvin Gentry | RECORD: 56-26


The front court duo of Shaq and Amare will continue to
terrorize the league.



PG Steve Nash
SG O.J. Mayo
SF Grant Hill
PF Amare Stoudemire
C Shaquille O'Neal
----------
G Leandro Barbosa
F Boris Diaw
G Raja Bell
C Brian Skinner



G O.J. Mayo (Draft)
F Donte Greene (Draft)
F Maurice Taylor (Free Agent)
G Sergio Rodriguez (Free Agent)



G Linton Johnson (Free Agent)
G Gordan Giricek (Free Agent)
G Erik Piatkowski (Free Agent)
C Sean Marks (Free Agent)



PPG Steve Nash 25.6
RPG Amare Stoudemire 10.6
APG Steve Nash 9.9
SPG Grant Hill 2.1
BPG Amare Stoudemire 2.22



The Phoenix Suns are looking to avenge their early playoff exit against eventual champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, despite having the NBA's best record. They were one of the big winners during draft day, acquiring former USC standout O.J. Mayo with the 4th pick and picking Syracuse's leading scorer Donte Greene in the second round. The most significant change was Alvin Gentry taking over from Mike D' Antoni as their new head coach. It is tough to predict just how well the Suns will perform this year under a new system but with last year's roster still intact, they are still considered as one of the elite teams in the league.



COACH: Mike Dunleavy | RECORD: 45-37


Maggette will continue to be the Clippers' main scorer this
season.



PG Shaun Livingston
SG Cuttino Mobley
SF Corey Maggette
PF Elton Brand
C Chris Kaman
----------
F Al Thornton
F Tim Thomas
G Smush Parker
G Brevin Knight
C David Harrison



G J.R. Giddens (Draft)
G Dwayne Mitchell (Draft)
C David Harrison (Free Agent)



C Aaron Williams (Retired)
G Quinton Ross (Free Agent)
F Paul Davis (Free Agent)



PPG Corey Maggette 21.8
RPG Elton Brand 10.8
APG Corey Maggette 8.5
SPG Cuttino Mobley 1.74
BPG Chris Kaman 2.09



The other Los Angeles based franchise didn't have too much personnel changes but it is probably a good thing. They managed to resign their All-Stars Elton Brand and Corey Maggette to multiple year deals which enables them to at least be competitive in the tough Western conference in years to come. Their current lineup is good enough to get them in the playoffs but will need a few more pieces for them to be considered as title contenders.



COACH: Don Nelson | RECORD: 42-40


B-Diddy decided to return to the Warriors despite lucrative
offers from other teams.



PG Baron Davis
SG Kelenna Azubuike
SF Stepehen Jackson
PF Al Harrington
C Andris Biedrins
----------
G Monta Ellis
F Mickael Pietrus
G Marco Belinelli
F Brandan Wright



G Brandon Rush (Draft)
G George Hill (Draft)
F Kirk Snyder (Free Agent)
G Junior Harrington (Free Agent)



F Chris Webber (Retired)
F Matt Barnes (Free Agent)
G CJ Watson (Free Agent)
F Austin Croshere (Free Agent)
C Kosta Perovic (Free Agent)



PPG Baron Davis 23.9
RPG Andris Biedrins 9.8
APG Baron Davis 8.0
SPG Monta Ellis 1.99
BPG Stephen Jackson 1.55



Don Nelson's Warriors lost a bunch of good players during the offseason, from the retirement of Chris Webber, to the departure of Matt Barnes and C.J. Watson who signed with new teams. But the good thing is, they retained everyone on their starting lineup. Marco Belinelli and Brandan Wright will finally get some playing time this season and will be counted upon to energize the Warriors bench.



COACH: Kenny Natt | RECORD: 45-37


The Sacramento Kings will don new uniforms this season.



PG Maureece Rice
SG Kevin Martin
SF John Salmons
PF Ron Artest
C Brad Miller
----------
G Francisco Garcia
F Shareef Abdur-Rahim
F Vladimir Radmanovic
c Spencer Hawes



F Joey Dorsey (Draft)
G Maureece Rice (Draft)



G Anthony Johnson (Free Agent)
G Beno Udrih (Free Agent)
F Lorenzen Wright (Free Agent)
G Will Conroy (Free Agent)



PPG Kevin Martin 24.7
RPG Brad Miller 10.2
APG Kevin Martin 7.8
SPG Kevin Martin 1.79
BPG Brad Miller 1.44



The Sacramento Kings were one of the surprise teams in last year's playoffs, reaching the West Finals despite being the 7th seed. But they will have a tough time doing it this season. They lost both of their point guards during the offseason and may have to rely on an unproven rookie to run their offense. With their current roster, they are not expected to make some noise in the NBA this season and a probable lottery team.

[Martti.]

Damn, the Suns look great with Mayo and Greene from the draft and the main core staying.

[homicide1550]

A very poor pre-season.. Luckily, this is the pre-season. Best of luck against the Cats!

Thanks! Really had a tough time winning during crunch time..

well i guess this preseason showed, where you would be without LeBron, who played only 17 min per game..

and it's veird to see Rose as a Piston

It was really weird and scary, the Pistons are a tough team..

Martti just said it: it's preseason, so don't worry. Cleveland will never start a season 0-8

I hope so bro..

even though it meant nothing its still a bad start for a team with a CHAMPIONSHIP mindset.. love the top 5 plays esp. the redd fadeaway and slam of lbj on prince

It was a bad bad start... Glad you liked the top 5 plays..

Oh well. The Preseason doesn't affect your chances of winning The Finals. Hopefully you can turn things around in time for the Regular Season.

Yup, preseason is nothing, just wanted to familiarize myself with the new players..

really weird preseason. were i a Cavs junkie, i'd be a little nervous...

hopefully, the season will be a different story.. Just a little info, I only won 1 preseason game last year and I reached the East Finals..

[Clutch]

Suns are looking sharp; just to clarify this is pre J-Rich trade yes? and BD stayed with Golden State - damn him ah well, at least i get to live what should've/could've/would've been through your dynasty. sigh.

awesome job all n' all previews take a ton of work to do as well as you've done

[kibaxx7]

Ah, loving the Suns lineup... looking forward to the other divisions.