NBA Cavs face another long season

One disgruntled former player says the team is dumping the season for a shot at prep standout LeBron James.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- When Darius Miles was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in July, the 21-year-old was in Vancouver, British Columbia, filming a movie called "The Perfect Score."
The film's plot centers around a group of high school students -- Miles plays a basketball player -- who steal the answers before taking their college entrance exams.
Miles has a supporting role in the teen comedy due to open nationwide in March.
This winter, he's starring in something a little closer to the horror genre.
Early reviews on the upcoming NBA season are not good for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who spent yet another off-season cleaning house and changing their philosophy.
"This is going to be a long year for us," Cavs coach John Lucas said realistically. "But I predict that we will be better than bad."
Wow, how's that for optimism?
Traded top players
Since the end of last season, their third straight losing at least 50 games, Cleveland traded its top three scorers -- Lamond Murray, Wesley Person and Andre Miller -- for Miles, and little else.
The deals stripped the Cavs of 47 points per game, and Miller led the league in assists.
For the 6-foot-9 Miles, who can play anywhere but center, coming to Cleveland is like starting over, just as he did with the Clippers two years ago.
"I've been at the bottom of the barrel before and I can help build the barrel up," Miles said. "This team is loaded with young talent. We're going to go out, have fun, and see where that talent takes us."
Probably not very far. But in Miles, rookie shooting guard Dajuan Wagner, leaper Ricky Davis and 7-foot-3 center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Cavs do have a nice nucleus to build around.
They're also very young. Veteran guard Bimbo Coles and forward Tyrone Hill are the only thirtysomethings on the roster, so there's hope for the future.
"It's all about starting a core," said Davis, re-signed this summer to a six-year, $34.7 million contract. "We've got some guys we can build off of. We're not too old. Hopefully, we can stay together a couple years and build this thing."
Patience will be the key for Lucas, the Cavs' front office and Cleveland fans who haven't seen a playoff game since 1998.
Two years ago, the Cavs tried to rebuild by signing veteran free agents to go along with some of their youngsters. It didn't work, so the club made a few trades before last season in hopes of finding a winning combination.
Still nothing.
So the Cavs have opted for a total youth movement.
"We're going to be young and make youthful mistakes," said owner Gordon Gund. "But the talent we have is full of potential. It's an exciting future."
Murray's theory on line
The latest plan has its skeptics, however. One of them is the disgruntled Murray.
Before being traded to Toronto, Murray said the Cavs were merely dumping the upcoming season so they'd have a better chance of drafting LeBron James, the Ohio high school phenom tabbed as a lottery pick next year.
Murray's theory was bolstered by James' link to the club. His workout with the Cavs in May drew Lucas a two-game suspension from the league. The coach will miss tonight's opener in Sacramento and Wednesday's game with the Clippers.
Ilgauskas and Wagner will also sit the opener. Ilgauskas was suspended one game for a drunken driving arrest, and Wagner, the No. 6 overall pick, is still hospitalized with a bladder infection.