Cavaliers will look at post, defense

Cleveland was a combined 3-8 against Orlando and the Lakers this season, the NBA finalists.

By BRIAN WINDHORST

THE Plain Dealer

INDEPENDENCE — Sitting in their offices looking at game film and going over scheduling for draft preparation was not what the Cavaliers coaching staff and management had in mind for Monday. They certainly would rather have been gearing up for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.

But the reality was the offseason began on June 1 and it is going to be one of the most important in franchise history. With LeBron James about to enter into the final year of his contract and saying he hopes the Cavs take another step forward — there’s only so far the team can go after being in conference finals, which makes the point rather clear — the onus is on general manager Danny Ferry.

Of particular interest are the two teams still standing. The Cavs were a combined 3-8 this season against the Lakers and Magic, and both figure to be very strong again next year. In the annual season wrap session with the media Monday, Ferry said that will be a driving force as they examine their options this summer.

“We’re going to have to look at who those top teams are and make some decisions based off that when we look at our roster,” Ferry said. “That is part of the evaluation process that starts now and continues between now and next February [the trading deadline].”

The good news for fans is Ferry and big-spending owner Dan Gilbert have put the Cavs in a position to get better with the current roster and resources. Here’s a look at the team’s needs:

•A skilled big man.

This has been a significant soft spot all season. They had a solid rotation of big men, but none are shot blockers. Besides Zydrunas Ilgauskas, none averaged more than 10 points a game. Often when Anderson Varejao, who will be a free agent, or Ben Wallace were in the game, opposing teams didn’t even guard them so they could shade an extra player toward James.

The inability to handle the Magic’s Dwight Howard 1-on-1 or be able to slow down the Lakers’ trio of strong big men in Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol or Lamar Odom created major problems for the way the Cavs play defense.

It is likely the team will look to bring in two new big men — depending on what happens with Varejao and fellow free agent Joe Smith and whether Wallace decides to retire. The Cavs are looking forward to J.J. Hickson returning healthy and the development of Darnell Jackson.

•A tall wing defender.

The decision to pair Delonte West and Mo Williams in the backcourt proved to be shrewd and worked out well. But depth behind them was spotty and the backcourt struggled at times on defense. Daniel Gibson, Sasha Pavlovic and Wally Szczerbiak all had their own deficiencies.

•A backup point guard.

The Cavs do not have a true backup to Williams. West is effective at the position and Gibson has played there as well, but neither are pure point guards and never will be. At times, West had to log heavy minutes because someone had to be on the floor to handle the ball when Williams rested.