Would Larry Bird have been successful as the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers?

APWould Larry Bird have been successful as the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Byron Scott will be on the bench as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats. But this may not have been the case if owner Dan Gilbert would have gotten his wish, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.

We all know that Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was Gilbert's first choice to replace Mike Brown as coach of the Cavaliers. But as it became clear Izzo would decline the Cavaliers' offer, Gilbert contacted another legend.

Sources close to the situation have confirmed that, before naming Scott as their new coach July 2, Cleveland officials thus contacted [Larry] Bird to see if they could convince the Indiana Pacers' team president to consider returning to coaching.

Bird did take the call, sources said, but quickly informed the Cavs that he had no interest in coaching again. Sources said Bird, 53, let Cleveland know that he wants to continue in his front-office work with the Pacers and that he has all but ruled out coaching again because of health and family reasons.

The Cavaliers were in search of a former player-turned-coach (unlike Brown) who would impress LeBron James, hopefully enough that James would have stayed here. Not only is Bird a Hall of Fame player, but he is also a former coach of the year.

It appears, however, that the Cavs' conversations with Bird never got far enough to describe him as a full-fledged candidate to replace Brown. Scott, by contrast, was one of the first candidates Cleveland targeted and interviewed and commanded support within the Cavaliers' organization throughout the search process and the drawn-out pursuit of Izzo.

 

"Jake will pose more of a threat in getting the ball to the wide receivers. Seneca played great, but I still feel the offense was simplified a little for him. We paid Delhomme to be a starter, it's time for him to show us he deserves it. If he bombs, we still have Seneca." - HLecter2

View full sizeJake Delhomme is likely to start Sunday against Atlanta.

In response to the story Jake Delhomme a likely starter against Falcons: Browns Insider, cleveland.com reader HLecter2 thinks the Browns should start Jake if he's healthy. This reader writes,

"Jake will pose more of a threat in getting the ball to the wide receivers. Seneca played great, but I still feel the offense was simplified a little for him. We paid Delhomme to be a starter, it's time for him to show us he deserves it. If he bombs, we still have Seneca."

Two Browns -- Leroy Kelly and Marion Motley -- are among the 35 nominees for the second class of the Black College Football Hall of Fame.

View full sizePlain Dealer Historical PhotoMarion Motley, who starred as fullback for the Browns during their AAFC heyday, is among the 35 nominees in the sophomore class of the Black College Football Hall of Fame. Also among the 35, from whom 11 will be chosen, is Browns running back Leroy Kelly.

Which Ohio State running back should get the most carries is debatable among fans, but there's not conflict when it comes to Daniel Herron and Brandon Saine. Two two players host a running backs bonded event every Thursday. The gathering is not exclusive to just the running backs, but is a time for the backs to bond as a...

Marvin Fong | The Plain DealerOhio State running back Brandon Saine

Which Ohio State running back should get the most carries is debatable among fans, but there's not conflict when it comes to Daniel Herron and Brandon Saine.

Two two players host a running backs bonded event every Thursday. The gathering is not exclusive to just the running backs, but is a time for the backs to bond as a unit off the field.

Columbus Dispatch reporter Tim May writes:

As Brandon Saine said, "It lets the young guys realize that although there may be a competition within the room, we're still friends, we still have fun with each other. We realize the competition actually makes us better and makes us want to hang out together and everything.

May writes how some fans have pointed to the lack of a featured back and a true power running game as a glaring weakness for the second-ranked Buckeyes.

Some have wanted to see more of backups Jordan Hall and Jaamal Berry, who have flashed elusiveness and drive in their brief times running the ball or returning kicks.

And if it happens Saturday, keep in mind the Indiana defense is No. 108 in the nation against the run (207-yard average).

"If the Tribe did actually sign Choo for, say, 5 years, it would help people believe that they actually want to win. Unfortunately, with Boras as his agent, I don't see much chance of a deal. Boras is a bottom-line kind of guy and he wants Choo to be a free agent in three years. I hope they prove me wrong, but I doubt it." - WSorBust

View full sizeAssociated PressShin-Soo Choo was the Tribe's best - and often only - threat offensively in 2010.

In response to the story Keeping Shin-Soo Choo with Tribe at top of Antonetti's wish list: Indians Insider, cleveland.com reader WSorBust thinks the Indians could make a statement by signing Choo. This reader writes,

"If the Tribe did actually sign Choo for, say, 5 years, it would help people believe that they actually want to win. Unfortunately, with Boras as his agent, I don't see much chance of a deal. Boras is a bottom-line kind of guy and he wants Choo to be a free agent in three years. I hope they prove me wrong, but I doubt it."

The former NFL VP of Officiating says T.J. Ward's hit on Jordan Shipley was a cheap shot and in his opinion, the NFL should fine him at least $25,000.

Mark Duncan, Associated PressThe former NFL VP of Officiating thinks T.J. Ward's hit was a cheap shot.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Former NFL Vice President of Officiating Mike Pereira, now the rules analyst for Fox Sports, said in a phone interview today that he thinks T.J. Ward's helmet/shoulder-to-helmet hit on Bengals receiver Jordan Shipley Sunday was a cheap shot and that in his opinion, the NFL should fine Ward at least $25,000.

"Nobody in the league likes to say that somebody took a cheap shot at somebody. But I'm not in the league,'' said Pereira, in his first season with Fox. "And I think it was a cheap shot and I think he deserves to be hit and he needs to be hit hard.''

Pereira  said, "to me, I'd look at the severity of the hit and even the fact that it led to the concussion and this is just my opinion -- but I'd start at the $25,000 mark  To me, I'd make it stiff. He needs to learn his lesson. If people say you're making an example of T.J. Ward, I'd say 'so be it.' There's no place in the game for that stuff.''

Other highlights of the 10-minute Pereira interview:

• "I think it's one of the worst I've seen in awhile. I think it's the exact hit that the NFL is trying to get out of the game. There's no intent to tackle. There's just a lead with the shoulder to the head and helmet-to-helmet hit and it's after the ball has gone by. I don't consider it late, but it's the exact act you don't want in the game.''

• "I can understand why the Bengals would be upset. In my mind, it's worse than just the normal shoulder or helmet-to-the-head hit.''

• "You can see why Carson Palmer went in there and the Cincinnati players were upset. Sometimes it happens when you're making a legitimate play to try to break up a pass, sometimes helmet-to-helmet contact or shoulder to head contact could be considered incidental, but this was a shot. He knew exactly what he was doing.''

• "I think it's a hit that every other player in this league needs to look at and realize that's not acceptable.''

"There are only two teams I follow: the Browns and the Heat. I'll watch the Heat and will get great happiness every time they lose." - roDAWG

View full sizeAssociated PressChris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James will have plenty of people rooting against them this season.

In response to the story Cleveland Cavaliers hoping exhibition season offers some answers to a variety of questions for 2010-11, cleveland.com reader roDAWG will be following the Heat closely in 2010-2011. This reader writes,

"There are only two teams I follow: the Browns and the Heat. I'll watch the Heat and will get great happiness every time they lose."

Tressel said he expects Pryor to get closer to 100 percent every day and didn't sound worried about the quad injury slowing his quarterback down against Indiana.

Notes from Jim Tressel's news conference today:

Marvin Fong / The Plain DealerTyler Moeller, shown here making a tackle against Marshall, is officially out for the season and will require surgery, Jim Tressel said today.

* The Ohio State coach confirmed the news that Tyler Moeller's season is done. The defensive back will require surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle and will miss the rest of the season. Tressel said Moeller had an injury there before he missed last season with the head injury he suffered when he was assaulted off the field, and that while Moeller was out he couldn't properly rehab the pectoral injury because he couldn't get his heart rate too high. So Tressel thought that contributed to this injury.

He said the Buckeyes will begin the process now of applying for a sixth year of eligibility for Moeller, who redshirted his first season in Columbus and then missed all of last year with the off-field injury. Moeller was going to do that whether this injury had happened or not.

"You just feel sick for him because you saw the pain he was in last year not being able to help his teammates and now he was, and now he was having fun," Tressel said. So, yeah, it's very disappointing and obviously it hurts us."

* Tressel said of quarterback Terrelle Pryor's left quad injury, "I would expect every day he'll get closer to 100 percent."

Tressel said he doesn't think the injury should affect Pryor's ability to throw the ball as he plants on that leg, but he did say if he's at all limited in his running then "maybe some of those big plays won't be done as much with the feet, but we can still do them with the arm." So Tressel said he doesn't expect the basic gameplan to change at all.

* Tressel said freshman Christian Bryant will step in to replace Moeller at the star position in the nickel defense. He said that is the first option, and the other two options would be to move Jermale Hines to star, a position he played in the past, from his safety spot and play someone else at safety or to play junior Nate Oliver, who will be back from a hamstring injury this week, at star.

The star should be on the field in the nickel defense almost the entire game against Indiana, which throws the ball a lot.

"While [Bryant] got a good baptism Saturday, he's going to get immersed," Tressel said.

* Tressel again praised No. 3 tailback Jordan Hall, as he has in the past, but didn't specifically say whether Hall would get more carries this week when asked that question.

"Well, let's go back to, let's say three weeks ago," Tressel said. "We've got a lot of receivers we like to get the football to. We've got a quarterback we'd like to run seven to 10 times, and a couple tailbacks who we think are very good. So there just aren't that many balls left and I guess we could take all those balls this season that we've thrown to tight ends and give them to Jordan, then we'd be having the opposite discussion.

"I have one million percent faith in Jordan Hall. He's going to make a difference this season, he already has. Gosh, his punt and kickoff returns. He is a good runner. ... I wish we had more carries available, but you're going to see Jordan Hall. "

* As part of that quote came one of the most unusual Tressel news conference moments I've been around in six years. Tressel was talking about the fact that there weren't enough footballs for all the offensive players to get involved.
 
 "I wish we had more balls," Tressel said, and then he stopped and made a face. "That sounds terrible. Man, I am getting old. But you know what I'm saying."

* Tight end Jake Stoneburner may or may not be back this week after sitting out the Illinois game with an ankle injury he suffered against Eastern Michigan. Tressel previously said that kind of injury usually takes at least eight days to heal. Today, Tressel called it an eight- to 21-day injury. He said the Buckeyes have to see how Stoneburner does today and Wednesday and they should have a better idea by Thursday.

"The way you beat OSU's offense is to make Pryor strictly a pocket passer, an obvious weakness. The passing game as a whole is already a weakness. If Pryor can't run, I think it would be time to bring in more speed, like Jordan Hall, Jamaal Berry, and maybe even do some things with Kenny Guiton and Pryor." - chokeland

View full sizeAssociated PressOhio State's running backs have been far from spectacular this season.

In response to the story Fans are all a-Twitter about Terrelle Pryor's gimpy leg: Hey, Doug!, cleveland.com reader chokeland doesn't trust Ohio State's passing game. This reader writes,

"The way you beat OSU's offense is to make Pryor strictly a pocket passer, an obvious weakness. The passing game as a whole is already a weakness. If Pryor can't run, I think it would be time to bring in more speed, like Jordan Hall, Jamaal Berry, and maybe even do some things with Kenny Guiton and Pryor."

In-game updates from the preseason opener at Quicken Loans Arena.

Cavs starters: F Joey Graham, F Antawn Jamison, C Ryan Hollins, G Ramon Sessions, G Anthony Parker

Bobcats starters: F Boris Diaw, F Gerald Wallace, C Nazr Mohammed, G D.J. Augustin, G Stephen Jackson

Referees: Joey Crawford, Eric Dalen, Pat Fraher

Three things to watch

1. How much progress have the Cavs made after a week with new coach Byron Scott? At this point, it's all about improvement.

2. While much of the talk has been about the new Princeton offense, will the team maintain the defensive intensity that has characterized it for the past five years?

3. Which newcomers will take a step forward, especially with the minutes available in the wake of injuries to likely starters Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao?

Quarterback John Dutton will be back with the Gladiators for the 2011 season.

Thomas Ondrey / The Plain DealerJohn Dutton will play a second season with the Cleveland Gladiators, after the Arena League announced some contract assignments for 2011 on Tuesday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Quarterback John Dutton will be back with the Gladiators for the 2011 season.

Dutton was one of five players from the 2010 roster who were reassigned to Cleveland by the Arena Football League. Others include WR Victor Williams, FB Russell Monk, K Matt Denny and DB Joe Phinisee. The league also assigned rookie OL Carlos Downey to the Gladiators.

Dutton completed 446 of 696 passes for 5,104 yards and 100 touchdowns in 2010. In Week 7 against Tulsa, Dutton became the seventh AFL player to reach 30,000 career passing yards and the sixth to throw 600 career touchdowns. He threw for over 300 yards in nine of 16 games.

"It's exciting to have a core group of guys coming back," Gladiators coach Steve Thonn said. "They know what I expect from them and that will help with the new guys. Having John [Dutton] -- who is arguably one of the best all-time to play the quarterback position -- really helps us as well. We are excited for what is to come in 2011."

Former Browns scout Thomas Dimitroff built the Atlanta Falcons into winners overnight by scoring instant bull's-eyes on a head coach and quarterback.

Erik S. Lesser / Associated PressWith a 62.4 completion percentage and six touchdown passes in four games, Matt Ryan is continuing his development into a top-flight NFL quarterback in his third season.

BEREA, Ohio -- The Atlanta Falcons were an ugly mess in 2007 and now consider themselves legitimate Super Bowl contenders, though they won't use the phrase.

Not only did they transform overnight, the Falcons have sustained their success. They're into their third winning season in a row and come to Cleveland this weekend in first place in the strong NFC South.

Their 3-1 record includes a tough win over the defending Super Bowl-champion Saints. Their loss was in overtime in Pittsburgh, where they dropped three potential interceptions.

The architect of the Falcons' stunning turnaround is General Manager Thomas Dimitroff, who, like Browns GM Tom Heckert, is the son of a former Browns scout. The younger Dimitroff also scouted for the Browns during the startup of their expansion era. He went on to be trained for five years in New England as Bill Belichick's director of college scouting.

Dimitroff's formula for jump-starting the Falcons was simple -- hire the right coach and get a young quarterback in place soon as possible.

"The head coach and quarterback thing are two incredibly important building blocks for a team," Dimitroff said in a telephone interview Tuesday before darting off on a scouting trip. "They're not easy decisions. But sometimes I think you can over-think them. Just like drafting, if you overanalyze it, you're going to lose the opportunity. Calculated decisions are great, but sometimes you have to step up and go with your gut."

The key men Dimitroff put in place were coach Mike Smith, formerly defensive coordinator in Jacksonville, and quarterback Matt Ryan, who was the third overall pick of the 2008 draft.

View full sizeJohnny Crawford / Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionHead coach Mike Smith is 23-13 with the Falcons, and already has a victory over the champion Saints to his credit this season.

Consider where the Falcons were when Dimitroff was hired as Atlanta GM in January, 2008.

Their franchise quarterback, Michael Vick, was a national pariah and on his way to federal prison for leading a dog-fighting ring. Their coach, Bobby Petrino, bolted the team after the 13th game to return to college coaching. The 2007 season ended with 16 players on injured reserve and a bunch of the healthy ones pining to play elsewhere.

Dimitroff was given carte blanche by owner Arthur Blank to change the culture in the Atlanta organization. He weeded out players and employees who didn't fit his "positive, passionate and persevering people" mantra.

But after hitting bull's-eyes with his first two major decisions -- hiring Smith and signing running back Michael Turner in free agency -- Dimitroff got lucky. He won a coin toss with Kansas City and Oakland for the No. 3 spot in the '08 draft.

"If I had called heads instead of tails, Matt Ryan would not be with the Atlanta Falcons today," Dimitroff said.

There were a lot of other brilliant moves -- including trading for tight end Tony Gonzalez in 2009 -- but Dimitroff concedes getting his quarterback immediately on board cleared the path for success.

"To me, it's a never-ending process building a football team when you don't feel you have that quarterback who can take you to whatever that next level is," Dimitroff said.

"I do believe it wears on you when you're always in the hunt and searching for the guy who can spin the ball effectively for you and move the ball downfield. It affects your organization in the draft, free agency and at so many levels when you're in search mode."

The Falcons surrounded Ryan with as many supporting players on offense as quickly as possible and handed him the ball -- and their fortunes. The Falcons are 23-12 in Ryan's start, including an NFC wild-card playoff loss. The Falcons lost the two games Ryan has not played.

Dimitroff doesn't believe there is patience for long-range rebuilding plans anymore in the NFL. While Bill Parcells earned his lofty reputation for turning around moribund organizations in two years, Dimitroff astonishingly did it in one.

"I've talked to a number of my peers in the league about how expectations in this league have been expedited," he said. "I think the whole 'not for long' thing is holding true for administrators, GMs as well as head coaches.

"I've mentioned to Smitty, we really do pride ourselves on being very calculated in our decisions. But this league is about quick, decisive action."

Tony Grossi's Scouting Report

Browns vs. Atlanta Falcons

Sunday 1 p.m. in Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Record: 3-1. Last game: Beat 49ers, 16-14, Oct. 3 in Atlanta.

Coach: Mike Smith, 23-14, third year.

Series record: Browns lead, 10-2.

Last meeting: Browns won, 17-13, Nov. 12, 2006, in Atlanta.

League rankings: Offense is sixth (fourth rushing, 10th passing), defense is 15th (11th rushing, 18th passing) and turnover differential is plus-5.

Erik S. Lesser / Associated PressMichael Turner's stats after a quarter of the NFL season are down, but he remains a major piece of the Falcons' offensive puzzle.

Offensive overview: When coordinator Mike Mularkey had the same role under Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh, the Steelers consistently fielded one of the strongest power running games in the NFL and played off that in the passing game. Same thing with the Falcons. Michael Turner is the workhorse back and Jason Snelling replaces him in multiple receiver sets. Mularkey's penchant for creative trick plays has abated, somewhat due to the season-ending injury to running back Jerious Norwood. Quarterback Matt Ryan continues to progress in his third season. He's blessed to have two superstar targets in receiver Roddy White and tight end Tony Gonzalez. Ryan might not be an elite quarterback just yet, but he's more than a game manager and can make the plays to win games. White, in his sixth season, is tied for second in the NFL with 32 catches and leads the NFC with 362 receiving yards.

Defensive overview: The Falcons started a youth movement on defense last year. Now coordinator Brian VanGorder is taking the unit to the next level. The addition of cover corner Dunta Robinson has emboldened VanGorder to trust the secondary in single coverage. He is taking more risks on third downs with blitzes, and they can come from anywhere. The Falcons will throw some exotic looks on third down to confuse quarterbacks. The gambling strategy has worked so far. The Falcons have improved from 32nd last year to fifth this season in third-down efficiency. They also lead the league with eight interceptions and are tied for fifth with 10 takeaways.

Special teams overview: Kicker Matt Bryant leads the NFL with 39 points and is 10-of-11 in field goals with a long of 49 yards. Punter Michael Koenen is 30th in gross average (39.5 yards) and 31st in net (31.8), but his value is on kickoffs. He is second in the NFL with nine touchbacks, helping the Falcons to a No. 1-ranked average drive start of the 20.3-yard line on kickoffs. Return specialist Eric Weems is fifth in punt returns (13.8 average) and 10th in kickoff returns (25.3). The Falcons have given up a punt return of 72 yards.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

• Running back Michael Turner: Lightly used in San Diego, the 247-pound runner has been one of the most productive free-agent signees in the NFL. His 3.8-yard rushing average this year is down more than a full yard from his career mark.

• Tight end Tony Gonzalez: The all-time leader among tight ends in catches (1,018), yards (12,012) and touchdowns (83), he's still playing at a Pro Bowl level at the age of 34.

• Quarterback Matt Ryan: In his third season, the league's 13th-ranked quarterback can make all the throws and has a nimbleness in the pocket. Most people don't question he will join the elite QBs before his career is done.

Injury report: LB Sean Weatherspoon (ankle) and SS Erik Coleman (knee) did not play last week. DT Corey Peters (back) left the game, but returned. WR Michael Jenkins (shoulder) hasn't played since last season, but has practiced the past two weeks.

Small world: General Manager Thomas Dimitroff is a native of Barberton and was a college scout for the Browns, 1998-2001. ... Defensive line coach Ray Hamilton coached the line for the Browns from 2001-02. ... Wide receivers coach Terry Robiskie was Browns offensive coordinator and interim head coach in 2004, and receivers coach 2001-03 and 2005-06 and is the father of Browns receiver Brian Robiskie. ... Long snapper Joe Zelenka is a native of Cleveland and attended Benedictine High School. ... Trainer Marty Lauzon spent 10 seasons with the Browns and was head trainer 2005-08. ... Assistant trainers Danny Long (2005-09) and James Williams (2006-09) held the same positions for the Browns.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ramon Sessions looks like he has been running this offense forever. J.J. Hickson and Daniel Gibson make first appearance with 2:57 left, which is probably no indication of where they will fit in during regular season rotation. Oh, and Danny Green. (Had to erase ''rookie'' from in front of his name.) Just heard Byron Scott yell,...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ramon Sessions looks like he has been running this offense forever.

J.J. Hickson and Daniel Gibson make first appearance with 2:57 left, which is probably no indication of where they will fit in during regular season rotation.

Oh, and Danny Green. (Had to erase ''rookie'' from in front of his name.)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Leading scorers: Cavs -- Daniel Gibson, 6; Bobcats -- Javaris Crittenton, 9.  A clear dropoff in the second quarter as Scott continues to tinker with lineups. His second unit of Jamario Moon, J.J. Hickson, Daniel Gibson, Danny Green and Loren Woods struggled offensively and defensively at the start of the second quarter. But part of the...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Leading scorers: Cavs -- Daniel Gibson, 6; Bobcats -- Javaris Crittenton, 9. 

A clear dropoff in the second quarter as Scott continues to tinker with lineups. His second unit of Jamario Moon, J.J. Hickson, Daniel Gibson, Danny Green and Loren Woods struggled offensively and defensively at the start of the second quarter.

But part of the learning process is figuring out which guys can play together. Another part is figuring out which guys can play, period.

"So when are the Browns going to move from being just a bunch of overachieving castoffs having to play perfect games to barely win to a real team with real star players? Being the Northwestern Wildcats of the AFC year after year is getting old." - gianniv

View full sizeJohn Kuntz | The Plain DealerEric Mangini has tried to mold the Browns into a blue-collar type team.

In response to the story Browns must build on Sunday's win to validate Eric Mangini's philosophy: Terry Pluto's scribbles, cleveland.com reader gianniv is tired of the Browns needing to overachieve just to be in games. This reader writes,

"So when are the Browns going to move from being just a bunch of overachieving castoffs having to play perfect games to barely win to a real team with real star players? Being the Northwestern Wildcats of the AFC year after year is getting old."

"Bird's not a coach. He's a president. Scott is the right choice here. The Cavs will be contenders again in a few years." - airstang93

View full sizeAP Photo | Amy SancettaByron Scott will have plenty of challenges in 2010, including finding the right role for Mo Williams.

In response to the story Larry Bird turned down Cleveland Cavaliers, writes ESPN, cleveland.com reader airstang93 thinks Byron Scott was the right choice for the Cavaliers. This reader writes,

"Bird's not a coach. He's a president. Scott is the right choice here. The Cavs will be contenders again in a few years."

"Unfortunately, Beanie got picked by a team that was not a good fit for him and it shows. I see him emerging as a marquee back in this league one he gets out of Arizona, similar to the way Michael Turner arrived when he signed with Atlanta. Wells needs 30 touches a game to be effective." - ghostsof1948

View full sizeMarvin Fong | The Plain DealerChris 'Beanie' Wells has shown flashes of what he did in college at the pro level, but not consistently.

In response to the story Beanie Wells, former Ohio State running back, not happy in role with Arizona Cardinals, cleveland.com reader ghostsof1948 thinks the former Ohio State running back landed in a bad situation. This reader writes,

"Unfortunately, Beanie got picked by a team that was not a good fit for him and it shows. I see him emerging as a marquee back in this league one he gets out of Arizona, similar to the way Michael Turner arrived when he signed with Atlanta. Wells needs 30 touches a game to be effective."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Byron Scott experimented with a small lineup in the third quarter against the equally small Bobcats, and it actually looked pretty good. Technically, Antawn Jamison was the center, with JJ Hickson and Jamario Moon the forwards and Ramon Sessions and Anthony Parker the guards. Daniel Gibson replaced Sessions with no drop off. This won't work against,...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Byron Scott experimented with a small lineup in the third quarter against the equally small Bobcats, and it actually looked pretty good.

Technically, Antawn Jamison was the center, with JJ Hickson and Jamario Moon the forwards and Ramon Sessions and Anthony Parker the guards. Daniel Gibson replaced Sessions with no drop off.

This won't work against, say, Boston, but small, fast and athletic was fun to watch for a spell.

As the Cavaliers pull away for a win in the exhibition opener, Jamario Moon looks comfortable in a new locker and a new offense.

UPDATED: 11:15 p.m.

Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerDaniel Gibson led the Cavaliers with 18 points Tuesday night in the preseason opener against Charlotte at The Q.

• Bobcats' Brown proud of Byron Scott: Insider

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers insisted there was nothing strange about playing without LeBron James in Tuesday night's 87-72 preseason victory over the Charlotte Bobcats in a half-filled Quicken Loans Arena.

"It wasn't strange at all," Jamario Moon said of the team's first appearance here since James left for Miami. "It's home. It's never strange to go home. We were anxious to get in here and show people basketball is still alive in Cleveland. It felt good."

Moon has taken the bold step of moving into James' stall in the corner of the locker room closest to the training room. It is unadorned, but he looks comfortable in it -- almost as comfortable as he looked on the floor in coach Byron Scott's new system.

In an impressive 30 minutes, Moon, who has never played in this offense before, finished with seven points, 10 rebounds, three blocked shots and four steals.

"Jamario played well," Scott said. "I think he has a way of affecting the game on both ends of the floor, especially on the defensive end because of his athleticism. Tonight, rebounding and going after shots, he was very, very active. If we can continue to have him play that way, I think we'll be in pretty good shape."

Before the game, Scott said he was looking for improvement and he definitely saw that -- especially from the first half to the second. After trailing at halftime, 47-43, Scott, who tinkered mightily with his lineup, went with a small lineup of Moon, Antawn Jamison, J.J. Hickson, Anthony Parker and Daniel Gibson against the equally small Bobcats.

It won't work against, say, Boston, but Scott liked what he saw.

"It depends on matchups," he admitted. "There are some teams in this league that aren't very big, so I know there's going to be times we can use that lineup and there's times we can use it just on the offensive end when we feel we have some matchups we feel we can take advantage of.

"It is an option and obviously I'll take a good look at it."

What he won't look too hard at is the box score, which showed his team shooting just 36.4 percent. Of course, they did hold the Bobcats to 31.7 percent, including 25.7 percent in the second half when the Cavs' pace wore down the Bobcats.

That's the number that interests him the most.

Asked if his team could maintain that sore of defensive effort, Scott said, "We have to.That's who we are. That's the type of team we've got to be on the defensive end every single night. Hopefully the next couple weeks we're going to tighten up some things and we'll get better. But, again, the effort was there tonight. That's the same type of effort we're going to need every single night.

"I'm not so worried about the offensive part. I just want to make sure we continue to progress in that phase of our game; and on the defensive end we try to keep up the way we played tonight in the second half."

Daniel Gibson continued to build on his strong performance in training camp with 18 points, including making all 10 of his free throws. J.J. Hickson, who came off the bench, added 17 points and nine rebounds.

All in all, Scott said, it wasn't a bad preseason debut.

"It felt great," he said. "I love this group of guys already. A lot of these guys have been here the past two or three weeks, so I've gotten to know them just watching them in pickup games.

"It's a tight-knit group of guys. They've got great chemistry, which I love. We've got very good talent. I think that's a winning combination."