Will the exhibition season offer answers on the revamped Cavaliers? Byron Scott hopes so.
Rookie Christian Eyenga will get a chance to impress Byron Scott and the rest of the coaching staff during the preseason, which begins Tuesday night.CAVALIERS VS. CHARLOTTE
Tipoff: Tuesday, 7 p.m. at The Q.
TV/radio: No TV, WTAM AM/1100.
Notable: Byron Scott hasn’t named a starting lineup, but he did indicate that not everyone may play. Those who don’t will play Thursday against the Wizards at The Q. ... Mo Williams remains out with a groin injury. Anderson Varejao is out following the death of his grandfather. For the Bobcats, Gerald Wallace, Stephen Jackson and D.J. Augustin have looked great in training camp. Former Cav Desagana Diop may miss the game to be with his wife and new baby.
— Mary Schmitt Boyer
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- The Cavaliers and their fans will have one thing in common when the preseason opens Tuesday night against the Charlotte Bobcats at The Q.
Nobody knows exactly what to expect from each other.
Each side got a sample during Friday night's Wine & Gold scrimmage at the University of Akron, but exhibition games provide a more accurate measure of what's likely to happen during the regular season.
Count coach Byron Scott among those eager to see what happens. Count his players, too.
"I'm pretty sure most of the guys are kind of anxious to see how things are going to work," Scott said. "We've still got a lot of work to do, a long way to go. But the progress the last couple days has been much better.
"I know it's tough on them. This is something a lot of these guys haven't done in a while. I commend them on how hard they've worked. I'm anxious to see how it goes as well."
Scott has a starting lineup in mind, but he wasn't ready to reveal it after practice on Monday afternoon. Instead, he said he would wait to see what kind of shape players are in physically after Tuesday morning's shootaround.
Antawn Jamison did practice again after missing a couple days with tendinitis last week, and is expected to play. Mo Williams remains out with a groin injury. Anderson Varejao is still out after the death of his grandfather.
But performance rather than personnel is more important to Scott at this stage. He was not pleased with Friday night's effort, but he thinks his players turned a corner over the weekend. He welcomed them on Saturday with a video to show their shortcomings. Then he added a little more structure to his offense and players seemed to catch on.
Instead of just expecting players to rebound and fill the lanes on a fast break, for example, he specified who'd fill the left lane and who'd fill the right lane.
That has helped tremendously, according to likely starting power forward J.J. Hickson.
"I think we were crisper in what we did, moved the ball a little more and had a better idea of what we're doing," Hickson said of the transformation over the weekend. "In the Wine and Gold scrimmage, it looked kind of sloppy out there."
Hickson said he and his teammates aren't worried about making a statement to fans seeing the team for the first time since LeBron James left for Miami.
"I think we've made our statements in practice amongst ourselves," he said. "It's just a matter of going out and playing. We've all been playing basketball all our lives. One or two players aren't going to change anything. We've just got to carry on and keep going. We'll get the fans back."
Home boys: Williams, Jamison, Daniel Gibson and Jamario Moon took an unspecified part in ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition taking place in Maple Heights on Monday. They've been asked not to talk about it until the home is presented to the family on Tuesday.
Varejao's return: Scott said Varejao may be back this week but there's no timetable.
"Andy lost somebody very important in his life, so there's no timetable for him to be back," the coach said. "We want to make sure he's completely healthy -- mentally as well as physically -- when he comes back."
Buddy system: Scott is looking forward to seeing Charlotte coach Larry Brown, who coached Scott in Indiana.
"LB is one of my best friends, somebody I can talk to about this game and a lot of other things," Scott said. "He's always available. I spent a couple of days with him in Chicago when we had the coaches' meetings. We got a chance to catch up and talk about some things."
Hunt hired: Former Cavs assistant coach Melvin Hunt, 40, who was with the team from 2005-10, has been hired by the Denver Nuggets as an assistant coach.
The last word: From Hickson asked what pleases him most about his improved jump shot -- "It's going in."