Cleveland Cavaliers Team Profile

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a National Basketball Association team based in Cleveland , Ohio . The Cavaliers are one of eight teams in the Central Cleveland CavaliersDivision of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Cavaliers play in Gund Arena in Cleveland , Ohio , and wear jerseys of blue, orange, and white. The Cavaliers first began play in the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team. After another disappointing season in 200-2003, the Cavs got the number one draft pick in the NBA Lottery. The Franchise selected high school phenom LeBron James. The 2003-04 season offered hope for the future as James rose to become a dominating player, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. In the 2004-05 season LeBron James flourished into a superstar, increasing his points average shooting percentage, assists average, and rebounds average.James teamed with Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilgauskas to form the core of the Cavaliers. The 2005 offseason had many changes for the franchise. New coach Mike Brown was hired together with new general manager former Cavaliers forward Danny Ferry. Free agents Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall, and Damon Jones were also signed to multi-year contracts. The franchise sees great hope in rising star LeBron James, whom many compared to all-time great Michael Jordan. The Cleveland Cavaliers has a reached in the Conference finals two times, and also have won one Division Championship. The Cavaliers are the oldest team in the NBA to never been in the NBA Finals.

In the lateCleveland Cavaliers 1980s and early 1990s, Cleveland recorded 57 wins in two separate seasons, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1992 behind the play of All-Stars Brad Daugherty, Mark Price and Larry Nance. Other Notable players in the team's history include Nate Thurmond, Bingo Smith, Campy Russell, John Johnson and Austin Carr. During the 1975-76 season the Cleveland Cavaliers obtained veteran center Nate Thurmond and he led the franchise to its first winning season. The club posted a 49-33 win loss record and qualified for its trip to the playoffs. The team's success came from solid defense; Thurmond's rebounding and balanced scoring as seven Cavaliers logged scoring averages in double figures. The team fell to the Boston Celtics in the 1976 conference finals.

Cleveland Cavaliers Team Roster

NO.	PLAYER	POS.	HT.	WT.	BORN	COLLEGE	'07 SALARY
6	Shannon Brown	G	6-4	205	11/29/85	Michigan State	$971,280
1	Daniel Gibson	G	6-2	190	02/27/86	Texas	$412,718
90	Drew Gooden	PF	6-10	250	09/24/81	Kansas	$6,645,402
32	Larry Hughes	G	6-5	184	01/23/79	Saint Louis	$13,363,012
11	Zydrunas Ilgauskas	C	7-3	260	06/05/75		$9,442,697
23	LeBron James	SF	6-8	240	12/30/84		$5,828,089
19	Damon Jones	PG	6-3	190	08/25/76	Houston	$3,884,678
24	Donyell Marshall	F	6-9	230	05/18/73	Connecticut	$5,633,037
14	Ira Newble	GF	6-7	220	01/20/75	Miami (OH)	$3,196,050
20	Eric Snow	PG	6-3	205	04/24/73	Michigan State	$6,093,750
4	David Wesley	SG	6-1	203	11/14/70	Baylor	$1,750,000