Title Talk in Cleveland

From what I've been reading via the web and other outlets, many think that the Cleveland Cavaliers could be legitimate threats to win the NBA title this year.

Of course any team with Lebron James on it has a chance to do something special each and every time they make it to the post-season. And we know they can win the Eastern Conference. They proved that back in 2007. With a lesser roster. But assuming this team does make it out of the East, are its newly acquired pieces strong enough to beat a Western Conference opponent?

I mean they did get swept by the Western Conference Champion San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals in 2007.

Keyword. Swept. Memphis Grizzlie fans could tell you how important that word is when it comes to letting you know exactly where your team stands in terms of its legitimacy.

You see Memphis is 0-12 in NBA playoff history. That's the worst post-season record in all of Pro sports. That basically means they never belonged there in the first place. If you can't win games once you get to the playoffs you should stay home.

Of course Cleveland had to have a great team just to be able to beat the Detroit Pistons and to represent the East against the Spurs, but being swept by San Antonio to me is proof that they were not REAL 'threats' to win the NBA title that season.

Yes they were contenders in the sense that if Duncan, Parker or Ginobili had gotten injured in the Finals, they very well could have been in that series and possibly even won it.

But I don't think anyone believed the Cavaliers would beat a healthy San Antonio Spur team in the NBA finals.

Which brings us back to this year's team.

They have the majority of players returning from last season's team that took the NBA Champion Boston Celtics to 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

For years they have wanted to add a starting PG that could score, play off the ball (allowing Lebron to dominate it) and show consistency from 3pt. range.

For the past couple of seasons they have gotten huge play at this position from the surprising and possibly overachieving Daniel Gibson, their second round draft pick in 2006.

Still wanting to upgrade the position they have in the past tried to swing a deal for Mike Bibby only to last season settle for a player that would help serve as a one-two punch along with Gibson in Delonte West. The addition of West would pay off as the Cavs would make it all the way to the NBA Finals, an improvement on the previous season's outcome where they lost in the second round to the Detroit Pistons.

While Gibson and West are both very solid players, they are not ideal for the full-time starting PG position on a championship team so still wanting to upgrade the PG position, the Cavs this offseason swung a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks for Mo Williams.

On paper this should be a big upgrade for Cleveland.

They also signed a veteran big in Lorenzen Wright to provide leadership in the locker room and to help off bench. They still have their inside scoring big man Illgauskas, an old but still effective front court defender in Ben Wallace and one of the best bench bigs in the NBA in Anderson Varejao.

While their roster is much improved, I still think they will need to boost their SG position in order to be thinking title in Cleveland.

Right now they only have Sasha Pavlovic and Tarence Kinsey at that position.

While they are both good young players, they won't be winning any titles giving those guys the majority of the minutes at shooting guard.

They really only need a slight improvement at this position to be taken serious OUTSIDE of the Eastern Conference.

It's a given they can beat the Washington Wizards come playoff time. I mean they do every year.

Their roster has improved from last year after having taken an aged Boston team to 7 games so it's possible they could even dethrone the Celtics.

But what will happen when they have to face San Antonio, Houston, or the Lakers in the NBA finals?

If they don't want to become the victims of another Finals let down, then they will need to address the SG spot.

Because in order to be a CHAMPIONSHIP team you have to be built for the entire journey.

You can't scream victory unless you are at the very top of the mountain.