ROTATION: Starters -- Point guard Delonte West, Shooting guard Sasha Pavlovic, Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Power forward Ben Wallace, Small forward LeBron James. Bench -- Center Anderson Varejao, Forward Joe Smith, Guard Damon Jones, Guard/forward Wally Szczerbiak, Guard/forward Devin Brown.
PLAYER NOTES: --After being forced to miss seven games with a strained back, C Zydrunas Ilgauskas was in the starting lineup against Charlotte on Sunday. He ended with 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. He can work on building chemistry with power forward Ben Wallace and the rest of his teammates.
"I thought (Ilgauskas and Wallace) played well with each other and off of each other offensively and defensively," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "Hopefully, that will pick right up again."
--F/C Ben Wallace returned on Thursday after a one-game absence with back spasms. He had 15 rebounds on Sunday, his high with the Cavs.
"It's something we have to continue to monitor," Brown said. "It's been bothering him for over a week. It was like night and day (in Washington, compared to where he was when he got hurt). He was very active before he hurt it. He uses his physical attributes to be who he is."
--G/F Sasha Pavlovic showed on Thursday that he can score in any number of ways. He's averaging 17.5 points in his last two games. But it's his defensive prowess that excited coach Mike Brown.
"We need him to defend," Brown said. "We need to use his size, length, strength and athleticism to defend some of the better perimeter players, especially at the start of the game."
Earlier in the games, Brown strategically places forward LeBron James on the easiest offensive matchup. Then, during crunch time, Brown shifts James onto the top offensive threat on the opposing team.
--The Cavs are about two weeks away from getting their entire cast together (barring another injury). That's when G Daniel Gibson should return from a high ankle sprain. The talent is there on the roster to be really good. It's up to the coaches to get them playing on the same page.
--Mike Brown is concerned with his team's turnovers. They committed 17 against the Wizards, including seven by F LeBron James.
"On the road, if we continue to turn the ball over like we've been doing, we'll continue to lose ballgames, especially if we continue to go through stretches where we're not defending," Brown said.
