LeBron James here. LeBron James there. LeBron James everywhere. LeBron James all the time.

If you didn't know any better you would think that the most heralded rookie of the cable TV age is coming to a basketball team inhabited by 11 members of the Washington Generals. As soon as the ping pong balls landed and now as we enter the preseason the national story is that LeBron James has arrived to save the Cavaliers franchise and change water to wine (and gold). While being partly true in that off the court James has been a financial boon to organization but on the court there is a lot more going on than James. If the Cavaliers are going to improve over their Ted Stepien-esque record of last year it will take more than King James anointing his teammates with talent from his diamond encrusted Nike scepter. It will take an organizational change from the top down starting mainly with Paul Silas.

This is not to say that I am here to discount the ridiculously talented James and to be accurate his presence has already made some difference. There is a new buzz and energy level at Gund Arena these days and it is not just because of the clanging of cash registers. The players are energized, excited and optimistic about the season, the future and being Cleveland Cavaliers with most attributing that to the attention that James brings. Even the longest tenured Cavalier Zydrunas Ilgauskas who has seen four coaches come and go and two general managers since 1996 is excited again with the atmosphere James brings. The Cavaliers will be on national TV more this upcoming year than any other time in their history even more so than the cherished Price-Nance-Daugherty era of the late 80's early 90's and every pro athlete likes to shine with the bright lights on.

Getting down to the nitty gritty the unprecedented fact that more than two thirds of the active roster was in town working out with each other and the coaches weeks before camp was set to open can be attributed to Paul Silas. Last season Ricky Davis showed a day late to Media Day while this year he was three weeks early. That is a big change and a huge commitment from a player whom the national media members like ESPN's Chad Ford consistently write off as a trouble maker. Davis' early arrival in Cleveland has been largely overshadowed by most of the media has been eschewed for juicier albeit relevant "can he play with LeBron stories." Davis for all his perceived faults is not only a big time talent but also a tireless worker who competes intensely and never takes nights off. Silas will do what casual observers to the Cavaliers will think of as crazy and that is entrusting leadership responsibilities to Ricky Davis.

On a macrocosmic level Silas is here to do all the things that former Cavaliers coach failed to do. The losing culture that has permeated the team in recent years and endorsed by the inaction of the front office is changing under Silas. He is bringing a defined system, a work ethic, a fatherly discipline and stability. I don't believe Silas will allow the breaking of set plays, the one pass then shot, and the not rotating defensively of Lucas' Cavaliers. Emphasizing basic things like teamwork and defense are the things that will win games. The Cavaliers didn't do those things last year but those elements within the framework of a team rather than the presence than LeBron James will make the Cavaliers better. If you defend, rebound, share and move the ball you can't help but be a better team especially when the talent is there. And, if you don't believe a coach can make a difference with the existing talent on a team there is no better example than what Hubie Brown was able to accomplish with the Memphis Grizzlies. After getting off to miserable start under former Cavaliers assistant Sidney Lowe Grizzles GM Jerry West canned Lowe and brought in Brown who hadn't coached in the NBA for more than 15 years. Without the benefit of a training camp Brown improved the Grizzlies by emphasizing many of the tenants that Silas will try and implement here in Cleveland.

Looking at the talent on the roster there are other players here besides LeBron James. The team has a top 3 center in the NBA in Ilgauskas who was an All Star along with one of the few players in the league that averaged more than 20pts, 5rbs and 5ast per game in Ricky Davis. Add to that the potential of a Darius Miles, Dajuan Wagner and Carlos Boozer and you have some real talent. We're not talking about an expansion team here. All five of the guys mentioned were on last year's 17-65 team and they all have room to get better as players and mature as people. Internal improvement of core players is as important as adding this guy in the draft or that guy in free agency. The Cavaliers aren't the type of organization and Cleveland isn't the type of city that will successfully be able to go out and woo a Tim Duncan level free agent. As much as I am a fan of LeBron James he is still an 18-year-old rookie coming out of high school and subject to the ups and down of any developmental. Will he be able to produce and hold his own? Yes, but he is by no means full blown coming out of the box. No coach the Cavaliers could have hired will be better for improving these young players and guiding James through the pitfalls of the NBA.

The key to this upcoming season will be how Silas is able to mold this group together into an actual basketball team. It is one of the more tired but accurate basketball clichés of chemistry. John Lucas once stated that the Cavaliers get along better off the court than on it. In order to have progress to be made that has to change and no one is more excited than Paul Silas who wanted the Cavaliers job before those ping-pong balls were even hopping in the hopper.