By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND (AP)—The arena, so rowdy and rambunctious in seasons past, was just half-filled and as quiet as it had been in years. There were no gravity-defying dunks or flames shooting from the scoreboard, and the only pregame powder toss took place 1,200 miles away.
In Miami, LeBron James(notes) started anew.
In Cleveland, the Cavaliers started over.
Daniel Gibson(notes) scored 18 points and J.J. Hickson(notes) added 17 as the Cavs, under new coach Byron Scott, moved a little further away from James’ imposing shadow by opening the preseason with an 87-72 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night.
D.J. Augustin(notes) scored 14 points and Tyrus Thomas(notes) had 11 points and nine rebounds for Charlotte, which scored just 25 points in the second half.
Ramon Sessions(notes) added 11 points and five assists for the Cavs.
It was Cleveland’s first home game since Game 5 of last season’s playoffs, when a disinterested James, on the eve of his free agency exit, missed 11-of-14 shots and was visibly out of sorts in a 120-88 loss to the Boston Celtics—the Cavs’ most lopsided ever in the postseason.
James left for the Heat two months later, crushing the hopes of Cleveland fans who figured he would stay around long enough to win a title.
Now, they’ll chase a championship without the two-time league MVP and leading scorer in team history.
It’s going to be tough.
As James was making his preseason debut with Dwyane Wade(notes) and Chris Bosh(notes) in Florida, the Cavs moved into an era of uncertainty with a revamped roster that only includes a handful of holdovers from a team that had the NBA’s best regular-season record the past two years.
There were few reminders of James’ seven seasons in Cleveland—the best run the Cavs ever enjoyed. Jamario Moon(notes) moved into No. 23’s old corner cubicle in Cleveland’s locker room, and there are still murals of James on the corridor walls inside Quicken Loans Arena.
On the floor, it was another story.
James accounted for nearly 30 points, eight or nine rebounds, seven or so assists and a handful of highlights per game. It’s going to take several Cavs to fill those voids.
Scott is still learning about his players—and vice versa—and he intends to use a variety of starting lineups throughout the exhibition season.
He’s currently missing two definite starters as Mo Williams(notes) remains sidelined with a groin injury and forward Anderson Varejao(notes) has not yet returned from Brazil following his grandfather’s death. Scott experimented throughout the game, mixing and matching to see what would work.
Bobcats coach Larry Brown, who coached Scott at Indiana, doesn’t buy into the idea that the Cavaliers will drop off the map.
“I was taken aback all summer reading the papers about LeBron leaving because he didn’t have any good teammates,” Brown said. “I used to hear people say that. I never heard LeBron say that. I was thinking Varejao, (Antawn) Jamison, Williams, (Anthony) Parker, Hickson. They got some work to do, but they got some good pieces. They’ve got a phenomenal owner and they’ll figure it out.”
Brown was without regulars Gerald Henderson(notes) (strained hamstring), Shaun Livingston(notes) (sore knee), DeSagana Diop(notes) (personal) and Kwame Brown(notes) (ankle sprain).
Notes: Browns QB Seneca Wallace attended the game. … The Cavs host Washington and rookie John Wall(notes) on Thursday. … The Hornets play Oklahoma City on Wednesday in Fayetteville, N.C. .
