Coach John Lucas has been making progress with Lamond Murray, trying to convince the 6-foot-7 forward that he can be a focal point of the offense if he just puts out the effort every night. ``With Lamond, the issue is trust,'' Lucas said. ``He needs to know a coach believes in him, and will continue to get him shots and feature him in the offense even if he misses some shots.''

Of course, Lucas has to develop Murray because the team has no one else to score, other than point guard Andre Miller. Murray is a career 12.4 scorer in seven NBA seasons. He has always been a tease, because it seems like he should be more productive, more energetic, and in better condition. He has periods where he's horrible defensively, and other times when he can really be an asset on the boards. Twice in his career (1997-98, 1999-2000) he has averaged nearly six rebounds, excellent for a small forward.

Lucas says changing the culture of failure on the team is a real challenge. As pros, most of the players have been on losers. ``That's why we needed Tyrone Hill back, he has played on good teams,'' Lucas said. But there is no sign that Hill's balky back will soon allow him to play.

There is no way Miller can carry the offense on his back. He's a good player, but he's no Magic Johnson or Joe Dumars, capable of consistently scoring 20 points while running the offense to precision. He is best when he sets up others to score, and then picks his own spots to shoot. If Lucas doesn't know that now, he will get the idea soon enough. When Miller feels he has to score, he forces a lot of bad shots.

Nice comment from former Cavalier point man Terrell Brandon: ``(Miller) wants to learn. He wants to carry the tradition of Cavs point guards. As a young guy, he has a lot of respect from the veterans. I love that. He plays hard.''

Lucas believes Ricky Davis can develop into a scorer, ``but right now, I love and hate Ricky.'' Meaning? ``I love his enthusiasm, but I hate some of his shot selection. He has to understand that it's not all about Ricky. He can be very stubborn and he has to understand that just because he scores big numbers, that doesn't mean anything unless we win.''

Davis has been with Charlotte and Miami, where his playing time was sparse. He's only 22, and this would be his rookie NBA season had he stayed in school for four years. He is an exciting talent who can create his own shot, a rarity with the Cavs.

GM Jim Paxson has been taking a lot of heat for drafting Trajan Langdon and DeSagana Diop, but he has made some nice deals. The latest was a complicated sign-and-trade transaction sending Chris Gatling (who was not going to play here under any circumstances) to Miami for Brian Skinner and Davis. Skinner can help out as a big man in reserve. So that means the Cavs picked up two decent players for Gatling, who is now on his ninth team in six years.

The Cavs need to win a home game -- soon. Best bet is Wednesday against Memphis. ``On the road, we've been able to sneak up on people,'' Lucas said. ``Kind of catch them asleep. But at home, they have come right at us. And for whatever reason, we haven't been playing as hard as I like. Until we win at home, the fans are not much of a factor because we don't have that many fans anyway. We have to give them reason to believe.''

Shane Battier is averaging 12 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists while playing 38 minutes a night for Memphis, which comes to the Gund on Wednesday. It's amazing what staying four years in a school will do to prepare a guy for the pros, especially if the player has some talent and a great attitude like the former Duke star.

Lucas said Zydrunas Ilgauskas is doing 45 minutes of running each day, and ``taking 1,000 shots.'' The coach said Z believes he's ``ready to go,'' but the Cavs are being careful, fearing one more injury would end any hope that the 7-3 center would have of playing again.

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