At 13-28, the Cavaliers have their worst record at the halfway point of a season in nearly two decades.

They've lost 10 straight, and have generated little interest on the local sports scene. One has to drop back to the 1984-85 season, when they were 12-29, to find a worse start after 41 games.

Here are the top 10 reasons why the Cavaliers have fallen into such dire straits:

10.Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

After watching Ilgauskas for 24 games since his latest return from foot surgery, it is painfully obvious that he is not the same player he was when he went down in December 2000.

He can't run like he once did, he can't jump like he once did and he is slower to the ball, which is understandable considering that he has seven screws in his left foot. No one, however, can question this guy's heart.

9.Absolutely nothing out of the draft.

Teams pay a price when gambling and taking high school players. They pay out of the checkbook, and they pay on the court.

DeSagana Diop, the 7-0, 300-pounder selected with the eighth pick in June, is no more ready to play in the NBA than Danny DiVito.

In eight games, Diop has had as many personal fouls (14) as points. At 19, he should be in college learning how to play.

8.No vocal leader.

Andre Miller is a wonderful point guard. Too bad, though, he does not have the mouth of his coach - John Lucas. The Cavaliers have no one in uniform who will get in anyone's face - ala Gary Payton - when it's needed.

The result: It often looks like no one cares what's going on.

7.Tyrone Hill.

We're not talking about a savior here, but this is a 6-9, 250-pounder who has averaged nearly 10 points and 10 rebounds a game for 11 seasons. And, he's a physical presence in the paint, which is something this team lacks.

Who knows, though, if Hill's ailing back will ever allow him to play like he once did? Or, if he will play at all?

6.Chris Mihm's passing out of the pivot.

What passing? In 28 of the 41 games in which he's appeared, Mihm has recorded no assists. He is working on a six-game streak in which he has no assists in 140 minutes.

The Cavaliers have three assistant coaches, and one associate assistant. Can't any one of these guys show this kid how to look to pass first, rather than force up a shot with three guys draped on him?

5.Jumaine Jones and the eva sive free-throw line.

Jones is a 6-8, 218-pounder who hustles and won't back down, even if he's going up against oppposing players four inches taller and 50 pounds heavier.

Get this guy some help, though, at handling the ball so he can go to the hoop. In 27 of the 41 games he's played, Jones has shot no free throws.

4.Trajan Langdon.

Several scouts think Langdon is a young Steve Kerr. Someone who can really shoot the rock, but someone who needs help getting the shot off. Kerr is 36 and in his 14th NBA season because he got the chance to play.

The Cavaliers have given up on Langdon, but what's wrong with handing this guy some time in the second half of what has become a lost season?

3.Too many veterans - exam ples are Bimbo Coles, Bryant Stith, Lamond Murray, Wesley Person and Brian Skinner - from too many losing situations. It's easy to accept losing when that's all you've done for virtually your entire career.

Coles, Stith, Murray, Person and Skinner have combined to play on four winning teams in 37 aggregate seasons. The leader is Person, who has played on two winning teams in seven years.

2.Murray.

This is someone capable of being an All-Star. He can run, he can rebound, he has 3-point range, he can take the ball inside and he can play defense. But, only if he wants, which has been a career-long problem.

1.Brad Daugherty, Mark Price and Larry Nance are retired.