Home cooking

Basketball is finally back in the Q tonight as the Cavs have their home opener vs. Charlotte at 7:00pm. I'll be in attendance and I'm looking forward to another fun and hopefully dominant home campaign for the wine and gold. These are the type of games where in the past the Cavs have had the tendency to play down to their competition. Don't get me wrong, there is some good young talent on the Bobcats roster... but this is not a team that the Cavaliers should ever lose to at home.

Home court will need to be an even bigger advantage for the Cavs this year

Expectations are high for us this year, and many so-called experts have picked the Cavs to win updwards of 55 games this year. That's a tall task for any NBA team, but the real key to success like that starts with a great home record. Here's a look at what this franchise has accomplished inside the friendly confines of the Q in the LeBron Era:

2003-04: 23-18
2004-05: 29-12
2005-06: 31-10
2006-07: 30-11
2007-08: 27-14
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Total: 140-65 (.682)

So there has obviously been home success since LeBron arrived. But to have a season that approaches the Cavaliers' all-time best of 57-25 (accomplished twice, in the 88-89 season and the 91-92 season) they will need to do better. I'm thinking something like 35-6 at home and then go .500 on the road. We'll see how it all unfolds in the coming months, but the path to success at home for the Cavs starts tonight in a very winnable game. Time to take care of business before heading back out on the road to face the Hornets and Mavericks...

Other Cavs Notes: Mo Williams is remaining optimistic after an 'average' Cavalier debut in Boston... LeBron had his '60 Minutes' of fame yesterday... Terry Pluto has more scribbles in his notebook about the Cavaliers... And as I could have already told you, the Cavs are near the top 10 priciest tickets in the NBA. What do you expect when you get to see LeBron 41 times a year?

Browns Update: In light of the Browns' goal-line struggles so far this season, could we see a new fullback leading the charge? I'd be surprised if they went that route, but I have to admit, it would be something to see... A decision on Joe Jurevicius' season is due soon and it's not looking good for #84. If he is done for the year, I really hope he tries to stick around for one more. He just can't go out like this... ESPN is still not believing in the Browns in their latest power rankings. Can't blame them there... I think they will have me fully sucked back in if they can win Sunday and Thursday. 5-4 going into the Monday Nighter in Buffalo would be a lot of fun.

"You know what? We talked about that [playing Shaun Rogers at fullback] a little bit," coach Romeo Crennel disclosed on Wednesday.