General Manager Danny Ferry nearly ran out of ideas after Larry Hughes went down with a broken finger.

Hughes, the Cavaliers' highest-paid player, was supposed to help LeBron James lead the team to the playoffs.  He couldn't help much from the bench.

Ferry and coach Mike Brown tried inserting Sasha Pavlovich, Damon Jones and Ira Newble into Hughes's starting spot.   It worked sometimes but was inconsistent.

The flip to the season came when Ferry dealt for youngster Ronald (Flip) Murray to replace Hughes. Murray has averaged 13 points a game since then, nearly replacing the 16 points Hughes was averaging.

After Murray picked up on Cavs chemistry, the team went on a nine-game winning streak, including a 107-94 victory over Dallas to clinch the Cavs' first playoff berth since 1998.

Though Murray helped in the turnaround, the three core players, who have played together for two years, have brought the team to where it is now.

After early talks of being traded at the start of the season, power forward Drew Gooden has given the Cavs a reason not to deal him.  Averaging 11 points and nearly nine rebounds a game, Gooden has been a powerful player inside.

Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas has used his finesse to average 16 points and his height to grab eight rebounds a game.

Finally, the 21-year-old James has been key this year.  Averaging 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists a game, James has shown Cleveland what NBA basketball is about--high-flying dunks, no-look passes and amazing athleticism.  Cleveland can only hope owner Dan Gilbert can afford to offer James the maximum contract when the time comes.

Hughes returned last Tuesday, and with him the Cavs expect to make some postseason noise. Cleveland has not won a championship since 1964, when the Browns won the NFL title.  If Hughes can return to mid-season form, if James keeps scoring the numbers he has, and if the supporting cast plays to its potential, the Cavs could change that next June.