When the Cleveland Cavaliers pushed coach John Lucas out the door, they should have tossed general manager Jim Paxson out with him.

The record the Cavaliers had under Lucas was an awful 8-34 and he has to bear some of the blame. But considering what Paxson gave Lucas to work with, John Wooden, Vince Lombardi and Moses would have struggled leading this team.

	Jim Paxson has no one to blame but himself.

OK, guard Ricky Davis has had a great and surprising season. But while rookie guard Dajuan Wagner has superstar written all over him, he missed the first 15 games with a bladder infection. Forward Darius Miles has been bothered by knee tendinitis and is still getting into shape. One team source said Wagner's minutes have been cut in order to appease Miles' thirst to play more.

Undrafted rookie Smush Parker is the starting point guard. Two veteran players, forward Tyrone Hill and Bimbo Coles, are on the injured list with injuries that don't exist. Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas' long-time foot woes limit him to no more than just 35 minutes per game, while second-round draft pick Carlos Boozer starts at power forward.

Paxson says the Cavaliers aren't making the kind of progress that they should be making this season. How's that, Jimmy? The plan all along was to have the worst record in order to earn the best position in the LeBron James sweepstakes, and you are there.

If there is something the Cavaliers need to make some progress, it's with the personnel moves, which goes back to Paxson. Getting rid of Shawn Kemp and the four years and $70 million left on his contract in August of 2000, which has given Paxson owner Gordon Gund's undivided support, was a monumental deal. But how long can he live off one trade?

Since that one good deal, he has goofed on the rest.