And the Survey Says: Uh-Oh ...

Basketball season ended last week, so basketball season starts next week, so ESPN.com posted its exhaustive season preview today. The outlook, at least according to ESPN's scribes, is not good -- not for a team that was in the Finals last season. Most everyone picks the Cavs to finish behind the Bulls and the Pistons in the Central, and to finish no higher than fifth in the East. But if you’re looking for something to hold onto, grab the words of Chris Broussard, of The Magazine, who picks Ira and Co. to finish first in the division and the conference. He writes:

CENTRAL: 1 | EAST: 1 Varajao and Pavlovic will be missed, but not as much as they think. Scary thought: LeBron will be better than ever. Plus, Larry Hughes is finally healthy. Team will improve simply because of continuity, experience and swagger gained from last season's run to the Finals.

The season opens against the Mavericks on Halloween, followed by the Knicks next Friday. Still no word on my suggested Burn a Yankees Hat Night, which I suspect will become the Best Promotion Idea To Never Happen, since the Cavs don’t have the stones to make fun of LeBron, even if it’s totally in good fun, and makes the world a better place in the process. – Joe P. Tone UPDATE: SI chimes in too. It ain't pretty.