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Wizards pound shorthanded Cavaliers

Oct 10, 2007 - 1:44 AM CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- If the Cleveland Cavaliers needed any incentive to sign two of its key role players from last season, then it came in the form of a lackluster 81-62 exhibition loss to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.

LeBron James and the defending Eastern Conference champions looked ragged without Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic. The two foreign players who both evolved last season and were instrumental in the Cavaliers' run to the NBA Finals.

Both Varejao and Pavlovic have been absent since camp opened on October 1. In addition, veteran point guard Eric Snow is out five more weeks following knee surgery.

James played 15 minutes and shot 1-of-5 from the floor, finishing with three points and three turnovers.

The Cavaliers shot just 29 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 14 times in the first half as the Wizards built a 45-29 lead.

Gilbert Arenas didn't fare much better than James, shooting 2-of-11 from the field and scoring nine points in 22 minutes.

Washington used a 15-0 run midway through the second quarter to take charge. Veteran guard Antonio Daniels collected 10 points, four rebounds and three assists for the Wizards. Antawn Jamison (17 minutes) and Caron Butler (19 minutes) scored eight and five points, respectively.

Cleveland playoff hero Daniel Gibson, a second-year guard, scored 13 points. Veteran guard Damon Jones added nine for the Cavaliers.