The Cavaliers are a month from starting camp, and their roster is virtually unchanged.

But do not think inaction means inactivity.

The team studied the possible ways to improve in the offseason and, for good reason, did not make a major move. Breathe easy; the sky is not falling.

This is a good team, one that went to the NBA Finals and finished with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. There was no sense throwing good money after bad in a market of free agents who did not include clear upgrades, and there was no sense bringing in a guy who might stifle the development of Daniel Gibson.

This does not, though, mean that General Manager Danny Ferry spent the offseason crumpling up paper wads and banking them off the wall into the wastebasket.

The Cavs were one of four teams that seriously investigated the possibility of acquiring Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Cavs were aggressive about it why wouldn't they want to put Garnett and LeBron James on the same team?

Four teams were involved: the Cavs, Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics.

NBA finances threw up a roadblock. The Celtics had players with expiring contracts they could send to the Timberwolves, giving them money next offseason to improve.

The Celtics also had the Timberwolves' first-round pick via an earlier trade, a pick they know will be a lottery pick, given the Timberwolves' woeful state.

If things go according to plan, the Cavs' pick will be lower, so the Timberwolves were not interested.

In the end, the Cavs' chance to acquire Garnett wasn't good, but they tried.

Just like they looked at the available free agents. But with the Cavs close to the salary cap and luxury tax, their only real option was a sign-and-trade.

But for whom?

All the top players and there weren't a lot went for the money with their existing team.

The one guy who could have helped was Mo Williams, but a team with no cap room and only a $5.3 million midlevel exception to offer couldn't compete with the $51 million deal Williams got to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Especially when the Bucks were not going to do a sign-and-trade.

The Cavs like Gibson, who was so important in the playoff run. They think he will grow.

And the one card they can play is to put Larry Hughes back at point guard. The team still believes that Hughes is a good player they point to his defensive skills and his 22-point average with the Washington Wizards.

When Hughes moved to point guard for the last quarter of last season, the team's scoring increased 4.5 points per game. The coaches and front office thought that the big lineup helped and that Hughes made the offense more efficient.

There's no guarantee Hughes will play that position, but he can. That's what is important.

Think about the Eastern Conference playoff teams, and really, the Cavs are no different from any of the others in terms of offseason acquisitions.

The Orlando Magic made a dramatic move signing Rashard Lewis, but the Magic were the eighth seed, and they gave up Darko Milicic to get Lewis.

The Detroit Pistons are going with their young players, not new ones.

The Bulls drafted Joakim Noah, but he's the same kind of player they already have.

The Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat have done next to nothing.

The Celtics will be dramatically better; of that there is little question.

But the Cavs point to the fact that the starting five they used in the final two games of the Finals was the youngest starting five there in 25 years. Let these guys grow together, they figure, and they'll improve.

Too, the Cavs have that guy wearing No. 23. And as long as he's on the team, they will always have a chance.

Two good signs?

Look for Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao to re-sign with the Cavs. The sign-and-trade options for both have pretty much dried up, so both should return. It's more likely that Pavlovic will sign a longer deal than Varejao, who might end up with a qualifying offer for a year that will allow him to seek the big bucks next offseason.

James' line in the FIBA game against Uruguay: 14 minutes, 11-for-11 from the floor, four-for-four on 3-pointers, 26 points and four assists.

Tsk, tsk. No triple-double.

NFL: Next job for Goodell: Address preseason

Has any commissioner had a busier or more productive first year than Roger Goodell of the NFL?

This man has made a major impression with his tough disciplinary stance, said he'd like to address the huge contracts given rookies before they play a game, and humanized the commissioner's role with his accessibility and direct answers to questions.

Given that, it's probably time he addressed the absurdity of preseason football. The fact that teams include the preseason games in season-ticket packages and charge full price for these ''games'' is the greatest scam in pro sports this side of the personal seat license.

In many of these games, starters are wearing golf caps and joking around on the sidelines by the second quarter. In the fourth game, some starters play a series, half a series, or not at all.

It's a joke.

Here's an idea to fix it: Charge $10 per seat for adults and $5 for kids and market the daylights out of the game in inner-cities and schools so that kids and families who can't afford the outrageous prices in the regular season can go in the preseason.

It would bring the game to those who normally can't go, and maybe even fill up a stadium for what are ridiculous excuses for games.

BROWNS: Kosar provides insightful analysis

Bernie Kosar's work on preseason games with the Browns has been outstanding.

Listen to Kosar, and you can see why he succeeded as a player. He's Hank Stram in quarterback's clothing. He simply sees things so quickly, often before the snap.

Against the Denver Broncos, he saw a blitz coming to the Browns' tight-end side and said so. When Charlie Frye handed off, Kosar said: ''That's going nowhere.'' After Jamal Lewis was stuffed, Kosar patiently explained why Frye should have changed the play. It was also entertaining to hear him say he wanted offensive linemen to chop at defensive guys who jumped to block a pass. Not to hurt them, he said, but to make it clear there's a price to be paid for trying those things. . . . . . . Sports Illustrated's Peter King rated the top 500 players in football, and the top Brown was Kamerion Wimbley at No. 81.

That's 81. Eight-one. Eighty ahead of him.

Among others, first-round pick Joe Thomas was ranked 170, Kellen Winslow 189, linebacker D'Qwell Jackson 456 and rookie cornerback Eric Wright 479.

Pity he didn't have Spergon Wynn to consider.

Random thoughts

Pittsburgh Steelers players have been told not to look at Browns film until this week, but Ben Roethlisberger has been sneaking off to check out the Browns.

The Steelers think that they can return to the Super Bowl. ''We didn't become sorry overnight,'' receiver Hines Ward said. ''You don't win a Super Bowl and the next year become sorry.''

Nice of Mike Vick to say that he thought dog-fighting was a bad thing after he had killed all those dogs.

Big win for Kent State at Iowa State on Thursday, its first road win against a BCS team in 20 years. ''If we want to move forward, we need to win a game like that,'' KSU coach Doug Martin said. ''All the better teams in the MAC have an upset like that, and we hadn't done that.'' . . . Michigan again proved that it's silly to go for two until the end of the game when you absolutely have to. . . . Those who saw the Indians' triple play last week saw quite a rarity. The Tribe had played 16,632 games in 107 seasons up to the night of the one last week and turned 29 triple plays. That makes the odds of seeing one 573-to-1.

As rare as that is, it's rarer to see a player hit for the cycle (800:1), throw a no-hitter (800:1) or hear the Browns announce their starting quarterback before they absolutely have to (1,831:1).

An unassisted triple play happens once in 19,000 games.

C.C. Sabathia leads the majors in innings pitched with 203. He shrugged when asked about throwing that many innings. Asked if he could go another month, Sabathia did not hesitate when he said: ''Two months.'' That means he's planning for the playoffs, in case it didn't register.

The Indians' 41/2-game lead in the AL Central as of Thursday night matched the highest of the year, and it was the largest since June 1.

Tim Couch conceded that he took human growth hormone but said it was on a doctor's orders. Yahoo.com said Couch was given steroids. This guy left life on Miami Beach with a former Playmate of the Year for this?

Indians starters had a 3.12 ERA the 34 games through Thursday night's win.

Fausto Carmona is fourth in the AL in ERA (3.16) and Sabathia is ninth (3.37).

College football coaches see the rule change moving kickoffs back to the 30-yard-line having a huge effect on games. Most think that every kick will now be returned, with some ruing the increased risk of injury. University of Akron coach J.D. Brookhart said if the receiving team gets one first down, it will own the field position with a punt.

The Chicago White Sox have lost 15-of-18, and manager Ozzie Guillen said: ''We've got a $100 million payroll, and they don't show it on the field. If this keeps up, bring on the Double-A kids. They're killing me.''

Indians fans booed Ichiro Suzuki on Thursday night. I'm not sure one critical remark deserves that response.

Capital One has named Akron's mascot Zippy to the All-America Mascot Team.

Cool.

Fans can vote for Zippy as the top mascot in the nation by going to http://www.capitalonebowl.com.

UA Athletic Director Mark Rhoades loves the exposure, and he urges folks to stuff the ballot box. The winner will be announced Jan. 1 at the Capital One Bowl.

Zippy is competing with 11 others, including Goldy Gopher of Minnesota, Monte from Montana, KokieBird from Virginia Tech and Cosmo Cougar (not Cosmo Kramer) of Brigham Young.

Hearing of this contest makes you want to paraphrase Frasier on Cheers and ask Capital One folks: What color is the sky in your world?

Still gotta love Zippy, though.

Don't know about you, but it certainly is comforting to know that they give the weather report to those sitting in the stands at Indians games as well as Browns games. I mean, how else would fans know it was raining?