George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer

INDEPENDENCE:It will be just the basics for the opening of the Cavaliers' preseason against the Toronto Raptors tonight at Quicken Loans Arena.

Coach Mike Brown said Monday he won't be looking for anything too complicated and he will emphasize execution over other elements of the game.

''We might not necessarily do everything correctly all the time, but if our guys just trust one another and trust the system on both sides of the floor, they try to help one another whenever they need to help their teammates, then communicate with one another. If they do those three things, then they'll have a chance to look pretty good out there even if the execution isn't where it needs to be,'' he said.

Scanning the practice floor on Monday, one fact struck Brown: only three members of his roster — LeBron James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Daniel Gibson — were there at the same point last year. Add in Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao, and you have only five coming back from last year's roster before the team's big trade in February. Still, at this point, Brown said, he's looking more for attitude than anything else.

''I want all my guys to try to play hard. I want all my guys to try to defend,'' he said. ''No matter what combinations are on the floor, you don't want anyone to be selfish. . . . They're just going to go play and try to win the game as a team.''

Fans can expect not to see much of James. Coming off a gold medal-winning appearance in this year's Summer Olympics, the Akron native appeared in much of the first quarter of the Wine & Gold Scrimmage at the University of Akron on Saturday. How much Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mo Williams play depends upon assessments from Cavs trainers.

''I know how to take care of my body,'' James said of limited minutes early on. ''As it starts getting into late October and getting ready for the regular season, I'll play a little bit more.''

James agreed that it's more important for the team to work out some things on the floor as opposed to winning the game.

''We're not that anxious. It's going to be good to get out there and go against another team. The thing is the preseason isn't solely about winning,'' he said. ''It's about trying to get better and just continuing to move forward. Don't take a step backward. We're going to try some things we may not try in the regular season.''

The team will open the season with a battle for the starting shooting guard spot and perhaps only one open roster position. Wally Szczerbiak, Pavlovic and Gibson are leading contenders, but Brown said nothing should be assumed by who opens in that position.

''If I start Wally tomorrow, it doesn't mean he's earned it. If I start Sasha tomorrow it doesn't mean he's earned it,'' Brown said. ''That two-guard spot is up in the air. I'll obviously take a look at the guys and see who's going to fill out the rest of the roster.''

Teacher or student

A writer asked Brown if there was something about recently acquired point guard Mo Williams that surprised him. Brown offered high praise for Williams' hoops I.Q.

''He's a terrific guy and he's got a nice basketball mind. He minds me of LeBron and he reminds me of Tim Duncan. You have to worry about what you put out there on the floor because he'll ask you: 'Should we be doing it this way or should we be doing it that way?' And if you're really good you can cover your tracks,'' he said with a laugh.

Dribble

Varejao is listed as questionable for tonight's game with an injured left quadriceps.