By Brian A. Lester

Maybe I'm reading way too much into the fact that Cleveland's Chris Mihm and Jumaine Jones both pulled hamstrings in practice last week.

But can you really blame me? Those injuries seem to be a sign that the Cavaliers are again destined for doom and gloom during the season.

It makes you wonder what stroke of bad luck is coming next.

Is Dujuan Wagner going to break a leg? Will Ricky Davis fracture his shooting hand? Or will Darius Miles learn that being sent to Cleveland in a trade was something he wished never happened?

True, every team in every sport deals with injuries and bad luck every once in awhile, but the Cavs, like every other team in the tough-luck city of Cleveland, helped write the book on misfortune.

The Cavs haven't been to the playoffs in what seems like ages. Every year they seem to start the season with so much promise and then crumble like cookies, leaving fans to wonder what the heck happened.

Both Carlos Boozer and Miles have said during the team's media day that the Cavs are going to be more fun to watch and more exciting than in years past.

They sound sincere, but writers like myself know that it's only a matter of time before something goes wrong and the Cavs wind up settling near the bottom of the Central Division standings.

And if bad luck doesn't end up biting this Cavs team, a brutal schedule right out of the gate will.

Cleveland opens the regular season with three games on the West Coast, starting with championship contender Sacramento. The young and upstart Los Angeles Clippers, along with Phoenix, are on the slate as well.

Then, the Cavs come home to host the Lakers. Washington on the road follows the next night, and all of us know Michael Jordan has long been a pain in Cleveland's you-know-what.

The rest of the month is littered with games against some of the better teams in the league, including New Jersey, Dallas and San Antonio. By the end of November, the Cavs' playoff hopes could already be dead and buried.

For now, I'll hold off on writing Cleveland's obituary. There is always a chance -- as slim as it might be -- that their fortunes will change. Yet, it's hard not to think that the injuries to Mihm and Jones are a sign of bad things to come.

On the bright side, another horrible season means the Cavs would end up in the lottery and have a shot at drafting local high school superstar Lebron James.

But then, that's hoping for too much. The Cavs just aren't that lucky.

Brian Lester is a sports writer in Ohio and can be reached via e-mail at BAL4@hotmail.com.