By Brian A. Lester

Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager Jim Paxson deserves credit for keeping Ricky Davis in a Cavs uniform.

I admit, I had my doubts that Paxson would be willing to empty his pockets in order to prevent Davis from accepting the six-year, $34 million deal that Minnesota offered up late last week.

But he did -- matching the T'Wolves' deal -- and for that, he should be congratulated. The Cavs will be a far better team with Davis than they would be without him.

Remember? Coach John Lucas boldly labeled Davis as the next Michael Jordan near the end of last season, and on that note, Cleveland would have looked like a fool for letting him get away.

After all, how do you rationalize getting rid of a player who a coach believes has as much potential as His Airness himself?

Some will say that Davis will be nothing more than a one-year wonder. That his intoxicating late-season scoring binge in which he averaged 21.6 points per outing over a stretch of 13 games was merely a mirage and will not be duplicated this year.

But I have faith in Davis. He is an athletic and electrifying player to watch on the court, and he is bound to give the Cavs a huge lift offensively. The Cavs need a baller like Davis, especially with Andre Miller being shipped off to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Oh sure, the Cavs got Darius Miles in return, and clearly he has the potential to be a star. And yes, rookie DuJuan Wagner should develop into a star as well over the course of time.

But to think that those two will make immediate impacts is a little on the absurd side. Wagner, after all, is only a rookie, and Miles, who must adjust to a new team that does not feature the youthful and energetic talent of the Clippers, has yet to average more than 10 points per game in a season.

Davis, meanwhile, has already proven himself as a worthy player in this league. He showed that last year, particularly in his 35-point assault on the Los Angeles Lakers and in his 32-point fireworks display against the Indiana Pacers.

More importantly, however, is the fact that because the Cavs opted to keep Davis, they are showing their fans that perhaps this franchise really is serious about moving out of the cellar and into the penthouse.

It has been far too long since the Cavs have been taken seriously by opponents. They are currently in a four-year playoff drought and have played no better than mediocre over that stretch.

Now, however, the Cavs appears to be taking a step in the right direction.

Sure, Cleveland still might be a year or two away from being a true playoff contender, but at least a foundation has been laid with Davis staying on the team.

And for a team that has often made the wrong choice, it can at least be said that the Cavs have done something right for once.

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