Cleveland Cavaliers basketball is back. Well, kind of.

When the Cavaliers tipoff tonight against the Orlando Magic, it marks the beginning of their preseason schedule. As a team, Cleveland isn’t going to take the preseason too seriously and instead let a number of players rest. For this game, that means Kyrie Irving will be sitting out. LeBron James will play, but probably not for very long. Ditto for Kevin Love.

If there’s anything to learn in this game, it’s maybe a hint at who will get the first crack at backup point guard minutes. The three main candidates - Jordan McRae, Kay Felder and the recently signed Toney Douglas - all will get to play and probably play a lot. But whoever Lue turns to first - and we still don’t know who will start for Irving - might be the leader right now.

Otherwise, evaluating Iman Shumpert might be worthwhile and perhaps we’ll get a look at Tristan Thompson has taken any steps forward on offense. Otherwise, consider this the first steps towards the real thing.

How to watch

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic

Where: Quicken Loans Arena - Cleveland, Ohio

When: 7 p.m.

TV: Fox Sports OHIO

Radio: WTAM 1100

Enemy Blog: Orlando Pinstriped Post