Dec 21, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) stands on the court in the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Each year, thousands of people around the globe make out Christmas lists of the gifts they hope to receive on December 25th. Some of these are expected, some mildly likely and then there are some that are just hopeful wishes. While a sports fan cannot get everything they hope for their team on Christmas Day, they can still make a list of what they would like to see happen with their favorite team. On that note, here is the official Right Down Euclid Christmas List, starting with the most likely “gifts” to the wildest, craziest “gift” ideas for a Cavalier fan.

Injuries have really plagued the Cavaliers this year, as Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and Anderson Varejao have all missed game this season. If the Cavaliers can stay healthy, and get time playing together, they are going to be a better team then they are right now. This is something I think we can expect in the latter part of the season.

I know there is a contingency of Cavalier fans out there who would like Varejao to move on in a trade that nets Cleveland young talent and/or draft picks. I understand that thought, but any realistic deal out there would not give Chris Grant and Co. equal value in return whether the trade partner would be Oklahoma City, Boston or another team we haven’t heard about. Let Anderson (and his relatively inexpensive contract) stay in Cleveland – at least for the rest of the season.

If the Cavs are going to get better as a team now or in the future, Waiters has the potential to make that happen. He plays hard, is tough as nails and stylistically a good compliment to Irving. Once he gets the injury rust off, I’m hoping we see him take the next step in his development and become a top three rookie.

This might be the most important “gift” on the list. Watching Irving play defense is down right maddening at times, and it is by far the biggest chink in his armor. He needs to especially improve on his pick-and-roll defense, as mid-level point guards like Jose Calderon rip him up in that scenario. If he can fix that aspect of his game, nothing is stopping him from being a true NBA superstar.

Until the Cavaliers beat the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, they had not won a division game since February 21st of last season against the Detroit Pistons. If Cleveland is to be a contender again, they need to win within the Central Division. It’s a division with only one elite team in the Chicago Bulls. The Cavaliers need to win those games consistently, and they need to win them now.

Thompson, the former No. 4 overall pick, has played well thus far in his career, especially if you consider how raw he is. But if he is to be a viable long-term piece, I’d like to see him put his game all together. Some nights he looks lost on the court, and those looks should be changing at this point in his career. He has the potential and talent to be a force at power forward – let’s just see if he can figure it out before the Cavaliers look for other options.

Dec 15, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson (13) dunks during the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Right now, the Cavaliers are the third worst team in the NBA. I think they’ll improve and finish with more wins then they are on pace for. The downside to that is that their chance of getting a high draft pick decreases, meaning their chance of getting an elite player also decreases. Assuming my prognostications are correct, Cavs fans should hope they again get a high pick in the next draft, as it could put them over the hump.

This really should be 7b. The Cavaliers will need to get lucky, and get a top two or three pick in order to snag Muhammad, who may be the best player in the next NBA Draft. The UCLA freshman is skilled, and is the one player at the top of next years draft who would fit in on this roster. Can you imagine a wing grouping of Irving, Waiters and Muhammad with Alonzo Gee and C.J. Miles coming off the bench? Me gusta mucho.

This is not something to hope for this season, but for next season. A Cavaliers playoff berth next season would be a vindication of the current rebuilding process, and would justify another long term investment in Varejao, Gee and other pieces. Also, it could entice a top free agent to come into the fold and put the Cavaliers on the next level – especially since the Cavs will have lots of money to spend. And is it just so happens, a certain St. Vincent – St. Mary product and NBA MVP is likely to be a free agent that offseason.  .

Out of any player in the NBA, I’d love to see Love play alongside Irving. They are both humble guys with great skills and the rare ability to make an NBA team instantly better. It’s likely to never happen outside of Team USA, but I truly think this combination would make the Cavaliers an instant contender. Plus, could you imagine Love and Varejao as a frontcourt? Combined, those two average 27.3 rebounds per game. That’s unbelievable, and you’d be hard pressed to get a better starting frontcourt.

Apr 28, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose (1) brings the ball down the court during the first quarter in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

Every Wednesday, Right Down Euclid will be compiling all of your noteworthy NBA news in one, convenient place at RightDownEuclid.com. If you have any thing you’d like to share, tweet me at @cwmwrites or tweet the Editor-in-Chief of Right Down Euclid, Zachary Kolesar, at @ZakKolesarOU. Without further ado, here is the weekly Right Down Euclid NBA Link Parade.

• Jeremy Lin has completed his first workouts with the Houston Rockets. The former Knicks guard completed his first workout with the team that released him before he became a star in New York.  (via cbssports.com)
• The Brooklyn Nets will be the next team featured in NBA TV’s The Association. The series has previously documented the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Denver Nuggets. (via nba.com)
• Sports Illustrated’s Sam Amick, one of the best NBA guys around, wrote a really good piece on Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls. It documents the death of his father, as well as his recovery from knee surgery. (via si.com/nba)
• Sports Illustrated also ranked the 2012 offseason winners and losers.  And you’ll never guess who has on top of the winners list.  (via si.com/nba)
• In Cavs news, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be hosting a free scrimmage on Saturday, October 6^th in their annual Wine & Gold Scrimmage. Kyrie Irving is expected to play, and the scrimmage will also serve as the Cavs debut for Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller.  (via cleveland.sbnation.com)
• Lastly, in a fun article, Sports Illustrated released their annual “Twitter 100″ of sports personalities you should follow. NBA related tweeters include J.A. Adande, Bill Simmons, and my personal favorite, Kevin Love. (via si.com)

You can make valid arguments on behalf of both teams that make it sound like they’re the better team.  Now, I was two years old when the 1992 Olympic team took the court, so I can only say how good they are from what I have heard. Comparing these two teams that are 20 years apart form each other is no easy task, but we can compare their stats.

During their Olympic tournament run the numbers from both teams are pretty similar.  The 2012 team shot better from thee-point range, but the Dream Team shot 56.5% from the field, edging out the 2012 team’s 52.3%.

The major edge the Dream Team holds over the 2012 team is that their big men are far more talented.  The starting center for the 2012 team was Tyson Chandler.  Chandler is the reigning 2012 Defensive Player of the Year, but I think even he would have a difficult time trying to stop Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, or David Robinson in the paint.  The 2012 team wasn’t deep with big men.  Their bench of big men consists of Anthony Davis, who has zero NBA experience, and Kevin Love.

However, the athleticism of the guards from the 2012 team may make the teams even.  With Larry Bird in the starting lineup for the 1992 team, no way at the age of 35 could he guard Kevin Durant or LeBron James.

If these two teams were to ever face off, a huge factor you have to determine is their age.  As shown in the stats, the average age of the Dream Team was 29, compared to the 2012 team who averaged just above 25.

Maybe one of the biggest factors that cannot be ignored is the competition.  I don’t think anyone can argue that the teams the Redeem Team played in the 2012 Olympics were far more difficult than the competition the Dream Team had.  The 2012 team definitely blew some teams out in the tournament, defeating their opponents by 32.1 ppg.  That is nothing compared to the Dream Team beating teams by 43.8 ppg.  Their winning margin would change drastically if they had to face All-Star players like Pau and Marc Gasol from Spain, Manu Ginobili from Argentina, or even a team like Brazil that has four NBA players on the roster.

The Dream Team faced Croatia in the 1992 Olympic Championship game.  Compared to the 2012 Championship game opponent Spain, Croatia couldn’t tie Spain’s shoes.  Croatia had zero NBA players on their roster, compared to 2012 Spain who had eight NBA players.

The NBA has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. Back then it wasn’t common for players to enter the draft out of high school or after a year in college.  So the average age of the Dream Team being nearly four years older than the team this year wasn’t surprising.  Age and time of career is certainly something you must factor in.  Jordan is in the prime of his career averaging 30 a game for the Bulls, but LeBron is also in the prime of his career.  Magic Johnson is at the end of his career and did not play in the 1991-92 NBA season due to his health.  At the age of 33, Kobe is no longer in his prime, but still hit a hot streak from beyond the arc.

It doesn’t matter how many times you go over the stats or how many computer simulations you do.  Nobody will truly know the result of the game between The Dream Team vs.The Redeem Team.  All you will ever know is if America comes out victorious (what else is new).  In words of former Iowa QB and current Kansas City QB, RickyStanzi, “This is America, Love it or Leave it.  U.S.A. #1”.