<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">CLEVELAND ? One game does not a season make, but the Cavaliers would rather Larry Hughes have one great game under his belt than one bad one. They got that great game Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena when Hughes had 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists in Cleveland's 97-94 season-opening win over the Washington Wizards. "I knew the type of player he was from when I went up against him my first two years," teammate LeBron James said. "He's got a lot of guys who doubt him, so it's a great way for him to start out." Hughes, who was 11-of-15 from the floor for the night, had 25 points through three periods, when he was 10-of-12 from the field. "This is Larry Hughes," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "Larry is capable of filling up a stat sheet. He has always got to the free throw line. He has always rebounded. He has always passed the ball well. He has always scored. "Larry's a guy who believes in himself, so I don't know if he's looking at the stat sheet saying, ?Yes, finally.' I think he's just ready." Hughes, who signed a five-year, $65 million contract with the Cavaliers prior to last season, played in just 36 games in 2005-06 due to a serious injury to the middle finger on his right hand. He also missed time in the playoffs when his younger brother died after a long illness and never did mesh with James. Hughes still can't make a complete fist with his right hand, but he's learned to shoot with a crooked middle finger and has put the injury behind him. "I'm just happy to be out there playing," he said. "It's fun to be healthy and playing basketball."</div> Source
