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              Back In a Big Way

            Cav's Sura returns to confident self

            Cleveland (AP)  Last season, Bob Sura was booed nearly every time he touched the ball at home.
            It seemed he couldn't do anything right. And forced shot or turnover meant an immediate benching by coach Mike Fratello and a chorus of boos inside Gund Arena.
            But this season, there isn't another player in the NBA enjoying a bigger turnaround than Sura. Right now, the GAR Memorial High School graduate would be a lock for the league's Most Improved Player award.
            "Huh, I never really thought about that," Sura said. "I guess I might be the leader."
            Sura's statistics are up, and so is his confidence.
            After Saturday's game against Atlanta in which he scored 24 points, Sura was averaging 15.9 points---11.6 points higher than his average in 1998-99 ---and he ranksamong the lead leaders in steals.
             Sura also has added a new weapon to his offensive game, the three-pointer. He's made at least on in 16 of the Cavaliers' 17 games, and his 35 treys are seven more than had in his previous two seasons combined.
             On Tuesday night, he scored 24 points in the first half and finished with 29 in a victory against Chicago.
             Big deal, it's just the bulls right? Well, even Chicago's players noticed a transformatin in Sura.
             "He's not the same Bob Sura as last year," said Bulls guard Randy Brown. "He's a different player."
             Sura has his swagger back for sure. The 26 year-old is finally fully recovering from a serious ankle injury suffered in 1997-98, and is seeing the rewards of an offseason spant running, lifting weights, and shooting hundreds of jump shots everyday.
              "He's put a lot into this," said Cavaliers firstyear coach. "It's not like something just happened. He's put in a lot of work."
              Sura's game has blossemed under Wittman, hired in July after Fratello was fired.
              Wittman's offensive philosophy is up-tempo, perfectly suiting the athletic Sura's game. Under Fratello, the Cavaliers walked the ball up the floor and played every possessionas if it were their last. It cramped Sura's style.
              Now he's able to push the ball up the floor and even if there isn't a teammate under the boards, Sura has been told that if he is open, go ahead and shoot.
             "He's getting out on the break. He's running," Wittman said. "And when he's getting into the flow and understands good shots and bad shots and doesn't force things, he's very effective. He's shooting the ball with a lot more confidence."
             Sura chooses his words carefully when speaking of Fratello. It's no secret the two weren't always on the same page, but Sura refuses to criticize anybody.
             Still he admits Wittman's arrival has allowed him to relax on the floor.
             "That's a big part of it," Sura said. "Being yanked in and out of a game when you make a mistake kind of messes with your confidence. Randy was a player. He understands what it's about and what players go through. So it's been a big plus for all of us."
              As the final seconds ticked down against the Bulls, Sura had the ball at mid-court needing a basket to set a career scoring high. Instead, he dribbled out the clock while some fans who booed his every move last season pleaded for him to shoot.
              Sura heard them.
              "It's no question that they're back," he said.

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