LeBron James is Underrated

LeBron James misses Cleveland, regrets the Decision, and shrinks in the playoffs (The King with No Bling)

2011-08-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

LeBron james is Underrated.

Sadly, at one point in time I believed that ignorant statement to be fairly accurate.

Fast-forwarding a year beyond the catastrophe that was “The Decision”, I am beginning to reminisce of the days of yore when Clevelanders believed LeBron James would lead them to the promised land. A city filled with misery and hopeless dreams hasn’t seen a championship since the Indians in 1948.

The “chosen one” from Akron proudly proclaimed, “My goal is to win a championship for the city Cleveland”. So much for that. The animosity for LeBron has increased dramatically post-Decision and many were vigorously delighted to see the Miami Heat lose in the NBA Finals.

It only seems fitting that he who spurned the city that loved him unconditionally would see such a decline in popularity and marketability. Sure, over time it may fade to some degree, but currently the disdain for James is incomparable to that of any other player in the NBA.

Real fans of the NBA (other than the multitude of Heat band-wagoners) have come to see James for the egotistical, selfish overpaid and overindulging athlete that he has become. He has truly become the villain of a league that has very few to name. (Kevin Garnett cough cough)

Rewind the VHS 7 years ago, when the lovable LeBron came into the league and all of the world proclaimed his greatness. We in Cleveland looked past his inconsistent jumper, disappointing 3 point shot and we disregarded his habit of dribbling the ball at the top of the key until he felt like bricking another shot. We didn’t see anything wrong with his insane mother and her scheming plans. We even overlooked the embarrassment of being swept in the NBA finals. Through it all, Cleveland fans would support the best regular season player in basketball. We irrationally thought that he would return the favor when he finally became a free agent, but that wouldn’t be the case.

In what should be considered the most heinous act of disloyalty seen since Benedict Arnold, LeBron tore out our hearts on National Television, wearing that stupid plaid shirt and awful chin-strap facial hair look on ESPN. “Man, this is hard.”

No LeBron, it wasn’t hard. You and your super friends decided to play together, and Miami was the place to go. “Not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6 or 7” championships would the superteam bring to South Beach.

And thus, we booed him mercilessly when he returned to Cleveland December 2nd.

I would argue that no player has ever seen such venom and pure hate than was shown to LeBron when he made his fateful return. I should know, I was among the 20,000 enraged Cavs fans at that game.

Karma has a way of coming back to haunt the prideful, and exactly that happened for Gloria’s son as they failed in the NBA finals. Predictably, LeBron came up short and disappeared when his team needed him most. He scored close to 0 points in the 4th quarter of the Finals, and failed to show up to wihout question what were the biggest games of his career.

With the emergence of Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant and others, there are certainly equally talented players with better character to cheer for.

The LeBron brand has taken an unprecented hit and the most marketable player in basketball is now the most hated. Should we feel bad? Absolutely not, however we should realize that someday soon, LeBron will miss the unconditional support shown by his only true fans, the ones he ditched for South Beach. Hey Number 6, it's not the surrounding players that are the problem. Your inability to perform to your potential is.

Maybe the NBA lockout won’t be the worst thing for the Heat and LeBron. Give the average fan some time to remove themselves from the game, and the hate will be less pronounced when basketball inevitably does return. Not that the Heat will fare any better when basketball resumes. After all, shrinking in big moments and consistently orchestrating an epic playoff collapse is unavoidable for The King with no Bling, as it is the only thing LeBron seems to know how to do.

Batman and LeRobin

2011-04-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

Batman: You know we're not going to do anything in the playoffs right?

LeRobin: Right! I'll just stand here and look stupid.

LeBron is putting MVP voters in a bind

2011-02-08T12:28:00.000-08:00

MIAMI -- LeBron James is in the midst of putting Most Valuable Player voters in an awkward position.

On Monday, the league named James its Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the fourth time this season.

James has already won two Player of the Month Awards, racking up another one last week for his play in January.

In and of itself, this is unremarkable. The awards get attention for a day or two on broadcasts and at the bottom of beat writers’ notebooks.

Perhaps some more hard-core fans may make an issue of it. But those honors, which are decided by the league’s public relations staff, often serve as an unofficial tally of the season-long MVP race.

Every year the MVP conversation starts to get serious around All-Star Weekend. With that event on the horizon, it seems reasonable to ask: Can James really win the MVP again?

The instant answer from many voters and even James himself would be no. When asked about this last month, James admitte voters might not give him as much consideration because of teammates Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.

“When we decided to come together our Most Valuable Player chances kind of went out the window,” James said. “I think [voters] classify it as an individual award. They look at it like the less help you have, the more numbers you have, then the better chance for you to win that award.”

This was a sound opinion but it isn’t playing out so simply.

Most of the time, the man who hoists the Maurice Podoloff Trophy in May picked up a significant number of those weekly and monthly nods along the way. Why is this so? Because the league’s PR staff uses roughly the same criteria to pick its winners as voters do when they chose an MVP. It isn’t just the statistics -- the team has to have a good week or month, as well.

This has long been an unwritten rule for MVP candidates. There hasn’t been an MVP from a team that's won fewer than 50 games since Moses Malone took home the award in 1982. If you’re not on an elite team, it is nearly impossible to win. As an aside, that’s the central reason why Amare Stoudemire would be considered a long shot at this point in the season unless the Knicks have a huge second half.

James won four Player of the Month Awards in each of the past two seasons before winning the MVP in both. The Cavs averaged 63 wins over those seasons, which meant they had a lot of winning weeks and months that added to James’ résumé.

Last season, James won six Player of the Week Awards. He’s just picked up his fourth of 2010-11, which includes his miserable November, when both he and the Heat were in the midst of an unexpected slump.

But what of James’ belief that his supporting cast may be deemed too strong to get him the award again? Before this season, James never had a teammate average more than 17 points a game. Right now he’s got two -- Bosh is at 18.2 points per game and Wade is fifth in the league in scoring at 25.4. So there’s truth to that changing circumstance.

But there’s something else that James didn’t say. The voters are probably going to have a hard time putting James at the top of their ballot when he has still not won a title.

Only three players in history have won three consecutive MVPs: Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. All three had at least one ring by the time they were given their third consecutive MVP.

Other greats and multi-time champions like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and, more recently, Tim Duncan, were limited to back-to-back MVPs. It’s very hard to win that third consecutive award because there’s some inherent voter fatigue and because the standard to win again becomes so high.

James, meanwhile, is coming off an underwhelming performance in the playoffs. Though he was battling an elbow injury and ran into a Celtics team playing inspired basketball, James simply did not play like an MVP as he and the Cavs quietly bowed out earlier than expected last May.

Indeed, the MVP is a regular-season award, but there is simply no way James’ limping and still largely unexplained finish to his career with the Cavs can or will be discounted by the 122 media members who will decide the MVP.

So James, despite his status as one of the greatest players of this generation, entered this season as an underdog to win the MVP again no matter what he accomplished between October and April.

But as all these Player of the Week and Player of the Month awards are showing, James is still routinely beating his competition for these individual honors. His stats are slightly down, but he’s been second or third in scoring for most of the past two months, and his December, January and February results are becoming impossible to ignore.

Kevin Durant is sure to factor in the MVP voting.

Over the past 15 games, he’s averaging 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists a game. The Heat have the third-best record in the league currently, and they appear to be in for a battle with the Celtics and Bulls for the top spot in the East.

In a vacuum, James would have to be considered a serious MVP candidate if not the front-runner at the moment. But, of course, there’s a political element to who goes on that top line. Since last summer, James has become a polarizing figure. There seems to be a love-him-or-hate-him line that fans have established and the media has fostered.

It is hard to gauge what impact James’ infamous “Decision” could possibly have on the people who ultimately select the MVP. Though it must be said that the majority of those with votes are beat writers and local broadcasters spread across the NBA’s 30 cities and not to pundits on talk shows or national columnists.
Though it can sometimes feel like it, the MVP is not a populist award. But not factoring a player’s popularity would be a mistake as well. The voters are human and deal with the players in question on a regular basis.

There are other fine candidates, of course. Kevin Durant is on his way to a second consecutive scoring title. Dirk Nowitzki has recovered from a knee injury and is back leading the Mavericks to wins and putting up big numbers.

Derrick Rose is having the best year of his career and has carried the Bulls through injuries to Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. Based on James’ idea of who should win, the fact that Rose doesn’t have another All-Star on the Bulls with him might make him the favorite right now.

Wade, who has successfully battled a string of nagging injuries to put up impressive numbers next to James -- including a career high in rebounding -- will be considered. Then there’s always Kobe Bryant. Even with his stats taking a bit of a dip so far this season, he is a permanent option.

Any of these stars could end up being an easier vote than James for numerous reasons. But will it be right? That is an answer that may or may not become clear over the final two months of the season.

Last week when James put up 51 points in a statement game in Orlando, he certainly had the appearance of an MVP. He’s had that look for weeks now as the Heat have started to live up to their promise, at least in the regular season.

If he and the Heat keep it up, it could lead to one of the most controversial and complex MVP races in memory.

- Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com

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Did Jay Cutler pull a LeBron James?

2011-01-24T07:58:00.000-08:00

What is happening to the Chicago Bears' quarterback Jay Cutler reminds many of the criticism LeBron James heard following the Cleveland Cavaliers' loss to the Boston Celtics in last year's Eastern Conference semifinals.

It was either the elbow that changed the way James played, or he quit, as many believe.

In the NFC Championship game between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, not only did Cutler not play well, but he left the game due to a knee injury. He made an attempt in the second half but said he couldn't really plant and throw.

That was not enough for Chicago fans (who burned his jersey following the game) or for several current and former NFL players.

On the NFL Network, Deion Sanders said there's a difference between perception and reality and the perception is that Cutler just quit.

Here's a few responses on Twitter:

“Im telling u in the playoffs u must drag me off the field. All the medicine in pro lockerooms this dude comes out! I apologize bear fans! . . . Folks i never question a players injury but i do question a players heart." Deion Sanders, former NFL great.

“If I’m on chicago team jay cutler has to wait till me and the team shower get dressed and leave before he comes in the locker room!” Cardinals defensive lineman Darnell Dockett

“Hey I think the urban meyer rule is in effect right now. When the going gets tough……..QUIT.” Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

Jones tweeted later: “All I’m saying is that he can finish the game on a hurt knee … I played the whole season on one.”

LeBron James finds happiness in the Cavs' misfortune

2011-01-12T14:27:00.000-08:00

If you're a devotee of checking NBA scores, one Tuesday night probably jumped out at you. I speak of the Los Angeles Lakers' 112-57 demolition of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team now in the midst of an 11-game losing streak and owners of the worst record in the NBA. After losing LeBron James to the Heat last summer, they're not exactly in the best of circumstances.

LeBron apparently doesn't feel much sympathy for his old team in these troublesome times. In the closing minutes of the Cavs game, with the only issue left to determine being whether or not the Lakers would double-up the Cavs, Cleveland's former savior Tweeted about karma, hate, and divine retribution. Here is what he said:

Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!

Well, that's not very nice, is it? He basically said that God wants the Cavs to fail as punishment for their poor treatment of LeBron in the wake of his departure. Plus, while LeBron says that it's bad to wish ill on someone, he also seems to be reveling in their failures. Does that mean it's all right to be happy when someone fails as long as you don't wish for it beforehand? Whoever said God works in mysterious ways wasn't kidding.

On the other hand, it's possible to understand LeBron's emotional state here, if not his exact reaction. He gave seven seasons to the Cavs and carried the team close to a championship with, as we're learning this season, a relatively substandard supporting cast. When he left town, Cavs fans and franchise owner Dan Gilbert reacted like he'd murdered a hobo with a velvet voice in cold blood. Obviously he left town under terrible circumstances with the "Decision" debacle, but that doesn't mean he deserved to be treated like a criminal.

Then again, two wrongs don't make a right, as they say. LeBron handled his business Tuesday night like a fool, treating the Cavs like hellbound sinners deserving of whichever terrible fate befalls them. The team, the owner and the staff are still people dealing with some pretty rough professional circumstances right now. It's fine not to feel a ton of sympathy for them, but don't rub their failure in their faces.

James recently said that he's embracing his villain role, but there's a difference between being a compelling bad guy and a jerk. Right now, he's leaning towards the latter.

Or maybe he was talking about something else. Who knows?

Find this article at Yahoo.com

LeBron James Backpedals from Truth: We Need Contraction

2011-01-03T08:30:00.000-08:00

Just like that, The Witness has become The Wimpness, because he is double-dribbling with his tongue.
One moment, LeBron James is saying the NBA needs to "shrink" by contracting teams, and the next, he is saying those evil media folks are twisting his words on the subject.

Whatever, dude.

When it comes to LeBron's original comments, which essentially were that he thought the league actually did need to get rid of some teams to improve the overall competition, he was wrong. He was WAY off base. He wasn't within a couple of fast breaks of reality.

That's because he didn't go far enough.

He should have said all four of the major professional sports leagues in North America need to contract. Then he should have peered into the eyes of everybody in the room with the unspoken look of "Yeah, I said it. So what do you want to do about it?"

The NBA should go from 30 teams to 27, 26 or less. With barely a nudge, for instance, Clipper fans would morph into Laker fans soon after that lesser of the two franchises in Los Angeles didn't exist. And, in contrast to the Colts sneaking out of Baltimore in the middle of the night during a blizzard, the Grizzlies could slow-dance out of Memphis in broad daylight at rush hour without hearing a whimper.

The same goes for the Nets in the Meadowlands, where their turnstiles threaten to rust every season, and where they'll remain the "other" team in the New York City area, even if they relocate to Brooklyn.

Plus, regardless of their place in the standings, the Hawks have resided near the bottom in NBA attendance for decades, which means much of Atlanta would shrug and become more obsessed with Georgia Bulldog football if the Hawks flew out of town.

Elsewhere, in baseball, no matter how prolific the Marlins and the Rays have been at times, most folks around Florida couldn't care less. So get rid of them, or combine them with the Oakland Athletics -- if that struggling franchise also isn't contracted.

Phoenix. Atlanta. Charlotte. Nashville.

Nobody in those warm-weather cities would mourn the loss of their NHL teams after a few months (or days, maybe hours). That should be just the start of contraction for a league that also lacks fans in places beyond those more suited for sunshine than snow.

Oh, and you shouldn't have an NFL team when you're in your sixth consecutive season of covering up 10,000 seats for each of your home games in an attempt to create sellouts.

Hello, Jacksonville Jaguars.

It should be goodbye, Jacksonville Jaguars.

I can dream, can't I?

Unfortunately, the player unions of each of these leagues have become so powerful that contraction won't happen -- at least, not easily. We needn't go further than the ongoing NBA labor negotiations that feature commissioner David Stern suggesting that contraction would help the league's overall financial situation, and it would.

The NBA players union couldn't care less, though, since contraction would trigger the loss of jobs for its members.

So this wasn't surprising: within milliseconds of James saying what he claims he sort of said but really didn't mean to say or was misinterpreted in saying it, he got blasted by his peers.

Thus this ongoing sight of James backpedaling faster than he ever has either on or off a basketball court.
He says now that he doesn't even know what "contraction" means. He says reporters didn't hear exactly what they heard him say last week before a game for his Miami Heat in Phoenix.

This is what they heard LeBron say: "Imagine if you take Kevin Love off Minnesota and add him to another team and you shrink the (league). Looking at some of the teams that aren't great, you take Brook Lopez or you take Devin Harris off these teams that aren't good right now, and you add him to a team that could be really good.

"Not saying let's take New Jersey and let's take Minnesota out of the league. But, hey, you guys are not stupid. I'm not stupid. It would be great for the league."

Yes, it would. And, as LeBron added that day in Phoenix before his backpedaling nearly took him from the Arizona desert to South Beach to somewhere over the Atlantic, "Hopefully, the league can figure out one day where it can go back to the situation of how it was, like in the '80s, where you had three or four All-Stars, you had three or four superstars, three or four Hall of Famers on the same team. The league was great. It
wasn't as watered down as it is (now)."

No, it wasn't, and the Milwaukee Bucks of the 1980s were a microcosm of those times by ranking high among the NBA's all-time greatest teams that nobody ever remembers. They had stars such as Sidney Moncrief, Bob Lanier and Terry Cummings, and they were led by Don Nelson, who won NBA Coach of the Year honors twice during that decade.

In one stretch, those Bucks won their division seven straight years while winning 50 or more games each of those years.

Here was their problem: the Philadelphia 76ers of Dr. J, Moses Malone and Maurice Cheeks, and the Boston Celtics of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. As a result, those Bucks never reached the NBA Finals, and they rarely reached the Eastern Conference finals, but they showed how gifted many of those other NBA teams were during the 1980s.

That's all LeBron was saying. Well, before he swore he really didn't say what -- well, you know.
What I'm saying is that, although the NBA's national television ratings are up by 30 percent so far this year, those ratings would soar to levels beyond a combination of vintage Air Jordan leaps if the league sliced either some or all of its franchises that produce yawning.

I'm still dreaming, of course.

This article contributed by Terence Moore of Fanhouse.

LeBron James' green light has Miami Heat red-hot

2010-12-31T18:59:00.000-08:00

Brian Windhorst, Special to The Plain Dealer

Miami, Florida — These days, LeBron James and members of the Miami Heat shake fingers at those who dared suggest that their new mega team wasn’t going to work. The pleasure of hindsight never ends, especially when some important details are dismissed.

One of the reasons the Heat, and James himself, are playing toward their potential after a shaky start is because James is going back to the way he played as a Cavalier.

Wednesday night, the Heat won in Houston to finish off a 15-1 December and became the first team ever to go 10-0 on the road in a calendar month. Their run of success started in Cleveland on what has now become a key date in the NBA season, James’ Dec. 2 return to The Q.

So they’re hot, there’s no doubt. Some of it has been time together, which is the issue Heat players and coach Erik Spoelstra point toward when they shame those who questioned their future after they started the season an underwhelming 9-8. But a huge adjustment, which wasn’t announced, was to get James, who celebrated his 26th birthday on Thursday, back to his roots.

“At the start, we weren’t playing our games,” James said of himself, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. “We were being too unselfish. We had to forget that and go back to being ourselves.”
During the Heat’s ragged November, James’ scoring and shooting numbers plunged while his turnovers shot up to totals not seen since his rookie season. He was throwing wild passes, taking 3-pointers out of the offense, and Spoelstra was playing him at point guard the most since Paul Silas tried it as an experiment in the fall of 2003.

Then something happened in Cleveland. The Heat committed themselves to featuring James for that game, an obvious strategy with James carrying so much personal meaning into the game. Then James went out and played his best game of the season, scoring 38 points.

Part of it was because of some abnormal great shooting, which James has done on the road off and on during most of his career. But the other part was it created a comfort zone for James to play in a familiar role.
Seeing the impact, Spoelstra changed his rotation to allow James six to 10 minutes a game as the featured player. Usually, it happens at the end of the first and third quarters, when James is given the green light. The result: Lots of shots, lots of freedom, lots of scoring.

“It has been a process for both the players and coaches to find a comfort level,” Spoelstra said. “We knew it would take some time but that these players were too talented not to be successful.”

James has used these moments to feed his desire to build his statistics, something he may not admit publicly but it always has been a driver for him, and the Heat seems to benefit from it. In December, by getting his bursts of freedom, James’ scoring average jumped two points a game and his shooting jumped nearly seven percentage points.

He had several games where he squeezed off 10 points or more in his allotted freedom minutes and the Heat usually experienced a surge. On Wednesday night in Houston, for example, the Heat outscored the Rockets, 16-2, when James was on the floor without Bosh and Wade.

In turn, Spoelstra has reduced James’ minutes at point guard by inserting Mario Chalmers into the rotation, allowing James to play more point forward, the position he played in Cleveland. As a result, the turnovers have dropped and the Heat’s offense has gotten stronger.

Wade, who now gets his exclusive scoring time on the floor without James, has seen his scoring average jump six points a game in December over November and his shooting percentage soar nearly 10 percent.
Though he usually plays with Bosh on the floor, the changes allow Wade to play more like he was accustomed to before James arrived.

Whether this dual-star role will work under the pressure of the playoffs remains to be seen. The Heat have had mixed success at the end of games, sometimes barely hanging on to leads with Wade and James on the court together. But they have also been able to carry the Heat to some victories by their individual play.

What seems certain is that finding a balance and putting together wins has come partially by going back to some old ways.

“We’ve all had to sacrifice things from our games to make this work,” James said. “This is why we came together, to be able to play together and win together.”

Former Plain Dealer writer Brian Windhorst is a reporter for ESPN.com, focusing on the Miami Heat.

Commentary: Miami Heat's love affair with LeBron James has an empty feeling

2010-12-21T08:58:00.000-08:00

MIAMI — Will South Florida ever truly love LeBron James?

Not admire or respect or, even in the case of some kids, idolize but love?

Will this area ever love him the way it loves plastic surgeons, early bird specials, gated communities, food courts, the rare on-time nonstop to LaGuardia and cold snaps that offer excuses to show off designer sweaters? Will it ever love him the way it still loves its memories of a slinging Dan Marino? Or even like it loves Dwyane Wade?

Will it ever love him like Cleveland loved him, before Cleveland hated him?

Those were questions that came to mind, even before another night of late-comers and no-show-ers at American Airlines Arena, this one for the visit of James' tattered old team, the Cavaliers.

Those are questions that continue to answer themselves.

It's already clear what James most sacrificed by leaving his home state and taking his talents to South Beach last summer. It wasn't just his image, turning off so many observers around the country. It wasn't just money, though he gave up some of that. It was his unique place, as the most important, beloved, unconditionally-defended figure in a reasonably large metropolis and in everything adjacent. It was being a necessity to a community, not just a shiny accessory. It was never running the risk of an area ever getting bored with him, and moving on to the big thing, after the initial hysterical celebration.

It was never being ignored, by anyone, his presence on a team sufficient to preclude any need for a "Fan Up" campaign, to tell fans how to cheer and when to arrive.

While it was unreasonable to expect anything close to an equal and opposite reaction to the frenzied angry scene in Cleveland on Dec. 2, there just wasn't much to see here Wednesday night.

There was the occasional, fleeting "Cleveland sucks" chant, more out of obligation than antipathy. There was brief booing for any Cavalier with the ball, indiscriminate and inappropriate, since the only crime Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison committed was failing in the playoffs, which helped convince James to relocate. There were five rows, at the top of section 110, that revived the unwieldy "Mi-a-mi Loves You" chorus that they spawned in the Heat's first home game following the "Akron Hates You" serenade at the Quicken Loans Arena.

And there was something else at AmericanAirlines Arena:

Emptiness.

Empty rows, at tipoff.

Empty seats in every section, long after the game began.

You wonder if, somewhere deep down, it left James with a bit of an empty feeling.

Before the game, I asked if South Florida's response to him had met his expectations.

"For me, I come here to play basketball," James said. "I respect the fans every night they come out and support us, and as players, we just try to go out and do the things that need to be done to keep them coming.

But for me, I've never been a guy that just chased the claps and chased all the other stuff. I just play basketball and let things happen.

"It's been great. It's been everything I expected and, as a team, we just need to continue to get better."

His team will, even if Wednesday's 101-95 victory wasn't its best night, just a six-point win against a team that had lost eight straight.

He will likely win rings - yes, more than one - here before he's done.

South Floridians will gasp over his dunks, gobble up his jerseys, gloat to fans in other cities.

They'll be amazed by much of what he does.

But will they ever be smitten by him?

Like Cleveland was?

These first two months certainly could make you wonder about that and wonder about whether he wonders too.

LeBron James and Dan Gilbert Part II

2010-12-18T13:28:00.000-08:00

This is an excerpt from an article written by Howard Bryant of ESPN.com:

Last week I wrote a column suggesting that Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert needs to take some responsibility for the current state of his franchise and his role in the events that led to LeBron James' departure instead of blaming James entirely for what has transpired with the Cavs over the last six months.

For the record, I am not particularly enamored of James, on or off the court. If he is the greatest physical talent to enter the game since Wilt Chamberlain, he is also a difficult offensive player to admire. He is a scorer, not a shooter, and yet he has an ongoing love affair with an erratic, unattractive jump shot. James has improved his shooting percentage since his rookie season but not necessarily his overall game -- not in the mold of Magic Johnson (who entered the league with a poor outside shot but left a competent 3-point shooter), Larry Bird (who developed a devastating low-post game late in his career), Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant (both entered the NBA as dunkers but could soon score 30 points a night on jump shots).
He's very good, but there are arguments to make that LeBron James isn't as good as he could be.
He presents a mismatch for virtually every defender in the league, but despite a 6-foot-8, 260-pound frame he has no low post game and after nearly a decade in the league seems to have little interest in developing one.

On offense, he does not move without the ball and is not a threat unless he is initiating the action from the top of the key. When he is not handling the basketball, he often stands languid on the wing and does not draw defenses with movement or pressure them with positioning. In the midst of his eighth season in the league, James has never been a presence on the offensive or defensive boards, which is a must for a great player. His offensive and overall rebounding averages have dropped over the last three years -- 1.2 offensive rebounds per game for his career shouldn't wow anyone. In fact, Rajon Rondo, who is seven inches shorter and 100 pounds lighter, is developing into a better offensive rebounder than James - the numbers back that up -- and, for his size, Rondo is far more competent on the defensive end.

For all of his physical gifts, James has yet to find players who complement his game over the course of a full season and vice versa -- Allen Iverson-like.

Of all active players compared to James in their primes (of course, at 25, James might not yet be in his prime, depending on one's measure), I would select him for my team no higher than fifth, behind Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan and Dwyane Wade. At present, James isn't even the best player on his own team.
And yet, James is a hugely-significant figure in the NBA and sports world today for what he represents. He is the first mega-athlete to emerge in the 24/7 multimedia age that has been able to successfully navigate and capitalize on the shifting power dynamics that come with it. He is the perfect storm of 20th century battles: player freedom and control; free agency; the bypassing of the college game (those players were once called "hardship" cases); and the athlete as a corporation backed by a bigger one -- in LeBron's case, Nike.

Other modern athletes, including Tiger Woods and Jordan, have straddled varying elements of change during their times. No one has enjoyed the benefit of each of those developments in his prime as James has.

It might seem like he has it all, but LeBron will miss Cleveland one day

2010-12-04T16:47:00.000-08:00

CLEVELAND -- Well, that was not what they wanted.

No, Cleveland was hoping its plucky young team would drive hard to the basket, hit its free throws, grab every loose ball and dump LeBron James in a vat of hot wax. It was clear the night wasn't going well for the Cavaliers when the second half started and they asked the refs if they could use a Nerf hoop.

This was all wrong. And yet, it was completely right. This was a Cleveland sports night -- the whole exquisitely miserable experience wrapped up in one cold and unfulfilling evening. It began with an electric, playoff-like atmosphere and ended with the Heat drilling the Cavs. The final was 118-90, but it wasn't even that close. The Cavs scored garbage-time points against Eddie House, Erick Dampier and three of LeBron's accountants. (He got them roster spots because hey, they're his friends!)

The basketball lesson for the day was that 'tis better to have LeBron James than to have loved and lost him. But this night was never really about basketball. It was about Cleveland. It was about Brian Sipe and Earnest Byner and Craig Ehlo. It was about Cavs fan Bart Gruber, who brought his 8-year-old son to the game -- not so much to cheer or boo, but because they are Cavs fans. I asked Gruber what he told his son after "The Decision."

"After he cried for two hours," Gruber said, "I just told him this was life."

Miami will never have a night like this. Never. The Heat may win championships, but their fans will never pack their arena simply to boo. The team will never be ingrained in the city's fabric like every Cleveland team. There are passionate fans in Miami, of course, but not as many. Some of the biggest roars of the night were for former Brown (and Cleveland native) Bernie Kosar, who went to one Pro Bowl. Any town can celebrate championships. Cleveland celebrates heartache.

On some level, James has to realize this now. He played his butt off against Cleveland -- 38 points, eight assists, five rebounds in just 30 minutes. It was an especially impressive performance considering that he seemed self-conscious the whole night. He knew everybody was judging him. He knew it when he listened to his headphones in a crowded locker room before the game, when he did windmill dunks in the layup line and when he did his famous powder-clap before the opening tip.

And he surely knew it when he went over to the Cavs' bench during the game to joke with some of his former teammates. It was calculated, a way to soften the crowd. See? These guys like me. How bad can I be? And you could tell by the Cavs' faces that they were stuck -- they didn't want to ignore him but didn't want to be seen talking to him, either.

At one point, in a moment caught on video and posted on YouTube, Cavs assistant coach Jamahl Mosley appeared to tell James to shut the bleep up.

Mosley was not alone. In Miami this week, somebody asked LeBron if he would like to see his number retired in Cleveland someday. He was, after all, the best player in franchise history. He said he would love that, and you know what? I think the Cavs would love to hang his jersey from the rafters, as long as he is in it.

Most Cleveland fans say -- and have said since July -- that they aren't mad that LeBron left; they're mad at how he left. Of course, this is easy to say. It allows fans to take the high road and still be mad. But ask yourself this: If LeBron had played for Miami for seven years, then left for Cleveland in the same way, would Miami be nearly as angry as Cleveland is?

Trick question. NBA stars don't leave Miami for Cleveland.

I'm no psychologist, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that a guy who calls himself King James and has his initials and "Vivat Rex" -- Latin for "Long live the king" -- on his custom-made Nike jacket, and has CHOSEN 1 tattooed across his back and WITNESS tattooed on one calf and HISTORY on the other calf might have a big ego. It is an ego borne of insecurity, and this is why he left for Miami in the first place:

He wanted things to be easier. He wanted Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh at his side and South Beach a short drive away. That is the fundamental disconnect between James and Cleveland fans. They gave up on easy a long time ago.

So there they sat, at a table, the self-anointed Big Three, from left to right, Wade, James, Bosh. James said he loves Cleveland fans but that a "I'm a Miami ... Heat guy," because when you do something stupid like give your team a singular nickname, this is the silly stuff your stars have to say.

Behind the Heat bench, where fans wore shirts that read LeBUM, and a man and woman hugged and wore matching VICTIM shirts and looked like they had just run over their poodle, it got ugly. James may have ungodly leaping ability and ridiculous hand-eye coordination, but he also has ears, and the fans knew he could hear them.

Some of the chants were amusing ("Scottie Pip-pen!) and some were cruel ("Ak-ron hates you!") and many were unprintable. At least one cup flew out of the stands toward the Miami bench. It was a little inappropriate, considering he does have that CHOSEN 1 tattoo and it is Hanukkah.

Anyway, James seemed unfazed. He joked with Wade and Bosh about a broken bobblehead doll that landed near them. He ignored almost everything the fans screamed.

And then a few guys sitting on the baseline got his attention. They didn't taunt him. They didn't yell. They just said:

Look around. Do you see all the fans? This is Cleveland. This is what you're missing. You'll never have this in Miami.

And LeBron James agreed.

"He said, 'You guys are crazy,'" said one of the fans, named Ryan Napier.

James meant it as a compliment. They are crazy. He has left them for a land where there is no winter, for teammates who were stars before he joined them, for fans who care passionately about their basketball team for every bit of the final two minutes of playoff games. Someday, he'll miss those crazy fans and those winter nights. Someday, he'll miss all those witnesses.

2010-11-10T11:07:00.001-08:00

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #3 Ricky Davis

2010-09-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

"Be not afraid of greatness: Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." William Shakespeare uttered these famous words, and unmistakably, he was talking about Ricky Davis.

The 3rd greatest Cleveland Cavalier of All-Time is none other than Tyree Ricardo "Ricky" Davis. Some have referred to Ricky as one of, if not, the worst Cavalier of all-time. I’ve heard these blasphemous rumors before. Trust, there are other great Americans who were not appreciated in their time. Thus, I must come to the defense of one of the most legendary franchise players in recent history.

Ricky Davis was an amateur stud while starting all 4 years at North High School in Davenport, Iowa. He quickly garnered attention nationally and decided to stay in-state, playing for the illustrious university of Iowa. His high-flying style of play to go along with his smooth jump shot, earned him a place in the NBA. With the 21st pick of the 1998 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets drafted Ricky in one of the greatest late-1st round steals in Draft history. He would only play 2 seasons with the Hornets before being traded to the heat in a 9-player swap. Shame on Charlotte for underappreciating his talent, and a good move by the Heat.

Unfortunately for Miami, they would only suit up RD for 7 games before the Cavaliers made the move for the great, Ricky Davis. Personally, if I owned the rights to one of the historically great NBA players, I would not have traded him. I would consider it an honor and a pleasure to handsomely pay a player who displays such class and elegance on the court.

October 26, 2001 was a momentous day in Cavalier-history. Forget Queen James, this was the move of the decade for a franchise that desperately needed something to cheer for. Consider where the Cavaliers were before the acquisition of the legendary Ricky Davis: The season before we wised up and brought in Davis, the Cavaliers finished 30-52, led in scoring by Andre Miller and Lamond Murray. While Lamond did provide for some excitement, the role of high-flying dunk machine was essentially non-existent. Enter Ricky Davis.

Who can deny Ricky’s endless list of accomplishments in a Cavaliers uniform? Many were quick to point out his disputes with then-coach Paul Silas, and his reputation as a showboat. I choose to look at the positives; There are so many to choose from.

Granted, I advise you not to remember that the team actually got worse with the addition of Davis.. I’m still not even sure how that's logistically possible. In his first season as a Cavalier, Ricky averaged 11.7 points per game. Solid numbers for a player who only saw the floor for 23 minutes a night. He shot 42% from the field and clearly won the hearts of Cavs fans everywhere, depending on who you ask.

Let’s also remember the fact that Ricky was part of the 2003 season, arguably the greatest roster the franchise has ever put together. Ricky Davis, Darius Miles, Carlos Boozer, Dajuan Wagner, DeSagana Diop, Zydrunas, and some rookie named LeBron James. Inexplicably, the franchise committed the cardinal sin of trading one, Ricky Davis, later that year.

I still can’t muster up the courage to defend the trade, seeing as the mentoring Ricky provided to LeBron was invaluable to the success of his early years. There was a certain level of respect and admiration that Ricky demanded from every player on the team, especially James. Don’t laugh, there’s evidence to support my logical claim.

In a game vs. the Sacramento Kings, LeBron James had a wide-open opportunity for a dunk on a fast-break. But, LeBron instead chose to turn around and flip the ball to Ricky, who obviously finished with a demoralizing reverse windmill.

This sort of respect for the greatness of Ricky’s dunking stature is a demonstration of why LeBron understood that Ricky Davis was even more of an electrifying dunker than he himself.

The LeBron and Ricky duo was one of the greatest tandems the Association could have ever hoped for. Clearly, Ricky’s mentoring of LeBron was instrumental to the success of LeBron’s early years, and the turning around of a franchise who hadn’t even sniffed the playoffs in years.

Now, let’s take a moment to discuss Ricky’s largely misunderstood act of trying to secure a triple-double. We all know the story. Ricky was one rebound short of the elusive triple-double and with the clock winding down, attempted to shoot on our own basket in order to achieve such an honorable feat. Undeniably, this move was a clear representation of Ricky’s unselfishness and in fact, his willingness to take some bad press in order for the good of the Cavaliers franchise.

This move earned him the dubious “Wrong-Rim Ricky” nickname that many so wrongly identify with this great player. It is so plainly obvious that Ricky was trying to secure his first career triple-double for the team, not for himself. Playing for a franchise with no hope of the playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers desperately needed some sort of recognition and Ricky gave his best to bring that to us. Let’s applaud him for his efforts. We must not blame Ricky.

Ricky Davis represented such an incredulous amount of untapped potential and talent, that was never achieved in large part due to the fact that he never had the right coach to harness his abilities. Instead of faulting a legend of the game, we must look at the inept leadership of Randy Wittman, Paul Silas, and then John Lucas. We must not blame Ricky. Instead, we must recognize and appreciate what he could have and should have been – the 3rd greatest Cavalier in the history of the franchise.

When #31 suited up on a nightly basis, he never failed in his obligation to represent the 3 E’s. That is, Elevate, Electrify, and Excite. While some would say his antics were that of an egotistical showboat, We must not blame Ricky. The Cleveland faithful desperately needed a reason to keep their faith, and Ricky Davis did his best to keep Gund Arena an exciting place. His elevation still goes unmatched to this day. The 6 ft. 7” prodigy could dunk the ball with such ferocity that you wondered if the other team was even going to finish the game. He consistently got so high in the air that defenders simply chose to allow him open-access to the Rim.

Ricky Davis’ keys to Ricky-Davis-style dunking: "The key element is to be able to dunk when the light's on -- you know, dunking on people, finishing, keeping the attitude of dunking."

And “Dunk when the light’s were on” was Ricky’s specialty. A prime example of this unforgettable dunk-first, apologize-never attitude was displayed when he rose up over Steve Nash, creating a poster worthy of placement in the Smithsonian. Some have said there is still a bump on Nash’s forehead from where Ricky’s knee left a Voldemort-esque scar. I believe it.

During Ricky’s final full-season campaign with the Cavaliers, the team finished with an embarrassing record of 17-65. Again, we must not blame Ricky. When a player with such greatness is relegated to a franchise with no chance of winning, frustration is to be expected. And that’s not to say that Ricky didn’t bring it every night; The man carried this franchise to 17 wins, and for that I applaud him. In the 2002 season, Ricky averaged 20.6 points per game. He also snagged close to 5 rebounds, and was the out-right leader of the fun, yet hard-to-watch team.

Had Ricky been surrounded with more talent around him, that team could have achieved staggering numbers and likely won at least 3 more games, pushing our win total to 20+. Clearly, Ricky Davis knew that he had to do it all, and his mission became more than about himself. He decided that with the season already lost, he would position the franchise for great things in future. Yes, Ricky Davis wanted to do the right thing. He knew if the team lost as many games as possible, we would secure a draft pick worthy of this great franchise. Due to Ricky’s foresight and leadership, his flawless plan worked to perfection. The lottery balls bounced our way, and with the #1 pick overall the Cleveland Cavaliers selected LeBron James.

Ricky’s dedication to securing that draft pick was the main reason he took so many shots during that season. To Davis’ credit, only 2 years later the Cavaliers began a playoff appearance that has now stretched over 6 years. I vote that Ricky Davis’ jersey should be hoisted in the rafters, as his work-ethic and ability to block out the negativity that surrounded him was so important to the Cavaliers franchise. Ricky was so wildly popular that he felt obligated to coin his own fan section and give away 15 season tickets to his most passionate fans, the "Get Buckets brigade." Although the franchise foolishly traded him away to open more shots for a future traitor in James, we must not blame Ricky. Without question, Ricky Davis is Underrated.

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #4 Zydrunas Ilgauskas

2010-09-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately for the Lithuanian, he would have been higher on the list had he not followed LeBron to Miami, but Zydrunas Ilgauskas still cracks the Top 5 as Greatest Cavaliers ever. Zydrunas basically gave his entire career to this franchise, and will ultimately go down as one as one of the most beloved Cavs of all-time.

This here giant is 7 foot 3", and battled through countless foot injuries early in his career to become one of the best shooting big-men in the NBA.

Zydrunas was born in Lithuania and played 2 years for his hometown club team Atletas Kaunas before he entered the 1996 draft. He was selected as the 20th overall pick, and the 260 pound he-man was ready to prove his worth in the association.

Z's foot injuries in the early part of his NBA lifespan were a major concern to the organization. He battled through countless foot surgeries and beat the odds to play 13 productive seasons in a blue-and-orange (and then Wine and Gold) uniform.

Zydrunas is the tallest player in Cleveland Cavaliers history. Enough said right there. With the exception of Yao Ming, Ilgauskas has looked down on almost every other human being he has encountered in his life. Take a minute, and just think about how tall 7 ft. 3" is. He's a certified man-child. Z hardly even had to jump to dunk the basketball. It's a wonder why he didn't dunk more often.

Big Z never backed down from anybody, and took on multiple fights to back up his teammates. On more than one occasion, Zydrunas could be seen walking off the court with blood gushing from his head, then receiving stiches in the locker room to come back out and play in the same game.

He never took crap from any other team especially Boston, and you could always count on him yelling in his Lithuanian-accent when he wasn't happy. Zydrunas was also famous for calling out officials if he felt they made a bad call, consistently giving them dirty looks and looks of exasperation. He never seemed to agree with a travel call made on him.

His footwork was one of the best parts of his game. He knew exactly what moves to make when he was in the post, and the statistics prove it; Zydrunas has a career 48% field goal shooting percentage to go along with almost 14 points a game. He was a reliable free throw shooter and he drew a ridiculous amount of fouls in his career.

He averaged 28 minutes a game on the floor in Cleveland, but his last season he only averaged 20 due to the addition of Shaquille O' Neal. He accepted his role but you have to wonder why he wasn't getting more minutes in Mike Clown's rotation during the playoffs. This last season must have been a major disappointment to Ilgauskas, who gave everything he had to win a championship in this city. Don't get me started on Mike Brown's inexplicable lineup strategies.

Zydrunas played with the Cavaliers longer than any other player in history. Z has left his mark on this organization, and claimed many franchise records.

The Lithuanian Gargantuan © is the Cavs All-Time Leader in:

* Games Played

* Offensive Rebounds

* Total Rebounds

* Blocked Shots

Z also takes 2nd place in All-Time Points Scored. As of right now he has just over 10,600 points in his career. That number will rise this next season as he proves to be a valuable kick-out option for Wade and Prince James' drive-and-dish mentalities.

LeBrick James loved playing with this guy. So much so that Z even made a cameo-appearance in the infamous Nike-Puppet commercials. "I would like to buy some DVD's!" (Insert Lithuanian accent)

James was well-aware that Ilgauskas was certainly a more consistent and reliable knock-down shooter than even he was. Unlike LeBron, Z never quit on the team in the playoffs. Will they put his jersey in the rafters? The numbers would certainly warrant it, and the loyalty he showed to this franchise was unmatched. Many in the Cavaliers organization speak highly on the character of Ilgauskas, and what he meant to the city of Cleveland. He never wanted to leave, but he and James are good friends and Z knew the possibility of a championship was far more real in Miami this year.

Although I'm saddened by the fact that Zydrunas is not finishing his career in a Cavaliers uniform, I will remember him as an excellent player in Cleveland sports history. No other man as tall as he has ever had such a smooth jump shot. Ilgauskas was a seasoned veteran and a solid leader that this team needed. Zydrunas gave his heart to the franchise, and deserved to win a championship. It's a shame that we didn't have a halfway decent team when Ilgauskas was in his prime. I can still hear the fans at the Q yelling in unison, "Zeeeeeee!" as he swished another deep jumper.

You can't blame him for taking the chance to win one this upcoming year alongside James, whom he has played with for the last 7 years. Why do you think the Miami Heat wanted him? He presents a legitimate presence at the center position.

What other 7-footer do you know that can consistently drain shots from any spot on the floor? He will likely see a lot of minutes with them this year, in an attempt to put that elusive ring on his finger with the Heat. Big Z, farewell my friend. Your services will be missed. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is Underrated

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #5 Damon Jones

2010-08-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read correctly. Damon Jones is the 5th greatest Cavalier of all-time (of the last 15 years). There's not really a whole lot room for of debate on this one. Although not currently with an NBA team, Damon is quite a talented player and made his impact on the Cavaliers organization, while exuding a prodigious amount of swagger that P Diddy could only dream of.

Damon was born in the great state of Texas in 1976. He played his high-school ball for the Ball High Gordon Tornadoes, and was such a good perimeter shooter that he single-handedly helped create a popular cheer. "Three's Please!" the crowd would chant, and Jones would deliever more times than not. He graduated high school in 1994 and decided to stay in-state, playing his college basketball for the University of Houston.

Damon Jones would only play 3 years at Houston and still left as the school's all-time leader in 3 point field goals. After his junior season he decided to take his talents to the NBA, and effectively declared himself eligible for the 1998 NBA Draft. Little did he know that no team wanted him, as he went undrafted.

Jones eventually signed with the New Jersey Nets and would bounce around the league in his first few years in the Association. All before 2004, he wore the jerseys of the Nets, Celtics, Warriors, the Mavericks, Grizzlies, Pistons, as well as the Kings and then Bucks. He probably racked up some solid frequent flyer miles just by being traded alone.

DJ would finally find a team he would have a significant impact on when he signed with the Miami Heat for 2004-2005 season. It was in Miami that he would see career highs in minutes (31 per game) and points (11 per game). He also shot 43% from behind the 3 point line. The Cleveland Cavaliers took notice and decided to give Jones a 4 year, $16 million dollar contract for his services.

Bringing in Damon was part of an ongoing effort to surround LeBron with excellent perimeter shooting, and Jones was just the man for the job. He made a career sitting at the 3 point line, waiting for a pass to come his way, as Shaq and then LeBron drew double teams. It's no surprise that the supremely self-confident Jones would become famous for his proclamation, "I am the Best Shooter in the World." He would later refer to himself as the "Black Brad Pitt."

Damon brought a new level of excitement to the Cavaliers that meshed well with the emergence of Cleveland as a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference. Damon's most notable performance of his career in a Cavalier uniform undoubtedlty came on May 5, 2006. DJ has not been seeing much of any playing time in the playoffs, but was inserted into Game 6 vs. the Washington Wizards in the 1st round of the playoffs, late in the game. How late? DJ came off the bench in overtime, and in his first minute of action he hit the game-winning shot to bounce the Wizards out of the playoffs. LeBron would show his apprecation.

Less was made of another game, my personal favorite of his time in Cleveland. On November 13th, 2006, Damon would play one of the best games of his career.

The Cavaliers traveled to Madison Square Garden to dominate the Knicks. Everyone expected LeBron to tear the roof off of the building he says he loves playing in. Enter Damon Jones, who in this game would match King James with 29 points, setting a franchise record for 3 pointers in a half making 7 of 10. Jones was simply on fire, and and I could not have been happier as I sat there watching Damon light up the Knicks at basketball-mecca MSG. Damon definitely let the crowd know about it too.

Although he would never average more than 6 points per game in any of his 3 seasons with the Cavaliers, Damon was one of the most exciting players on the team to watch. His high leg-kick to back off defenders, and "Three's on a platter" made him a fan-favorite, and Damon was truthfully my second favorite player on our team from 05-08.

Another interesting fact about Damon is that he sold his soul (or sole) to the Chinese company "Li Ning" for his shoe deal. Much like LeBron, he had aspirations to become an international business man and make his name known around the globe. He truly marketed himself as the greatest shooter in the world, whether or not that statement was justified (it wasn't). Damon was the first NBA player to ink a shoe-deal with a Chinese company.

D-Jones is also known for his outlandish wardrobe selection; He has been seen in some of the most inexplicable outfits ever seen. Damon on the NBA dress code: "I created the dress code. I am the dress code. A lot of guys were upset about the fact we had to put suits on. But when you go into the business world, you have to be presentable, you can’t go into a Fortune 500 company with jeans, a T-shirt and do-rag on your head."

Another great quote from DJ came after a game where he played against the best player in NBA history, Michael Jordan. Listen to him recall his first on-court conversation with Michael Jordan:

“I told him if he left me open again that I was going to burn him,” Jones said. “He looked at me like, ‘Do you know who I am?"

“So he left me open again,” Jones said, “and I burned him.”

Damon was one of the most colorful players in NBA history and took trash-talking to another level. He never underestimated his abilities, which made him highly quotable and he became regarded as one of the most comedic players in the league. The Cleveland Cavaliers were the only team in his career that he would play consecutive seasons for. Damon Jones is a Cavalier-Legend in my book. Damon Jones is Underrated

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #6 Andre Miller

2010-08-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

Enough time has passed. Resuming the countdown, we arrive at the 6th greatest Cavalier of all-time, Andre Miller. Andre had several years with the Cavs where he was one of the few consistent players who legitimately deserved to have the prestige of representing the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Andre was born 34 years ago in Los Angeles, California. The 6 foot 2" point guard played all 4 years at the University of Utah, something you rarely see great players do now-a-day's.

In 1998, Andre led Utah to the NCAA championship, where they lost to Kentucky. He had the pleasure of playing alongside the great Keith Van Horn. Miller also made headlines when he had a rare triple-double in the NCAA tournament. Unlike a select few un-educated players in Miami, Andre actually has a college degree as he earned his Bachelors in Sociology.

The Cavaliers saw real upside with Miller and drafted him with the 8th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. In his rookie season, he started 36 games and quickly proved his worth on the court. Andre averaged an impressive 11 points per game, to go along with almost 6 assists.

After the Cavaliers moved Shawn Kemp out of the picture, this was pretty much Andre's team. In the 2000-2001 season he would lead the Cavaliers in points scored. He averaged 15.8 per game, on a team with Lamond Murray, Wesley Person, Trajan Langdon, and Brevin Knight. Unfortunately, that year the Cavaliers weren't exactly playoff-caliber, as the 30-52 record might suggest.

After the season, coach Randy Wittman was replaced and in came John Lucas. Andre was already established as the starting point guard and his numbers would only get better. He shot 45% from the field that year, and led the Cavaliers in just a few minor categories: games played, minutes played, assists, field goals attempted, free throws attempted, and he posted an impressive 126 steals on the year.

Other than a few Ricky Davis dunks, Andre Miller pretty much was the 2001-2002 Cavaliers. Without enough (or any) help surrounding him, the Cavaliers record would get worse, and they finished 29-53 on the season.

After the season, Andre Miller was inexplicably traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for one, Darius Miles. Although Darius also could dunk, this was essentially throwing in the towel on the 2002-2003 season, as we gave away our best playmaker in Miller. Andre's stats and play had improved every season and he should have been held on to for much longer.

Andre would spend only one year in Los Angeles before he was signed a multi-year deal with the Denver Nuggets. He would play a huge part in the Nuggets rise to respectability in the Western Conference. He has never had problems with durability; Andre had only missed 3 games in his first 7 seasons in the NBA. Compare that to one, Prince James, who for all intents and purposes missed two games in the playoff series with the Boston Celtics this year.

He would play 3 productive seasons in Denver before playing from 2006-2009 with the Philadelphia 76ers. They really were never going to be a competitive team, and in 2009 Miller decided to take his talents to Portland, inking a 3 year, $21 million dollar contract.

During his time in Cleveland, he was on the NBA All-Rookie First Team, became the first player in Cleveland history to win player of the week twice, and also set a franchise record for total assists in a season (882). He also was the only NBA player to average 10+ assists and points during the 2001–02 NBA season. He played the game at an uptempo speed and caused match-up problems against other Point Guards in the league.

I'll never forget how his feet barely came off the floor when he took 3-point shots. It was like he was barely even jumping. Luckily he escaped Cleveland before the 17-65 team took the floor the next year. Andre was a great Cavalier and he gave the Cleveland franchise far more than they deserved at the time. He rarely dunked, but as you'll see, when he decided to, he was going to do it big. His passing ability was spectacular and he always played to win. Andre Miller is Underrated

The article that ESPN didn't want you to read about LeBron James

2010-07-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday there was an article that appeared on ESPN.com. It showed a first-hand look at just how consumed with himself LeBron James is, and his new demeanor and attitude during a trip to Las Vegas. The article was up for about an hour and then ESPN took it down, similar to the tab on Sportscenter entitled "LeBron in Las Vegas" that disappeared midway through the show Many believe that the most pathetic manager in sports, Maverick Carter, was behind this. This just shows how pathetic both LeBron and ESPN are. The article was orignally written by Arash Markazi, and I'm publishing here in its entirity.

Go check out my new blog: Cleveland Deserves Better

LeBron James leans against a waist-high stone wall with a 16-foot-tall Buddha hovering over him.

He’s at Tao, a bustling restaurant and nightclub inside the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, and his arms are crossed as he listens to Lynn Meritt, senior director of Nike Basketball, and Charles Denson, president of Nike Brand.James is quiet, occasionally applying Chap Stick on his lips and nodding when he hears something he likes.

Five security guards are stationed around him, one at each corner of the table he’s about to sit at and another roving around with him, watching his every move. Anyone who takes two steps toward James is stopped and must have James’ approval to come closer.

The waiter bringing him his cup of green tea with a spoonful of honey and a dash of lemon juice makes the cut, as does the scantily clad brunette with a tattoo of a heart on her right shoulder.

She wants to take a picture with him. “I can’t right now,” says James. “Maybe later, upstairs, I’ll remember you’re the one with the tattoo.”

James will host a party later in the upstairs nightclub at Tao, but he is currently hosting a dinner for his friends and family in the downstairs restaurant. Wearing a gray striped shirt and gold crucifix around his neck, he bobs his head to music played by an amped-up saxophonist who weaves his way around the table like a one-man mariachi band.

I have somehow found myself at this exclusive table, seated beside Eddie Jackson, who is introduced to me as James’ father (though he actually began dating James’ mother, Gloria, after LeBron was born and the two are no longer together). Jackson, wearing a muscle shirt accentuating his large biceps, looks like a member of James’ four-man entourage, like one of his childhood friends.

James’ circle includes Randy Mims, seated to his right at the center of the table, Maverick Carter, seated at the head of the table, and Richard Paul, seated in front of James. The quartet makes up the initials behind LRMR Marketing, the management firm James founded almost four years ago with his buddies. Their offices in downtown Cleveland gained notoriety this month as the location teams flocked to for their meetings with James.

LeBron James partied at Tao last weekend, complete with a kings’ cake and an entourage to make heads of state jealous.

Seated to the right of James is Chris Paul, whose brother, C.J., is seated across from him. The New Orleans Hornets point guard has seen how James has positioned himself to win a championship by signing with the Miami Heat and joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and has reportedly considered a similar move himself.

The truth is, in James’ dream world, the duo he would love to play with for the next decade would be Wade and Paul, his two closest friends in the NBA. Paul has been like a brother to James since the two were in Las Vegas four years ago for USA Basketball training camp, when as a rookie he carried James’ and Wade’s bags to and from the team bus.

James and Paul are fairly quiet at the center of the table as they take in the scene around them. As family style plates of miso-glazed Chilean sea bass and crispy lobster and shrimp dumplings are brought to the table, James effortlessly picks up the food with his chopsticks and occasionally raises his cup of green tea to passersby as they raise their martinis and mojitos in his direction before being helped along by security guards.

When trays of dessert plates are brought over, James gets up, preferring to start his party upstairs instead of indulging in the giant fortune cookies and chocolate cake. A security guard comes over and puts plastic wristbands on our wrists and escorts us through the back of the restaurant, up a flight of stairs in the bowels of the hotel and through a back entrance into the club. About a dozen security guards, moving their flash lights, direct us to a roped off section on the dance floor of Tao next to a couple of apparently nude women in a bathtub full of water and rose petals.

James, now wearing sunglasses in the dark club, immediately stands up on the couch and folds his arms high on his chest and nods his head. He smiles as he looks at the dozens of people crowded on the dance floor. Noticing him, they stop dancing and snap pictures as the DJ screams out, “LeBron James in the building!” and plays LMFAO’s “I’m in Miami.”

Carter, LeBron’s childhood friend and manager, begins dancing around James like Puff Daddy in a Notorious B.I.G video. A giant red crown-shaped cake is brought over to James while go-go dancers dressed in skimpy red and black outfits raise four lettered placards that spell out, “KING.” Carter grabs a bottle of Grey Goose and pours a quarter of it on the floor and raises it up before passing it off.

James’ infamous one-hour special, “The Decision,” was reportedly the brainchild of Carter, a 28-year-old who has never managed anyone outside of his friend James. This three-day party marathon in Vegas (which James is being paid six figures to host) is also Carter’s idea.

Bottle after bottle of “Ace of Spades” champagne is delivered to the table by a waiter flying down from above the dance floor like some overgrown Peter Pan on a wire. One time he’s dressed like a King, another time as Indiana Jones and another in a replica of James’ No. 6 Miami Heat jersey.

James, who can hardly see the flying figure through his tinted glasses, almost gets kicked in the head on the waiter’s last trip down. He looks at the girls around him and says, “I wish they’d have one of these girls with no panties do that instead of the guy.”

Toward the end of the night, Boston Celtics forward Glen Davis walks past James’ party and looks at the scene up and down several times like a painting in a museum, soaking in the images of the go-go dancers, the “King” sign and the costumed man delivering bottles of champagne.

Davis shakes his head and walks on.

James dances on the couch and sings along with the music blaring from speakers all around him.

The more you hang around James, the more you realize he’s still a child wrapped in a 6-foot-8, 250-pound frame. The night after the party at Tao, he and his crew walk through the casino at the Wynn and Encore and he pretends to dribble a basketball as he walks past ringing slot machines and tourists who do double-takes. In a Nike T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, James’ pantomime seems unconscious. He stops every few feet to shoot a jump shot, his right hand extended above his head on the follow through. He weaves through a pack of a dozen friends and pretends to connect on a layup as he walks past a gift shop. He passes overhead casino signs and jumps up and slaps them, pretending to dunk. Columns covered with advertisements for lounge acts become stationary defenders, chumps to fake out before connecting on imaginary mid-range jump shots.

James probably goes through a practice’s worth of shots as we walk from the XS nightclub at Encore (James left his poolside table when he saw the club was practically empty), through Wynn and over the bridge to the Palazzo.

Soon after arriving at Lavo, a restaurant and nightclub at the Palazzo, a scene straight out of “West Side Story” breaks out when James and Lamar Odom, seated at a nearby table, engage in an impromptu dance-off to California Swag District’s “Teach Me How To Dougie.”

Odom, smoking a cigar, can’t quite keep up. James celebrates by crossing himself and taking a shot of Patron. Moments later, a handful of girls dressed as cheerleaders walk toward his table with someone dressed in James’ Heat uniform. Someone throws talcum powder in the air as James does before every game, while his new unofficial song, “I’m in Miami,” plays.

Odom casts a glance James’ way before looking in the opposite direction and raising his glass at a couple on the dance floor who point to their ring fingers and smile.

Back at his table, James and his crew sing every word to Rick Ross’ “Free Mason.” LeBron raps every line to former teammate Damon Jones (who played with him in Cleveland). Jones, puffing on a cigar, nods.

James rips out the lines:

“If I ever die, never let it be said I didn’t win/ Never, never say/ Never say legend didn’t go in/ I just wanna die on top of the world.”

While he looks at club-goers flashing the LA and Westside signs at him, James smiles and points to Jackson’s T-shirt, which reads, “Another Enemy,” and raises his glass of champagne.

Finally, Carter tells James it’s time to leave the club and they do, LeBron pretending to cross-over tables and shoot over slot machines all the way back to his room.

Open letter from the one and only Daniel "Boobie" Gibson

2010-07-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

Daniel Gibson composed this letter to Cavaliers fans following the departure of LeBron James. I think we can all learn a little something from the Boobie G school of writing. Hopefully we will get to see a lot more of him this season?

What Up World, This Message is Directly for the fans of Cleveland from your adopted son, The one and only Boobie G. As you know i was born and raised in Houston, TX. Never once stayed outside the state for more than two weeks and the time I did, that was for basketball. But after two years of college at the University of Texas I decided to make the jump.

You can just imagine how fast my mind was racing going to a city so many miles out of my comfort zone not knowing one single person. But I thank God it was Cleveland! Because From day one the city embraced me and made me feel like I was home. My Second HOME. And as time went on I began to see why we connected.

Cleveland is a never die city, city of loyalty, hard-workers, passion, desire, and toughness. A lot of the same characteristics I have in me and that inspired me. So I made a promise to myself that every day I stepped foot on that basketball court I would show the world what Cleveland was all about. Leaving everything i had on the court. So no matter what obstacle was placed in front of me, I would bust right through it. No matter how high, I would get over it. Or how wide I would get around it. N I hope I did that and will continue to do that. I said that to say, I know right now emotions are high, and people are confused about the way things went down. But I'm here to say DO NOT FORGET THAT WE STILL HERE. and WE GONE GRIND!!!!

The Cavaliers haven't went anywhere, just lost a piece. Everything in life happens for a reason, Some which we dont understand and never will. Somethings we cant control, But the thing we can control is our passion and our love for city of Cleveland and state of OHIO. And that every single night we take that we floor We Will represent. Blood SweAT and Tears. We will go hard. Just like you.

From the bottom to the top, this organization is committed to winning and we wont stop now..... Cant stop now. I LOVE you. We Love YOU. And together We gone make it HAppen. O H I O. Hang in there.

As for me on another note, I'm in LA working on my game so that i may be a key part of this movement next season. The family is doing great. MY wife to be is in the studio every day and night trying to create the best album of her career. Cutting no corners putting her heart in it like never before. With so much new emotion to show the world. My son Daniel Jr. is 4 months now. Everyday he gets bigger. We took him to the doctor yesterday to get two shots. And lil man did not shed a tear. even laughed a little bit. Tough lil dude, something like his daddy LOL.

The rest of the fam is back home in Houston working with the DGib Hoops Foundation-Shooting for Success. Helping mainly inner city youth to meet new friends, become more discipline, athletically and academically so that one day they may qualify for scholarships and go on to college and be whatever they want to be. Following a living example. ME... Well thats enough for today, yall stay tuned for my next post and remember if you believe, you can achieve. ANYTHING

Cleveland Stand up

1LUV,

BooBie

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #7 Dajuan Wagner

2010-07-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

I feel some sort of obligation to finish this Top 20 countdown I started, even though two of my then-Top 5 are now members of the Miami Heat. Regardless, we’ve arrived at #7 Dajuan Wagner, one of the greatest Cavaliers of all-time.

Dajuan was born in New Jersey in 1983, a great state to be born in if you ask me. His father was Milt Wagner, a former Louisville and NBA stud player. Dajuan was a high school standout; The numbers he put up on a nightly basis were legendary. His senior year, he averaged 42.5 points per game, and scored 3,462 points in high school which is a New Jersey prep school record.

The thing he will likely always be remembered for was when he went Wilt-Chamberlain-status and dropped 100 points in a game. There were some in the media who criticized him as well as his coach for even allowing this to happen, but Dajuan was capable of such a game. He played in the McDonald’s All-American Game and dropped 25 points.

Similar to Derrick Rose, he was recruited to the University of Memphis but played only one year for the Tigers. After drawing comparisons to Allen Iverson, he entered the 2002 NBA Draft and was expected to go early in the 1st round. That assumption was fulfilled when the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him 6th overall. His rookie season was pretty impressive, he scored 13.4 points a game and was a force to be reckoned with offensively. That was his best season in a Cavaliers uniform, and perhaps his only that was memorable.

His career could have been much more special had Dajuan not been hampered by health problems and nagging injuries. In the 2004-05 season, he only appeared in 11 games and scored a career low 4 points per game. Not exactly what you come to expect from the guy who scored 25 times that in a single game. He was hospitalized for ulcerative colitis.. ouch.

The Cavs chose not to exercise his contract option for the 05-06 season, and Dajuan was a man without a team. It was reported that his colitis condition was not treatable with medication, and after speaking with a New York medical expert he underwent an operation to remove his entire colon.

He attempted a comeback in September of 2006 when he signed a two year deal with the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately, just two months later the Warriors bought out his contract and he was out of the league again.

In 2007 he decided to “take his talents to Poland,” and Dajuan inked a one-year deal with Polish team Prokom. I feel for Dajuan, and wish his injuries hadn’t derailed his NBA career. He was honestly a great player to watch play the game. His ability to shoot the rock as well as drive through the paint made him a Cavalier favorite. One of the things that I’ll always remember was how he covered the ball like a running back when he drove, and then whipped it out last second to finish an impossible layup. For a smaller guy, he sure could throw down a nasty dunk when he felt like it. Dajuan Wagner was a Cavalier great, and had things turned out differently, he could still be a franchise player. Dajuan Wagner is Underrated

The Harsh Reality of LeBron's Decision

2010-07-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

Editors note: This article originally appeared as a guest post I did for Cleveland's Hope. I discussed the ultimate impact of LeBron's decision and what it means for the franchise as well as the city.

“I’m taking my talents to South Beach.” One statement will never have as big of an impact on any city ever again, guaranteed. Those 7 words pierced through the hearts of Clevelanders as LeBron announced on ESPN that he would be playing for the Miami Heat next year, essentially abandoning the city he put on the map. Most in Cleveland were optimistic that LeBron would stay, but he decided to play with Wade and Bosh instead.

Regardless of whether you agreed with his decision, or the manner in which he decided.. LeBron is gone. What does this mean for the franchise? What impact will it have on the city?

LeBron’s decision to leave Cleveland has already had an enormous impact on the city. By now, you’ve seen the burning jerseys and the local outrage over his decision. You smiled when you read Dan Gilbert’s letter to fans, proclaiming LeBron a coward and a traitor. But it still hasn’t sunk in. Arguably the world’s best basketball player is gone, and with him goes championship aspirations. No longer will Austin Carr chime in, “and the King THROWS the hammer down.”

Although Dan Gilbert has vowed that the Cavaliers will win a championship before LeBron does, there is virtually no chance that statement holds true. LeBron, Bosh, and Wade on the same team. That’s 3 starters from the All-Star team. Bring on Zydrunas and Mike Miller, a few other role players, and Miami is instantly the favorite in the East. You can pretty much give them the best record in the regular season, and see them in the NBA Finals.

It was hard to lure free agents to Cleveland when we had LeBron. How much harder will it be now that he’s gone? I doubt any elite players will want to come here to play; LeBron is a tough act to follow. The Cavaliers are left with Mo Williams, Jamison, Hickson, and Varejao. Oh yeah, and Christian Eyenga. He might be our best hope. Now granted there is some talent in those 5, but there is one thing missing; star power. The Cavaliers were on national television frequently, only because of LeBron. You can kiss those days goodbye, along with the nightly appearances on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Countdown. No more jaw-dropping “Akron Hammer” throw-downs. Next year, we will be lucky to get one game on ESPN - when LeBron returns to Cleveland.

The city has seen its hopes of a championship vanish with LeBron’s “decision.” The Indians are not going to win a World Series anytime soon. The Dolans simply cannot afford to keep our best players, so they trade them away. The Browns have always been the lovable losers, and making the playoffs alone would be considered a miracle. It’s been 8 years since we made the playoffs, and I don’t see it happening soon. Jake Delhomme will not be leading us to the Promised Land.

The impact of LeBron’s decision also will hurt the city’s economy. As a result of LeBron leaving, an ESPN report estimated are that Cleveland will lose $20 to $40 million dollars per year. LeBron’s presence meant business for local restaurants, hotels, and bars. Although Cleveland has always been faithful to its sports, it will be hard watching the Cavaliers and knowing something is missing. Never again will this city have a superstar that brings the amount of attention that LeBron did, and his decision pushes us far away from sporting relevance. Maybe we won’t lose 65 games like we did in 2002, but we certainly won’t win 65 either.

Dan Gilbert will do his best to put together a contender, but don’t expect his efforts to translate into a championship level team anytime in the near future. Maybe I’m just being pessimistic, but deep inside I realize the impact that LeBron’s decision will have on Cleveland sports. Where are Ricky Davis and Darius Miles when you need them?

Jesse Jackson on Dan Gilbert and LeBron James.. priceless

2010-07-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

Jesse Jackson is in the news again, and this time he's taking shots at Dan Gilbert. In what might be described as one of the most ignorant public statements of his career, (that's saying a lot) Jesse Jackson likens Dan Gilbert to a slaveowner. Really?

“His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality,” Jackson said in a statement released Sunday. “Gilbert sees LeBron as a runaway slave. He speaks as the owner of LeBron, not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers."

“Gilbert's accusations endanger LeBron,” Jackson wrote. “His jersey is being burned in effigy, and he is being projected as a betrayer by the owner. ... LeBron is not a child, nor is he bound to play on Gilbert’s plantation and be demeaned.”

Only in America. Jesse Jackson has a history of making outlandish statements to get his name in the news. This is the same guy that accused a police officer of a "hate crime" when he shot a man who attempted to run him over with his vehicle.

Dan Gilbert's letter to the fans might have been innappropriate coming from an owner, but it was in no shape or form, racist. In fact, it's the Reverrand Jesse Jackson who is racist. Gilbert is white and LeBron is black, we get it. That's not what this about. Dan was upset with the way LeBron hyped up his "Decision" to leave Cleveland, and thus disrespecting the city in an unnecessary manner.

By playing the race card and calling Gilbert a slaveowner, Jackson diminishes his credibility even further.. if that's possible at this point. He manipulated this situation to get his name in the news, and by broaching the slavery issue he is simply pointing out his own insecurities and deep-rooted racism.

It wasn't about the fact that LeBron left, it was the way in which he did it. Kevin Durant resigned with the Oklahoma City Thunder in a much more mature fashion. I think Cavaliers fans would have been more accepting of LeBron's decision to leave if he hadn't created a media spectacle around it.

Jesse, slavery is no longer a part of our society. The Civil War was fought, the North won. You are obviously ignorant and don't realize that your pathetic statements do more harm than good. Telling the American public that Dan Gilbert has the mentality of a slave-owner is downright slanderous, if not hilarious. The "Reverend" Jesse Jackson represents everything that is wrong with American Society.

LeBron James ditches loyalty (and Cleveland) for the Miami Heat

2010-07-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

So.. last night didn't go so well. LeBron goes on National Television, and announces he will be leaving Cleveland to team up with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade. What a way to leave the city that has given you unconditional support.

Thanks for screwing us big-time LeBron. Not only do you leave, but you're so self-centered that you decide to hold the city hostage.

Now, we have no chance of landing any respectable free agents. Chicago already signed Boozer, and New York got Amare. By keeping your decision to yourself, you have handcuffed the Cavaliers organization and put us in a very bad situation. Time after time, you put yourself above all else.

LeBron knows the history of Cleveland. The "Drive", the "Catch", the "Jose Mesa", and now the "Decision." We thought you might be better than that. I hope you fail miserably in Miami, and as Dan Gilbert put it, "take the Cleveland curse down south with you."

Ultimately, you leave Cleveland a disgrace and a failure. You failed to win a championship, something you vowed to do. When you did make the Finals and were matched up against the Spurs, you embarrassed the city by getting swept. The last two years, you turned the sidelines into your personal dance floor and had the best record in the regular season. But, when it came time to show up in the playoffs, you failed again. Your performances in Game 2 and Game 4 were atrocious. You honestly gave up.

Kobe has to be smiling in this whole situation. LeBron hasn't even won a ring, and just created one of the biggest media circuses of all-time for a crushing "Decision" to leave Cleveland. This mis-management by "Team LeBron" will have negative repercussions throughout the rest of his ill-fated career. Team LeBron is a joke. The "LeBron Brand" takes a big hit here, as he now has to join forces with Wade and Bosh to win a championship. He can't do it on his own, and will never be considered to be on Jordan's level. Kobe is better anyways.

LeBron needs to go to Miami because he's not welcome here anymore. He needs Dwyane Wade because on his own, he fails. Skip Bayless has always been right when he said, "LeBron does not have the clutch gene." He never did. The unreal amount of attention he has received since high school has never quite been justified. Sure, he might be the best "athlete" in the Association, but he is certainly not the best "basketball player." Kobe won one with Shaq, and then without him. LeBron couldn't win a championship in Cleveland with the Diesel.

The Miami Heat will undoubtedly be fun to watch this year, but they might not be as good as everyone expects. 3 players don't win a championship. As of right now their roster consists of Mario Chalmers, Mike Miller who just signed, and a bunch of no-name draft picks. The Celtics had the Big 3, but they also had Rondo.. and Perkins.. and Glen Davis. Miami definitely has the flash with the new Big 3, but they don't have substance. Miami will find out soon enough, just how short LeBron can come up when it matters.

I hate Chris Bosh. Seriously, hate is an understatement. I'm not one to wish harm upon another, but either LeBron, Bosh, or Wade is going to go down with an injury this season. Dan Gilbert's letter to the fans was priceless. More to come on that later. The Cavs owner seems more motivated than ever to bring a title to Cleveland. As for LeBron, good riddance. This city deserves better than an egotistical, maniacal, self-centered, underachieving "King" who quits and leaves when he fails under great expectations. In my eyes, he's done this city more injustice than Art Modell ever did. Am I upset? Absolutely. Should we be surprised? Not really. One thing is for certain; LeBron James was never underrated

Cavs fan reacts to The Decision

LeBron to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami?

2010-07-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

Reports are surfacing that LeBron has already made up his mind, and will announce tonight that he will join Wade and Bosh with the Miami Heat. We will find out tonight, when he LeBron announces on national television his ultimate decision.

I'm still not buying into any of this speculation. How many times has ESPN and Chris Broussard flip-flopped on where they think LeBron will go? ESPN has latched on to this story for months, maybe even years, and has done nothing but enable Team LeBron. Only LeBron and Maverick Carter know his "Decision", and thus no one should be reporting anything until we watch LeBron's television spectacle in approximately 6 hours tonight.

If he does leave, I blame everything on Chris Bosh. Had Chris Bosh, (who looks like an Avatar) agreed to join LeBron in Cleveland, the Cavaliers would be smiling right about now as they knew that LeBron would return. The lure of Bosh and Wade in Miami is a tough choice, but so is playing with Amare Stoudemire in New York. It seems as if the Cavaliers are not the favorite anymore, but I still think we have a chance.

LeBron will be announcing his decision in Connecticut, and some have speculated that this means he will sign with the Knicks. He does have a love affair with Madison Square Garden, but that doesn't mean he will sign with them. Mike Dantoni isn't exactly the coach who gives LeBron the best shot to win a championship.

I still think that the Cavaliers signing Byron Scott will have an immense impact on LeBron's decision. LeBron's best friend Chris Paul has been reported to be urging LeBron to stay with Cleveland and give Byron a shot to take him to the promised land. The Cavaliers have apparently have vigorously tried to trade for Paul, but with no success. However, Scott has won championships as a player, and has led the Nets to several NBA Finals appearances. He has the experience to coach a superstar in LeBron, and work with our supporting cast to get the most out of them.

The future of the Cavaliers franchise will be determined in a few short hours. There have been estimates that predict the value of Dan Gilbert's investment could decrease by $150 million or more if LeBron decides to team up with Bosh and Wade. LeBron need to stay in Cleveland. Dan Gilbert is committed to making us a championship contender each and every year.

This summer of free agency is just one of many to come. There are always blockbuster trades during the season and if LeBron does stay, rest assured the Cavs will do everything in their power to improve an already impressive roster. Hickson and Varejao are underrated big-men. Besides, if LeBron goes to Miami he isn't the number one option anymore. Wade has proven to be more trustworthy in the clutch. Does LeBron really need to go play with Wade and Bosh to win a championship? I don't think so. Hopefully he makes the right move. All of Cleveland will mourn if he goes on National Television and announces he is leaving. We've already had enough heartbreak. Cleveland deserves better than that. LeBron James is Underrated

My Thoughts on LeBron's "Decision" tomorrow night...

2010-07-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

Editors note: This guest post was written by Pat Milyo, an Ohio University graduate. Pat discusses LeBron's decision tomorrow night, which will air as an hour-long ESPN Special.

As a Cleveland fan born and raised in a city known for "the shot", "the drive", and "the fumble" amongst other famous sport's choke jobs, I have had the luxury of witnessing (that word is pretty fitting) events such as the 1995 Indians vs. Braves World Series, the 1997 Indians vs. Marlins World Series, and Art Modell moving the Browns in 1995 to Baltimore. Call me crazy, but karma has to come back around in our favor at some point. Hopefully that happens to be tomorrow night.

I may be optimistic, but I can't see how LeBron could turn his back on a city that has done nothing but embrace him since Day 1. Personally, I couldn't think of a better feeling than putting your hometown on the map, by bringing a championship to a city whose fans would probably cut off one of their arms to just say they lived to see Cleveland win one.

By choosing to go to NY, CHI, MIA, or NJ to pursue a championship, not only will he give Cleveland the biggest slap in the face the city has ever seen in my opinion, but he will forever be known for not being able to deliver a trophy to a city that raised him to be what he is today. It's obviously not about the money, we can offer the most and lets be realistic, Nike cut him a check for $90 million before he even played one NBA game...so I don't think he's strapped for cash by any means. It's about where he wants to win.

With a new proven coach in Byron Scott and an owner like Dan Gilbert who has brought in players in the past by the names of Shaquille O'Neal, Antawn Jamison, Mo Williams, Delonte West, Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, etc. what makes you think he's going stop at any costs to win now?

It should be more than interesting to see what he decides. He's either going to go down in the Cleveland history books as one of the most loyal players the city has ever seen, or the most despised.

Tomorrow at 9 we'll see what he's really made of after making comments such as, "It's about more than the game of basketball."

Go Cavs.

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #8 Anderson Varejao

2010-07-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

The 8th greatest Cavalier of all-time hails from Brazil. There isn't another player in the NBA that does more for his team in terms of hustle and effort. Anderson Varejao deservedly earned his nickname "The Wild Thing" for his relentless and energetic style of play. If he's not on your team, you probably hate him. Cavs fans love him. He has the ability to change a game from a rebounding-standpoint, as well as his consistent defensive effort.

Anderson was born in 1982 in Colatina, Brazil. While most other kids grew up playing soccer, Varejao found basketball to be his natural fit. At 6 ft. 11", and 260 pounds, he probably could have been a great goalie.. Brazil could have used him this year in their early-exit from the World Cup.

Regardless, he was a talented basketball player, and in 1998 at the age of 16 he signed with the Franca Basquetbol Clube in the city of Franca, Sao Paulo state. Franca is known as the basketball capital of Brazil, and he played there for 3 years. He was touted as an offensively unpolished big-man, but you couldn't overlook his effort and energy.

In 2001, he signed with FC Barcelona. He only appeared in two games that year, and scored 4 points total. The next year, he appeared in 4 games, and averaged 8.3 points and 1.5 rebounds. Barcelona didn't know just how valuable Varejao could be. Anderson didn't see one minute of playing time in the playoffs. In 2003, he appeared in 27 regular season games but yet again they held out him out the playoff rotation.

Gradually, Varejao was becoming a better player and learned how to play his game. He entered the 2004 NBA draft with hopes to contribute. The Orlando Magic drafted him with the 30th overall pick. The Cavaliers wanted him, and acquired him as well as Drew Gooden for Tony Battie. I imagine the Magic look back on that decision and wince. Varejao alongside Dwight Howard could have been a dynamic duo. Worked out for the Cavaliers.

During his rookie campaign with the Cavaliers in 2004, he appeared in 54 games. In 16 minutes per game, he averaged 5 points and 5 rebounds. Vvarejao ranked 1st in the NBA in steals per turnover with 1.58, and 4th in offensive rebounds per 48 minutes with 6.1. He quickly became a fan favorite with his energetic style of play and awesome hair.

On February 21, 2006, fans at Quicken Loans Arena attempted to break the Guinness World Record for "most people wearing wigs in a single venue" when 20,562 fans wore wigs given away before the game in celebration of Varejao's unique hairstyle. Cleveland, stop trying to be famous for dumb things. This is same franchise who broke the world record for "most people wearing snuggies" in a game this last year. Ignorance is bliss.

Varejao was a huge part of the Cavs 2006 playoff run. He averaged 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds During the Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the Detroit Pistons, he shot over 80% from the free throw line and played a big part in the Cavaliers' wins in Game 3 (16 points) and Game 4 (drawing a charge from Chauncey Billups with 29 seconds left to play and by preventing Richard Hamilton from making a potentially game-winning shot).

Mike Brown decided to give Varejao more minutes during the 2006-2007 season. He appeared in 81 games, and started six times. He averaged 6.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game and took 99 charges during the season to lead the Association. Some people think he's a flopper, but he's really just a crafty defensive presence and he takes some hard hits during the process.

In the 2007 offseason Varejão became a restricted free agent, and he did not sign a contract with the Cavaliers at the start of the 2007-08 NBA season. He waited until December, and signed a two-year $11.1 million offer sheet with the Charlotte Bobcats. Under the NBA's collective bargaining rules, the Cavaliers had one week to match the offer sheet, and that's exactly what they did. They weren't about to allow this talented Brazilian stud to go play for Charlotte.

The Cavaliers knew his impact doesn't always show up in the statline, and they rewared him after the 2008-2009 season, when they signed him to a 6 year contract worth $42.5 million. I'd estimate that he probably spends $1 million a year alone to keep that beautiful afro in pristine condition. Seriously, who in the Association has better hair than Varejao?

This last year, he led the NBA in plus-minus, meaning when he's on the floor the team plays well. He has consistently shown to be an invaluable player, and LeBron loves to find him sneaking backdoor for an easy layup at least once a game.

Varejao is also an underrated dunker; He's been known to throw down a tip-slam, or dunk in someone's face when he feels its necesssary.

Anderson plays hard all the time, which is more than can be said about some players.  He will likely be a deciding factor in LeBron's decision to stay in Cleveland.  Joakim Noah wishes he could be Anderson Varejao (seriously Noah, fix your gap-tooth). He always gets under the other team's skin, and it often leads to opposing players picking up technical fouls.

The Wild Thing will be a staple in Byron Scott's gameplan for years to come, and he deserves to get a ring with the King.  We'll never forget the 3 pointer he hit to beat the Hawks last year. It doesn't really need to be said, it's obvious; Anderson Varejao is Underrated

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #9 Lamond Murray

2010-07-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

It's a pretty big deal to make the Top 10 on LeBron James is Underrated's 20 greatest Cavaliers of all-time. Lamond Murray should feel honored. He played only a few years for the Cavaliers, but his time was appreciated.

Lamond played his college basketball at the University of California, alongside Jason Kidd. He was a solid scorer, great rebounder, and a physical presence for Cal.  Kidd and Murray made for an exciting Golden Bears team to watch, and they made two consecutive NCAA tournaments. Lamond was somewhat overshadowed by phenom J-Kidd, but he was still a force and everyone knew he would be a 1st round draft pick.

Unfortunately, Murray's career was screwed right off the bat. He had the unfortunate experience of being dafted by the Clippers with the 7th overall pick in the 1994 draft. Nobody wants to play for the Clippers.  So, he was essentially in basketball purgatory until 1999, when they mercifully traded him to Cleveland. The Cavaliers sent Derek Anderson and Johnny Newman to the Clippers.

Lamond came to the Cavaliers ready to make an impact, and he certainly did. In the 1999-2000 season, he appeared in 74 games, averaging 16 points and 6 rebounds a game.  Pretty solid numbers when you consider he was playing alongside Bobby Sura, Earl Boykins,Wesley Person, and Shawn Kemp. At 6 ft. 7" and 235 lbs, he was big for the small forward position and presented match-up problems for other teams. He often used his strength and tenacity to drive the lane and finish with a nasty dunk. Not to mention he was a consistent jump shooter.

Unfortunately that year, Coach Randy Wittman led the Cavaliers to a 32-50 campaign and missed the playoffs. Not exactly what Lamond had in mind when he came to a Cleveland team with a decent amount of talent. During these tough times, I remember that Lamond Murray made the Cavs somewhat watchable. I applaud him for that.

The next year, nothing got better. Even with the addition of Andre Miller, the team posted a 30-52 season. Lamond and Miller were the two bright spots on what was otherwise a pretty terrible team. So the Cavaliers solution the next season? Fire Randy Wittman, hire John Lucas, and sign Ricky Davis.  Hmm.  It wasn't really a surprise that the Cavaliers finished 29-53. Lamond did lead the Cavaliers in scoring with 16.6 points per game, but this team and franchise were in shambles.

Lamond wanted out of Cleveland, and the front office granted him his wish.  You can't really blame him. He was upset that the Cavaliers traded Andre Miller for Darius Miles.  Fortunately, he didn't have to take part in the miserable 17-65 season the year before we drafted LeBron. He played two seasons in Toronto, and then another in New Jersey.  Lamond, we respect you for your time in Cleveland. You made a terrible team fun to watch on occasion. You even made wearing the mask fashionable. Lamond Murray is Underrated

Bryon Scott agrees to become Cavaliers coach.. with or without LeBron

2010-07-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

On the day that LeBron officially became a free agent, Byron Scott has accepted the Cavs vacant head coaching position. I must say I'm relieved to hear that the Cavaliers decided to go with Byron Scott, and not Brian Shaw. This is a great hire for Dan Gilbert, as Byron brings a level of NBA coaching experience, as well as success, that Shaw and even Izzo could not offer.

It was a pretty interesting situation, as there were reports that Shaw was soon to be named the Head Coach. Apparently they rescinded on that, and made the right decision to go with Scott. Even Byron's agent thought Shaw had the job, as he had sent out a congratulatory e-mail through several news outlets. That turned out not being completely accurate, and the Cavs re-opened talks with Scott.

Byron Scott is far better suited to coach this team than Shaw, and Cavs fans should be excited about what he brings to the table. He has previous head coaching experience with the New Jersey Nets and New Orleans. You have to look at what he did in getting the Nets to the NBA Finals. He took a mediocre team to the NBA Championship. The fact that he has a great relationship with Chris Paul, who the Cavs may or may not still be interested in going after, doesn't hurt his case either. LeBron and CP are best friends, and Paul and Scott are tight. It makes sense that he would come to Cleveland to join LeBron.

It might be awhile before anyone knows where LeBron is going to play, and I respect Byron for agreeing to become the coach without even knowing whether he will resign. That shows that he is committed, and isn't entirely worried about whether The King stays or not. He's going to keep the Cavaliers in title-contention for years for to come. Besides, LeBron has said that he would like to play for a former NBA player: Scott fills that role. He played 14 seasons, and won 3 championships with the Lakers.

LeBron James is staying in Cleveland. He's not going to either of the teams he's listening to offers from today, that being the Knicks and Nets. Although Jay-Z probably will present a good argument for him going to the Nets; LeBron won't want to play in New Jersey for the next two years until the team can move to Brooklyn. Playing in Newark for 2 years isn't exactly an upgrade from Cleveland. He's not going to New York either, because they simply flat-out suck every year. Oh, and one of their top targets Joe Johnson is going to sign a 6 year, $119 million contract with Atlanta. He's not even that good, definitely not worth $20 mill a year.

LeBron and Dwayne Wade are not teaming up in Miami either. Both players like to have the ball at the end of the game, and neither of them will want to sacrifice millions of dollars to play together. It's an interesting idea, one that ESPN has ignorantly latched onto, but it's not happening. LeBron wants to be the man on the team he plays for. Sharing the spotlight is not a suitable option.

So that pretty much leaves Chicago as the only possible option where LeBron would leave. They have a few nice pieces there including Derrick Rose, but I don't see him leaving. Thibodeau is a mirror image of Mike Brown and he won't want to play for him. It all adds up to the Cavs getting Bosh in a sign and trade, and resigning LeBron. You don't leave the team that had the best regular season record for the last 2 years, won over 60 games, and is consistently a championship contender. LeBron has to realize that our early playoff exit was his fault, no one else's. If he hadn't disappeared in the last few games of the series, we could be talking about a Cavaliers championship right now.

Also, he has to realize the stain on his legacy that will result if he ditches Cleveland after failing to win a championship. He's from the area, and knows that we desperately need a title in this town. He wants to win a ring, and he's going to do it here. The Cavaliers are going to start making moves left and right and Byron Scott is just Step 1. I love the move, and so does LeBron. LeBron James is Underrated

Chris Broussard on what the Cavaliers need to do to keep LeBron

2010-06-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting video of ESPN's Chris Broussard talking about some of the moves the Cavs could make to entice LeBron to stay. July 1st is only one day away, and free agents can sign contracts as early as July 8th. LeBron wants to see some roster improvements, and Dan Gilbert will oblige.

If the reports are true that the Cavaliers have chosen Brian Shaw to be their next coach, I'm not exactly thrilled. Seriously, you bring in a rookie head coach when you're trying to sign the most coveted free agent in the history of sports? Personally I thought Byron Scott would have been a much better option, as he has the experience necessary to lead a team to the Finals.

It's all about to unfold, and let's hope the front office does what is necessary to keep LeBron. The city needs him to stay. The clock is ticking, and the fate of the franchise is about to be determined. LeBron James is Underrated

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #10 Shawn Kemp

2010-06-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

We've arrived at the halfway point of the countdown, and only 10 remain. It's no surprise that the "Reign Man" makes the list at #10, as Shawn Kemp is one the greatest and most unforgettable Cavaliers of all-time. Although he had his share of problems, and didn't quite live up to the expectations, like several others he makes the countdown for his sheer dunking ability.

The legendary Shawn Kemp was born in Elkhart, Indiana in 1969. He balled at Concord High School, and after graduating signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Kentucky. The story of why he didn't end up playing for the Wildcats is priceless. Allegedly (likely), he was kicked off the team before the start of the season for pawning two gold chains for $800, that belonged to his teammate Sean Sutton. Have to admire his entrepreneurial mindset. He transferred to Trinity Valley Community College in Texas, but it was too late in the season for him to play. After one semester, Shawn Kemp at 19 years of age declared himself for the 1989 NBA Draft.

At 6 ft. 10" and 280 lbs, the Seattle Supersonics drafted Kemp in the 1st round with the 17th overall pick. He quickly made an impact in Seattle, and was instantly one of the elite ballers in the Association. He was one of the NBA's premiere dunkers, and could jump out of the building. The Reign Man was the youngest player in the league, and arguably the most exciting. Halfcourt alley-oop connections from Gary Payton to Shawn Kemp became the norm. GP and Kemp were an unreal duo, and their team was pretty successful.

Kemp played for the "Dream Team 2" in 1994, when the USA went on to win the Gold at the World Basketball championship. Some say his career peaked during the 1995-1996 season, when Seattle won a franchise-record 64 games, and made an NBA Finals appearance. He also led the league in rebounding for the 3rd straight year. Unfortunately, the NBA championship dreams were dashed due to a matchup with Michael Jordan and the 72 regular-season win Chicago Bulls. The series did go 6 games, but MJ was not about to be denied.

After the Finals, Kemp thought he was due for a raise. For reasons unknown, Seattle instead gave an unknown scrub Jim McIlvaine a 5 year, $35 million contract. The entire Supersonics fan base was enraged, as was the Reign Man. The growing tension with management resulted in the blockbuster trade that sent Kemp to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He promised he would not report to training camp if he was still a Supersonic. He cut off all communication with the team, and even refused phone calls from Gary Payton.

The Cavs acquired the 5-time all star from Seattle along with point guard Sherman Douglas from the Milwaukee Bucks. In turn, the Cavaliers sent All-star PG Terrell Brandon, Tyrone Hill, and our 1998 first-round pick to Milwaukee, who sent their All-Star forward Vin Baker to Seattle.

He became a rich man when he got to Cleveland. Management made him the 5th member of the NBA's $100 million club when they offered him an extension. Reports were that the deal was worth around $107 million for 7 years. He appreciated the gesture of faith.

Shawn Kemp's tenure as a Cleveland Cavalier would only last from 1997 to 2000, and his career was on the downside. We welcomed him with open arms, and were excited to have a player who was at least once an All-Star. Wayne Embry after the Cavaliers signed Kemp, "Cavs owner Gordon Gund has made a commitment to get the team back in contention for an NBA championship. We all look forward to many exciting years of Shawn Kemp leading the Cavaliers."

He battled weight problems, and wasn't exactly the "Reign Man" anymore. During a preseason exhibition game, he left the bench when he saw teammate Vitaly Potapenko get punched by Minnesota's Clifford Rozier. He was suspended for the season opener, and was fined $107,000. Give him credit for sticking up for his teammate. He appeared in 80 games that season, and led the Cavaliers in scoring with 18 points per game, shooting almost 45% from the field.

The Cavaliers were ready to relieve themselves of his enormous contract, and traded him to Portland after the 1999-2000 season.  It was all downhill from there; It appeared that his time in Cleveland would be his last mildly-respectable campaign. His weight became a serious issue, and he struggled with cocaine and alcohol addictions. His season ended early when he entered drug rehab. It is also well documented that he fathered 7 children by 6 women. Kemp was arrested several times for marijuana possession, and his NBA comeback attempt did not look likely.

He has done some positive things in his life, let's not forget. In 1989, he dressed up like Santa and gave out food and toys to poor children.  As of late he has turned things around somewhat, and in April of 2008 he donated $70,000 to the YMCA in his hometown of Elkhart. "My family and I are happy to give back to the Elkhart community and support the YMCA’s campaign to help local kids,” Kemp said in a statement. “The Elkhart YMCA is where it all started for me as a basketball player and Elkhart will always be home to me.”

Shawn Kemp is a Cavalier and NBA great. The sad story of his decline does not take away from the fact that he is widely considered one one the Association's most electrifying dunkers of all-time. He is currently playing with Premiata Montegranaro, a team in Italy. Cleveland got to witness some of the last days of this legend, and we should consider ourselves pretty lucky for his time here.  The Reign Man will not be forgotten. Shawn Kemp is Underrated

Thoughts on the 2010 NBA Draft

2010-06-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

Every year, the NBA Draft boasts a few special players who have the unenviable task of restoring a franchise to glory, or at least providing for a little much needed excitement. This year's edition was no different. There are always a few surprises, and sometimes good college players can fall into the 2nd round. A few picks are always obvious. Others, not so much. Let's start with the overall #1 pick, John Wall.

The Washington Wizards were the team lucky enough to land the #1 pick this year. Everyone automatically predicted they would draft Wall, and they didn't deviate from the assumption.

John Wall played one year at Kentucky under John Calipari, and was the consensus best player in the NCAA. Wall had an incredible season and brought a level of relevance to Kentucky that had been missing for quite some time.

Although the Wizards already have Gilbert Arenas, not selecting Wall would have been inexcusable. He reminds many of Derrick Rose, with his quickness and hops. John Wall will have a great opportunity to turn around a franchise in Washington who struggled desperately last year, missing Arenas due to suspension and then the trade of Jamison to the Cavaliers. In my opinion, Wall is one of a select few players who have the ability to come directly out of the draft and make a huge impact.

The 2nd pick belonged to the Philadelphia 76ers, who selected Ohio State's Evan Turner. Evan has the ability to play point guard, shooting guard, and also small forward. He was a 1st team All-American, 2010 Player of the Year, and was the leading scorer in the Big 10 for consecutive years. Turner is 6 feet 7 inches, and weighs in close to 210 lbs. Basically, he has the body for an NBA player. Alongside Andre Igoudala, Turner has the capability to Turn-In a big season for the 76ers. When all is said and done, he might end up being a bigger impact player than Wall.

There were some other players drafted, who have a chance to make big contributions, but none close to Wall or Turner. Demarcus Cousins was John Wall's teammate at Kentucky, and he has the makings of a solid NBA power forward at some in point in the future. Sacramento picked him at #5, but there are still some questions about his motivation and his weight problem. Once he puts his mind to it, he can be a dominant rebounding PF much like Glen Davis. Derrick Favors and Wesley Johnson will also be solid, but need time to further develop.

I liked the fact that Gordon Hayward went #9 to the Jazz, although he might not see a ton of playing time with them this year. He was one of the feel-good stories in this years NCAA March Madness, and his play at Butler was flat-out impressive. His last-second heave came within inches of beating Duke in the Championship. Utah always seems to like having at least a few token white players on their roster, so naturally he was a good fit.

Much was made of Chicago's move to send Kirk Hinrich to Washington. Their obvious move to make salary cap available was a message to LeBron and the other big-name free agents. They are now in position to bring in two great players, alongside Derrick Rose and an already formidable Bulls squad. New Jersey is the other team that has a ton of cap-space, but I really don't see LeBron making that move either. July 1st is only 4 days away. Of course LeBron would overshadow the draft, I mean he's basically Brett-Favre status right now. Even so, LeBron James is still Underrated

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #11 Darius Miles

2010-06-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

On the night of the 2010 NBA Draft, I find it fitting to talk about one of my favorite Cavaliers of all-time. Wish I could have gotten him into the Top 10, but it just didn't work out that way. Coming in at #11 on the list, is none other than Darius Lavar Miles.

Darius was born in 1981, in Belleville Illinois. He attended East St. Louis High School, and led his team to 3rd place in the 2000 Illinois State High School championship. D-Miles was a high school phenom at 6 ft. 9", but he encountered a bit of an issue when it came to getting into college. He wanted to play at St. John's, but failed to receive a qualifying SAT score to get into the school. Apparently those SAT classes didn't do the trick. Darius wasn't too worried about it, and decided to skip the whole "college" thing and go straight to the Pros, similar to Kobe and later LeBron.

He entered the 2000 NBA Draft, and was expected to be a first-rounder. No one saw the Clippers taking him with the 3rd overall pick, but that is exactly what happened. At the time, he was the highest pick ever taken directly out of high school. Who said obtaining a college degree was important anyways?

For the next two years, Darius made headlines on a flashy Clippers squad. Playing alongside high-flying Miles was Quentin Richardson, Lamar Odom, and Elton Brand. This was unquestionably one of the most exciting teams in NBA history, and become popular with young fans.

It was in LA where Darius and Quentin trademarked their classic "double-fist head tap" celebration. Still never really figured out what exactly it meant, but my boy Lechner and I imitated it all the time in middle school. Those were the days.

Before the 2002-2003 season, the Cavaliers traded one Cavalier legend for another. Andre Miller was sent to the Clippers for Darius, and I would have been upset if it was for anyone else. Unfortunately, during Darius' only full year with the Cavaliers, we were the worst team in the league. Don't put all the blame on Miles though, don't forget the immortal Ricky Davis was on this team as well. A classic Darius/Ricky story occured before the season, when the team was featured them on the media guide. Like a true baller, Darius overslept and didn't even make it to Media Day.

Darius played in 62 games, starting 67, and the team finished 17-65. I watched every game of this season, on WUAB 43 and FSN. I still don't get why Dan Gilbert replaced stud announcer Michael Reghi. Probably the worst move in franchise history. Regardless, in every defeat, you could at least count on one great dunk from D-Miles.

Darius Miles and the horrendous play of the Cavaliers that season led to the team locking up the #1 overall pick in the 2003 Draft. The #1 pick turned out to be some player named LeBron James. He's pretty good from what I hear. Darius and LeBron were close friends at the time, and the franchise was ready to move in a positive direction.

Midway through the 2003 season, the Cavaliers decided they no longer had a need for Darius. He and LeBron played the same position, and it just wasn't meant to be. That's not to say that he and The King didn't hook up on a few sick alley-oops before he departed to Portland. We shipped him out, and in return received Jeff McInnis. Not exactly what I had in mind.

While he was in Portland, he showed some of what he was capable of, and the Blazers were impressed. So impressed, that they offered him a 6 year, $48 million dollar contract.  It was a pretty good deal for Miles, who hadn't exactly earned much of anything yet.

My favorite story about Darius in Portland came during the 2004-2005 season, when he got into it with then-Coach Maurice Cheeks. He apparently insulted Cheeks with racial slurs, and was quoted as saying, "I don't care if we lose the next 20 games, since Cheeks is going to be fired anyways." Talk about sticking it to the man. No one could doubt what he said was true, as Cheeks was soon fired and the team proceeded to lose most of their games the rest of the season.

In 2005, he began the season red-hot. In the first regular season game against Minnesota, he dropped 32 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, along with 5 assists and 5 steals, and 3 blocked shots. He kept it up until he suffered a knee injury, and when he returned in February he just wasn't the same. He was a player who relied on his quickness and jumping ability, and his knee just wasn't agreeing with him. He sat out the entire 2006-2007 season due to microfracture surgery.

Darius is a Cavalier-great, whether you agree or not. Not only does he play basketball, but he's also an actor. He starred in the 2004 film The Perfect Score, where ironically, he played a high school basketball player who needed a qualifying SAT score to get into college. Must have been a tough role for him to get into. If you haven't seen it, you're missing out. D-Miles is one of the 5 best dunkers in Cavaliers franchise, up there with the likes of LeBron and Ricky Davis. Now that I think about it, Miles might be one of the most ferocious dunkers of all-time. He represented the youth movement of the early 2000's, and was unfairly traded before he and LeBron the chance to mesh.  When he wanted to, he could block shots with the best of 'em. Darius is currently attempting an NBA comeback with the Charlotte Bobcats, and I wish him the best. I miss seeing the double-fist head bump, and hope he makes it onto a roster so he can bust it out after a nasty dunk. It's pretty obvious, Darius Miles is Underrated

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #12 Earl Boykins

2010-06-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

You should never judge a book by it's cover. The 12th greatest Cavalier of all-time is Earl Boykins, the 2nd shortest player in NBA history. Standing at a towering 5 ft. 5", Boykins is shorter than every other player in the Association, other than Mugsy Bouges. Earl is a Cleveland native, born and raised.

Earl Boykins went to Cleveland's Central Catholic High School, and made the varsity team his sophmore year. Shoutouts to his high school coach, James Serluco who was one of my favorite teachers in High School. Umm..Ya know, Boykins led the state of Ohio in scoring his senior season.

Earl went on to play for Eastern Michigan University (what up Mt. Pleasant), and became an even better player. His freshman season, his coach listed him at 5 ft. 7", because he was "ashamed" to have such a small guard on his team. Earl told his coach, "I will be the best player you ever coach." Boykins wasn't kidding; He dominated the MAC conference with relative ease.

At EMU, Boykins was a solid scorer. His best season was his senior year, where he averaged 25.7 points per game, 5.5 assists, and 2.3 rebounds. He was an honorable mention All-American, was the 2nd leading scorer in the country, and was selected to the 1st team All-Mid American Conference. He started all 122 games in college, and expected to be drafted in the 1st round of the 1998 NBA Draft. Surprisingly, no one took a chance on this incredible, vertically-challenged star. He went undrafted.

During the 1998-1999 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers signed Boykins to two 10-day contracts. He was then signed for the remainder of the season. He brought a level of excitement to the court, and was instantly a fan-favorite because of his ability to score the basketball. Unfortunately, the Cavaliers waived him at the end of the 2000 season, for reasons we will never know.

After bouncing around with several other teams in a limited role during his first 5 years, inlcuding the Orlando Magic, LA Clippers, and Orlando, and Golden State Warriors, Boykins finally got a guaranteed contract from the Denver Nuggets. His role was typically to come off the bench and inject energy in to the team's offense, something he took great pride in and did very well. His best years definitely came in Denver, where he saw a lot more playing time than he was used to. He was one of the quickest guards in the league, and his fast shooting motion allowed him to get shots off against much taller defenders.

Earl Boykins' career was improved in recent years when the NBA decided to allow some forms of zone defense. He was always a legitimate threat to change the game, and often times defenses were perplexed with how he could manipulate their defensive strategy with his quick movement. In 2004, he was the NBA's leading scorer off the bench. At one point in the season, he was averaging 10.5 points per game. In 2007, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, and then signed with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2008.

I, like most Cavaliers fans, would have loved to see them go after Boykins and bring him back to Cleveland. He deserved a chance to help the team that first gave him a shot in the league. Even though he only played a small part and really didn't even play a full season for the Cavaliers, he still makes the list.

Over his career, Earl has consistently proven the doubters wrong and made a name for himself in the Association. He has shown that through hard work and dedication, you can overcome the obstacles and achieve your dream. Having Serluco as a high school coach undoubtedly helped. It's a shame he and LeBron never got to share the court together, they would have been a dynamic duo. Boykins always had an uncanny ability to get his shot off when it looked impossible. According to various sources, even though Boykins only weighs around 133 lbs, he can bench press close to 315. He was also known to throw in a nasty rejection on occasion, on someone he had no business blocking. I'm not trying to trick ya, Earl Boykins is Underrated

Current State of the Cavaliers: Coaches, Free-Agent Wish List (Bosh and CP3)

2010-06-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

8 down..12 to go, and I feel like it's a good time to talk about the current state of the Cavaliers. It's been 31 days since I began boycotting the ESPN and LeBron free-agent shenanigans. There is exactly 10 days left until July 1st, the highly anticipated day where The King can sign with any team he chooses. I'm basically exhausted from all the LeBron rumors, and I'm having a lot more fun focusing on the countdown.

No, I won't be talking about Hometown Hero appreciation day in Akron, or the fact that the minor league Lake County Captains are adding the prefix "Le" to the team, and every players name on LeBron James Day. It does makes sense however, to discuss the team's present and future.

Tom Izzo was offered the Cavaliers coaching position, and respectfully declined. Even though the money was there (6 years 30 million), he wasn't sure LeBron was going to be. The fact that he couldn't even get in touch with James is likely the main reason he chose to stay with Michigan State. There was a report that LeBron "fully endorsed" the attempt to hire Tom Izzo, but no one can really be sure what that even meant.

Part of me wanted to see the MSU czar at the helm of the Cavaliers, but the more logical side of me is glad he's not going to be. Tom Izzo has never coached a single game in the NBA. He has no track record that you can look to, other than his impressive resume at Michigan State.

Think about some of the college coaches who have seen little or no success in the Pro's. Calipari and Pitino are two names that come to mind. Highly respected coaches, no professional experience. Both had stints in the NBA, and both are now back in college. Being considered a good or even great college coach often does not translate into the professional ranks. Handling grown men who make ridiculous salaries is a far cry from recruiting and managing high school players who essentially play for free. Dan Gilbert grew up in Michigan and is probably a diehard Izzo supporter. Considering the fact that he's the one making all the decisions for now, he wanted Tom and wasn't afraid to go after him. Consider it an epic fail.

There are plenty of other available coaches qualified to run the Cavaliers ship. Personally, I don't want to see Kelvin Sampson. My pick would be Byron Scott, who has championship-level coaching experience. He also was a solid player, and led the Lakers to an NBA championship in 1988. He knows what it takes to win in this league.

In 2000, he took over a terrible New Jersey team. After struggling his first year, he succeeded in building a solid team, and took the Nets on an improbable run to the NBA Finals, eventually losing to the Lakers. The following year, he took the same team to the Finals again, this time to lose to the San Antonio Spurs. Byron Scott is well-respected in the league, and has the demeanor and confidence to coach a star-studded Cavaliers team. If LeBron stays, that is.

The only way that Dan Gilbert can lure some of the other top free agents in this class is if LeBron does stay. No one is going to want to come to Cleveland if he leaves. That is why it is vital that he does. This year's free agent class is pretty impressive. With the likes of Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Manu Ginobili, Dirk Nowitzki, Carlos Boozer, and Michael Redd, there's a lot of star power that is available this off-season.

There's only a few realistic options for Gilbert to pursue. The one that makes the most sense is a sign-and-trade for Chris Bosh. If LeBron re-signs with the Cavs, it is likely that at least one big name will follow him. Bosh is one of the most solid centers in the league, and would play extremely well alongside LeBron. A good friend of mine, one with insight and knowledge of The Cavaliers Organization, is fairly confident that this is a likely scenario. He thinks Bosh will sign with Toronto, and then force a sign-and-trade with the Cavaliers. The likely pieces to be shipped out are Delonte West, Jawad Williams, possibly Varejao, and Wally Sczerbiak's contract. The Cavs would in-turn receive Bosh and Jarrett Jack. Pretty good deal for both teams, except for Cleveland having to include Varejao.

The best part is, all of this could potentially go down in about 2 weeks. If Bosh comes to Cleveland, we will already have assembled a team that is capable of winning championships for years to come. Only, there is one piece missing. Mo Williams is an exciting player, but he is not the point guard that this team needs to make a run, and win in the playoffs. Historically, Mo has had solid regular seasons but let the team down in the playoffs, when we need him most. He's not a good enough defender to handle Rajon Rondo or even Jameer Nelson.

My proposal to this solution is simple. Get Chris Paul. Do whatever it takes to bring him to Cleveland. He and LeBron are best friends, and it just makes sense. He is a top-5 point guard in the league, and like Bosh, would play extremely well alongside LeBron. Think about that starting lineup. Chris Paul, LeBron James, Antawn Jamison, JJ Hickson, and Chris Bosh. Granted, there are salary cap issues, and getting Bosh would essentially mean that Shaq would not be coming back. He probably isn't anyways.

The fate and future of the Cleveland Cavaliers will both be decided very soon. The first piece to the puzzle is obvious. Keep LeBron James in Cleveland. All the other pieces will fall in to place. I can't wait for this to play out, because I'm sick of ESPN and I'm pretty much sick of hearing about it. LeBron will stay in Cleveland. Who else will join? LeBron James is Underrated

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #13 Daniel Gibson

2010-06-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

The 13th greatest Cavalier of all-time is without a doubt, Daniel “Boobie” Gibson. The epitome of an NBA stud who doesn’t get enough playing time, Daniel has had a huge impact on the Cavaliers organization, and has always been a fan-favorite.

Gibson grew up in Texas, where he excelled at Jones High School. Averaging 25.5 points per game, he led his team to a 31-5 record, and won the Texas 4A State Championships his senior year. Daniel chose to continue his career with the Texas Longhorns, but he wouldn’t be there long. In the two seasons he played, he scored 935 points, and made 175 three pointers. In his sophomore season, he dropped nine 3’s in a game against Baylor, a Texas record.

On June 7th 2006, Boobie decided he would enter the NBA draft, and forgo his two years remaining of college eligibility. 22 days later, the Cavaliers drafted Daniel in the second round with the 42nd overall pick. Following a pre-draft workout with the Cavs in 2006, he cancelled all remaining workouts with any other teams and refused to work out for them prior to the draft. This potentially was the reason he fell to the 2nd round. He joined a Cleveland backcourt that that was dead last in scoring in the NBA. That was about to change.

Mike Brown gave Gibson his first start in January of 2007 against the Golden State Warriors. Only 20 years old, he would start 15 more games for the Cavaliers that season. He shot 42% from behind the 3 point line, which led all rookies. LeBron was 31% on the year.. ouch.

Daniel represented the Cavaliers on the Sophmore-squad in the 2008 Rookie vs. Sophmore challenge. On a team with Rajon Rondo, Rudy Gay, and Brandon Roy, playing against the likes of Kevin Durant and Al Horford.. Gibson was clearly the best player on the court. Daniel shattered a record by draining 11 three pointer's. He scored 33 points, and brought home the MVP trophy. Boobie and Zydrunas are the only Cavaliers to take home this award in the Rookie/Sophmore challenge.

In the 2007 playoffs, he made a name for himself vs. the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 3 he came up big with 9 points and an important steal from Tayshaun Prince late in the 4th quarter. He followed that up with 21 points in Game 4, which came from only 7 field goal attempts. We all know what LeBron did taking over in Game 5. But Game 6 was Daniel Gibson’s turn to shine. He dropped a career high 31 points, including 19 in the fourth quarter.

He helped the Cavaliers become only the third team in NBA history to win a best-of-seven conference final after losing the first two games of the series. Not to mention, he helped propel the Cavs to their first ever NBA finals.

Daniel Gibson is an important piece to the Cavaliers franchise. Although he has seen a significant decrease in playing time over the last several years, he still remains a fan favorite. Gibson is known for having unique designs cut into his hair, and it does a pretty good job of separating him from the crowd. Oh, and he’s dating Keyshia Cole.

I’m still not sure why Mike Brown basically delegated him to the bench this year. Extremely frustrating. Brown probably viewed Gibson’s size as hindrance to the team’s defense, but that’s just ignorant. Danny Ferry was even quoted as saying, “Daniel Gibson is the best defensive guard on the team.”

Whomever the Cavaliers coach might be next year, he should take advantage of all the things that Gibson brings to the table. (Apparently it won’t be Tom Izzo) Let’s just hope he gets back into the rotation, and knocks down the countless 3’s that we all know he can hit. "Shoot it Boobie, Shoot it". You gotta love this guy. LeBron certainly does. Daniel “Boobie” Gibson is Underrated

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #14 Bob Sura

2010-06-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

You better believe he was going to make the list. At #14, we arrive at legendary Cavalier, Bobby Sura. One of my favorite Cavaliers of all-time, Bobby picked up the game of basketball at age 4. His uncle built him a wooden goal to practice on, and he took advantage of it.

Bobby played his high-school b-ball at G.A.R Memorial High in Pennsylvania, where he lead his team to two consecutive state championship games. He was voted Pennysylvania small-school player of the year in 1991 after he averaged more than 35 points a game. Bob was pretty much the real deal. He set the school record for points scored, and in four years his team went a perfect 80-0 in league play.

Somehow, Bob was still not heavily recruited after his domination in high school, but he soon made headlines when he dropped 68 points in a single game. This convinced Florida State head coach Pat Kennedy to offer him a scholarship, and he took his game to the collegiate ranks.

As a true freshman, Sura was named ACC rookie of the week 3 times. He also was named ACC rookie of the year, a nice little exclamation point to a great freshman season. In Bobby's sophmore campaign, he averaged almost 20 points a game. FSU finished 25-10, and came within one game of making the final four. He was the face of the team the next two years, and was named to the All-ACC first team. Additionally, he was the only Seminole ever to finish with 2000 points, 700 rebounds, 400 assists, and 200 steals. Talk about doing it all.

The Cavaliers were well-aware of Bob Sura's basketball talents, and thus drafted him with the 17th overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft. Wearing the classic jersey #3, he brought a level of excitement to the franchise. He could play both guard positions, and had great ball-handling skills. Don't forget about his above-average leaping ability, solid rebounding skills, and ability to defend.

Bobby Sura took part in All-Star weekend multiple times. His rookie season he played in the Rookie/Sophmore challenge. He also was in the 3-point contest and even made an appearance alongisde Kobe Bryant in the 1997 Dunk Contest. His best season in a Cavaliers uniform was his last, when in 1999-2000 he averaged 13.8 points a game.  The Cavaliers traded him to the Golden State Warriors after that season however. He also made stints in Atlanta, Detroit, and Houston before he unofficially ended his playing career in 2007.

When he played in Atlanta, he was still a solid scorer.  Bobby made news when he almost recorded a third consecutive triple-double, in true Ricky-Davis fashion.  Already notching two-straight triple-doubles, he intentionally missed a layup to grab that elusive 10th rebound. The league eventually took the rebound away, but we all credited him for at least "trying".

Bob Sura will always remain in the heart of Cavaliers fans everywhere. His ability to jump and the excitement he brought to the game was admirable. On a team with Shawn Kemp and Derek Anderson in 1997, Bob Sura was arguably the best dunker. He was a legitimate threat as a shooting guard in the Association during his time. Bobby Sura is Underrated

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #15 Wesley Person

2010-06-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

Let's be real: I have no grounds for making this pick. Wesley Person sneaks in at #15 on my list.. and I'm not even really sure why. It's my 22nd birthday today, so don't ask questions. Wes was born in Alabama, and attended the University of Auburn. He was well-regarded for his shooting ability, and was expected to be a 1st round draft pick in the 1994 NBA Draft.

The Phoenix Suns saw something they liked in Person, and drafted him with the 24th overall pick. He only played three forgettable seasons in Phoenix before the Cavaliers acquired him in 1997. The Cavaliers saw a solid player and a great perimeter threat, and he was a key part of the 97-98 season. That year happened to be his best statistical season, when he averaged 14.7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.53 steals a game.

Speaking of the 1997 season, this was pretty much Wesley's best as a professional basketball player. He played in all 82 games, shot 43% from the 3 point line, and averaged 39 minutes a game. His 3 point stroke was nothing to joke about: he led the league in both 3's made and attempted. Playing alongside Wes Person that year was Brevin Knight, Danny Ferry, Shawn Kemp, Bob Sura, and a rookie named Zydrunas Ilgauskas. In one of his best games that year, he scored 31 points.. coming off the bench. When he was on, he was one of the best pure shooters in the Assocation. Combine Reggie Miller and Michael Jordan, and you get Wesley Person.. sort of.

The Good News: that year we finished 47-35, and made the playoffs. The Cavaliers were the best defensive team in the league. The Bad News: the Cavaliers got bounced in the 1st round of the playoffs, losing 3 games to 1 to the Indiana Pacers. Wesley finished the year second in scoring for Cleveland behind the legendary (I use the term lightly) Shawn Kemp.

The Cavaliers and Wesley Person parted ways after the 2002 season. He played with the Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, and Denver Nuggets before his playing days were over in 2005. Clearly his best years were in Cleveland.

Wesley Person represents the good-old-Cavalier-days of the late 90's. The man was a threat from behind the arc every time he touched the ball. His career 3 point percentage was almost 42%. Makes sense that he was selected to compete in multiple All-Star Weekend 3 point shootout contests. Although he never did win one, his presence in the festivities made me proud to be a Cavaliers fan. I'm not sure how he made it higher on the list than Terrell Brandon and Bobby Phills, but I think it's because I saw more of him. He blossomed early and faded quickly, but he is still a Cavalier great. LeBron never got the chance to dial-up Wesley, but he told me he wishes Wes-P had stuck around for a few more years. It's true, Wesley Person is Underrated

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #16 Danny Ferry

2010-06-08T14:51:00.000-07:00

Danny Ferry made the list of my top 20 Cavaliers at #16, but oddly enough he is no longer with the organization. D-Ferry (or D-fairy depending on who you ask) was born in Maryland in 1966. Danny was a high school phenom, and was easily considered one of the best high school basketball athletes in the country in 1985. Danny gained national recognition when he was selected as Parade Magazine’s Prep Player of the Year. He was one of the most highly recruited seniors at the time, and he eventually committed to the Blue Devils of Duke University.

At Duke, Danny was pretty much a machine. He was renowned for his outside shooting, rebounding, and court-vision. Some even compared him to a young Larry Bird (a little bit of a stretch). He did however set a bunch of records while at Duke, and helped lead them to 3 Final Four appearances. Danny still holds Duke’s all-time single game scoring record, with 58 points in a game against Miami in 1988. Duke is a college powerhouse, and he cemented his legacy there ranking 5th in career points, and 5th in career rebounds.

He was also a consensus All-American, and earned a Naismith College Player of the Year award. You should be getting the picture: Danny was the man. He was one of the country’s most popular players in the country, and he was near the top on most team’s draft boards. Duke even retired his #35 jersey at the end of his senior season.

Danny was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 2nd overall pick in the 1989 draft. Danny knew the history of their terrible franchise, and indicated that he would not play for them. The Clippers sent him overseas to Italy where he played one season averaging 23 points and 6 rebounds. Before he played a game for the Los Angeles, the Cavaliers acquired him along with Reggie Williams in exchange for Ron Harper, and two 1st round draft picks. The Cavs were willing to give up a good deal to get him, but they had faith he would be worth it.

Danny’s Ferry time in a Cleveland uniform was solid. He spent 10 years as a Cavalier, playing in a franchise-record 723 record games (until Zydrunas broke it), and averaged 7.8 points and 3 rebounds in 20 minutes a game. His best season came playing alongside other top 20 cavaliers Terrell Brandon and Bobby Phills, where he averaged 13 points and 4 rebounds in 32 minutes a game.

At 6 foot 10 inches and 230 pounds, Danny was a legitimate NBA power forward and gave the Cavaliers that token white-guy you could easily root for. Although many would argue he never became the type of star the Cavaliers were hoping for, he was still a solid Cavalier and remained loyal to the franchise.

Danny left Cleveland in 2000 and signed with the San Antonio Spurs. After a few uneventful seasons, he retired and joined their front office from 2003-2005. He directed all basketball operations and was very active in the draft and free agency market.

The Cavaliers offered Danny a chance to return as a GM for the franchise he played 10 seasons for, when he was offered a 5 year contract worth $10 million dollars in 2005. Danny’s management career in Cleveland started off a little shaky, when he constructed the infamous signing of Larry Hughes. He rebounded quickly though, and started building our franchise to what he assumed would be a title contender.

He was the architect of the Shaquille O’ Neal sign-and-trade, the Antawn Jamison acquisition, and also bringing in Mo Williams. Unfortunately, we all know the story of the 2010 Cavaliers collapse. LeBron is on the fence about returning, and Danny turned in his resignation just about a week ago. Apparently he didn’t like the direction Dan Gilbert was taking this team. He also wasn’t in favor of the way the Cavaliers handled themselves during the regular season, and D-Ferry disapproved of the organization basically bending over backwards for every one of LeBron’s requests.

As such, he is no longer part of the franchise. Regardless, Danny is still a good guy. I was once told, "You should start liking players for things they do off the court, because that means they are good people.." whatever that means. He is a board member of Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights OH. He’s also a board member of Playing for Peace: a nonprofit organization that uses basketball to unite and educate kids around the world. Danny, we thank you for your time in Cleveland and we wish you luck in the future. The Sarah's would agree.. Danny Ferry is Underrated

ESPN continues to add more drama to LeBron's next move

2010-06-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

Editors note: This guest post was written by Rob Mixer, an Ohio University journalism student. Rob is an assistant sports-editor for The Post, an Athens newspaper. This article originally appeared in The Post on Wednesday, June 2nd. Rob muses on the ESPN LeBron media frenzy.

ESPN is at it again. Yesterday, we cut into regularly-scheduled programming on the family of networks that is expanding like Kate Gosselin's womb to alert the nation of the breaking news. And in typical flavor-of-the-month fashion, ESPN has latched onto its latest victim: LeBron James.

The impending free agent filmed an interview with veteran journalist Larry King yesterday and the two discussed a variety of topics, but the only one worth noting is James' status come July 1.

On the newly-found "LeBron" tab on the famous Bottom Line, viewers found out that James told King that the Cleveland Cavaliers, with whom James has spent his entire professional career, have "an edge" to sign him once the insanity begins.

This was portrayed as top-of-the-line breaking news that the world should be privileged to discover. The quote was played four times in five minutes on the Bottom Line and it took over ESPNNews.

Congratulations to ESPN for winning the Captain Obvious Chapeau. Wait... LeBron said the Cavaliers have an "edge" ... you mean like, he prefers to stay in Cleveland before committing to New Jersey for six years? No.Way.

Let us completely ignore the fact that James can make the most money over the longest term by re-signing in Cleveland, and one of the teams reportedly interested in his services (Knicks, Nets, and Bulls), the Cavaliers are by and large the most prepared team when it comes to competing for championships.

But clearly that doesn't matter. LeBron told King that the Cavaliers have the edge, and the sporting world is supposed to collectively gasp. Now, everyone act surprised. There we go.

What is increasingly flummoxing to me is how the nation's sports fans are conned into thinking that ESPN does a bevy of actual reporting. You mean to tell me that Ed Werder spends every waking moment around the Cowboys facility, and calls his "sources" repeatedly until they threaten to cut him off? Please.

Or that the numerous check-ins from Rachel Nichols at the NBA finals aren't just rehashed versions of what most people read in the morning's newspaper or online?

But that is the disturbing trend: ESPN is becoming less of the worldwide leader in sports, and more of the worldwide leader in "no $#!%." What is James supposed to say?

He isn't showing his hand, he's just stating the obvious. Would a poker player with pocket aces doubt for a second that he doesn't have the best hand at the table? Of course not.

James prefers to stay in Cleveland for at least one reason: money. He says that the fans and the city have given him a lot over the last seven years, and that's also true. Without the hundred of consecutive sellouts at Quicken Loans Arena, James' celebrity is not as large. And without thousands of his jerseys splayed across the world, would he be the star he is now?

James' situation is unique because of his stature in sport, but leave it to ESPN to make a mountain out of a molehill when given the opportunity. Besides, it gets awfully lonely around those parts when Brett Favre isn't saying anything.

Written by: Rob Mixer. Check out The Post's website and blog: The Post Blog

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #17 Bobby Phills

2010-06-01T21:32:00.000-07:00

Resuming our countdown, we arrive at #17: Bobby Phills. He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and attended Southern University. Southern is one of the most well-known historically black colleges and universities. As a Southern Jaguar, he played alongside Avery Johnson, and he his senior year he established himself as a legitimate college stud, lighting it up from behind the arc. In the 90-91 season, his senior year, he ranked fourth in scoring with 28.4 a game. That same year, he led the nation in three-pointers made per game with 4.39.

Bobby Phills was not drafed in the first round of the 1991 NBA Draft, but he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round with the 45th overall pick. As a rookie, he hadn't even played a single minute before the Bucks cut him in December. Maybe see how he plays first?

Determined to make it with another team, he refined his skills with the Sioux Falls Sky Force of the CBA. That was a great move for him, because he got a chance to play and develop his skills. He got his game back and averaged 23 points per game. The Cavaliers took notice and signed him later that same season, and he appeared in 10 games.

A solid defender and tireless worker, they kept a roster spot for him the next year. In his second season he appeared in 31 games with the Cavs. In 1993, he finally emerged as a solid NBA player, playing in 72 games. That season, he started 53 of those game and average 8 points. The next year in 1994, he was a regular starter and averaged 11 points per game.

Bobby kept developing his raw talent and in the 1995-1996 Cavaliers season, one of my first as a true fan, he started drilling 3's with consistency. On a team with Shawn Kemp, Terrell Brandon, Danny Ferry, and Bob Sura, he scored almost 15 points a game. He improved his shooting percentage over 50 percent from the year before, and shot 44% from the behind the arc. That was good enough for 7th in the league, better than Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller, and Allan Houston. He also was named to the NBA all-defensive team.

Coached by Mike Fratello, The Cavs finished 47-35 and made the playoffs that year, but were knocked out by the Knicks in the first round. Interesting side-note: that year Shaquille O' Neal was 50% from the 3 point line. Not sure how that works out.

Phills played one more year as a Cavalier, and then was signed by the Charlotte Hornets as a free-agent. That year he missed 20 games due to injury, but still averaged 10.4 points a game. He followed that up with another solid year in 1998, and was averaging 13.6 points per game 28 games into the 1999 season before his life came to a tragic end.

On January 12, 2000, Bobby Phills died in a car accident in North Carolina on the way home from a morning shoot-around. He was only 30 years of age. According to the police report, Bobby and teammate David Wesley were wrecklessly racing their Porsche's over 100 miles an hour when his car spun out of control and he veered into oncoming straffic.

It sent shockwaves throughout the Association. He was survived by his wife Kendall and two childern. Later that year, the Hornets retired his #13 jersey during a game against the Cavaliers later that year. Bobby Phills was a true NBA good-guy, winning the NBA's Sportsmanship Award in 1998. Bobby helped turn around the Cavaliers franchise, at least temporarily. His years in Cleveland will always be fondly remembered, and his 1996 season will always be remembered as a piece of Cavaliers history. I'm guessing he probably ends up blocking Jordan in that picture. Bobby Phills is underrated

Slam Dunk Showdown in Cleveland

2010-05-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

We're taking a break from the countdown to talk about an event taking place in Cleveland this weekend. The NBA, Sprite, and LeBron James are hosting a Slam Dunk Showdown this weekend during the Marc's Great American Rib Cook Off and Music Festival.

Basically, here's the deal. The Showdown is all about finding the top amateur dunkers in the area. If you prove yourself here, you could compete against other non-collegiate dunkers all across the country.

Here's how you can compete. Submit a video of yourself dunking here http://www.nba.com/dunk/ and you could be selected to compete. This is a great opportunity for the best dunkers in Cleveland to show their stuff. If you don't fancy yourself a dunker, at least treat yourself to seeing some of the best local dunkers at their finest. The Showdown will be at Time Warner Cable Amphitheater, 1187 W. 3rd Street in Cleveland. Here's what the schedule looks like for the weekend.

Friday: 11am to 11pm
Saturday: Noon to 11pm
Sunday: Noon to 11pm
Monday: Noon to 8pm

LeBron is hosting the event, and you won't be disappointed if you go. We all know LeBron can dunk... now it's your turn. LeBron James is Underrated

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #18 Terrell Brandon

2010-05-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

At this point, I'm making my picks and sticking with them. I'm sure that there will be many who see the remaining 17 and say, "How could he put him over Terrell?" The reason is, because I didn't truly start watching all of the games until the 1996 season, Terrell's last with the Cavaliers. My top 20 list is dedicated to those Cavaliers I can remember watching.

That being said, #18 on our list is the great Terrell Brandon. Born in Portland, Oregon, Terrell attended Grant High School and eventually went on to lead his team to the Division III state title in 1988, the same year I was born.

Terrell decided to attend the University of Oregon, and he immediately was identified as top NBA recruit for the 1991 NBA Draft. The Cleveland Cavaliers selected 5 foot 11" Brandon with the 11th pick overrall. He naturally became the leader of team, which had historically been a mockery in the Association. He kept developing his skillset, and eventually was named an Eastern Conference All-Star in 1996, and then again in 1997. That's impressive for a mediocre team at best.

Terrell never really fully appreciated his nickname, "The Lone Ranger" but did admit that it fit his personality. "I'm a people person when I'm with people," he said, "but I'm not out there to meet people." In a 1997 Sports Illustrated issue, Terrell was named the Best Point Guard in the NBA. Pretty impressive when you consider he was playing on a team that finished 42-40, good enough for 5th place in the Central Division. He played alongside other Top 20 candidates Danny Ferry, Bobby Phills, and Bob Sura.

In the Sports Illustrated issue, Brandon was touted for his focus on basketball and not on being a superstar. He was quoted as saying that there's not a city in the NBA that he could describe, nor a restaurant that he could name. "People think I'm going to use my money to buy cars," he said, "but I'd rather give it to my church, to my family, do something I can be proud of. All those days sitting in the hotel room, looking out the window, this is what I'm thinking about. What can I do to make my son 5 year old Trevor proud of me. What can I do so my parents will be proud of me."

The simplicity of his life surprised many. He sought no endorsements, no press coverage, none of the trappings of stardom. "This life is easy if you let it be," he explained, bewildered that anyone might court fuss. "I won't complicate mine. I play the game, go home, wait for the next day. I don't want any stress in my life."

In addition to being dubbed "The Best Point Guard in the NBA" in 1997, Brandon also won the NBA Sportsmanship Award. Class all the way. Brandon was traded along with Tyrone Hill in 1997 to the Milwaukee Bucks, in the infamous Shawn Kemp deal. He finished his career in Minnesota and retired in 2001.

Those are a few things that separate "The Lone Ranger" from some of today's players, whose focus seems to be on celebrity status, advertising dollars, and creating a media buzz about their every move. Holding a city hostage, while the head coach gets fired in an attempt to satisfy his every desire. Wait a minute, that kind of sounds like LeBron now that I think about it. The King could learn a thing or too from Terrell. Terrell Brandon is Underrated

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #19 Donyell Marshall

2010-05-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

It took me a while to justify this pick, but coming in at #19 is Donyell Marshall, a great Cavalier in his own right. Donyell grew up in Pennsylvania, and was a top basketball recruit in the country after leading his high school team to a 29-2 record his senior year. He decided to play for UConn, and put together an impressive college resume including 1993 Big East Player of the Year.

Minnesota drafted D-Marsh with the 4th overall pick in the 1994 draft. 40 games into his rookie season, they decided to trade him to Golden State for Tom Gugliotta. He played for Golden State until 2000, but playing for the Warriors pretty much makes you irrelevant.  Donyell then was traded to Utah, signed with Chicago, and then was traded to Toronto all before 2003. In a March 13th, 2005 game with the Raptors, he tied Kobe Bryant's record for three point field goals in a game when he nailed 12 of 19. That was pretty much Donyell at his best.

The Cavaliers signed Marshall to a 4 year deal in June of 2005.  The front office was trying to put a core of veterans around LeBron James, in an effort to contend for an NBA championship. They saw his ability to knock down 3 pointers, and his versatility in guarding both small forwards and power forwards. He was also known to throw down a nasty dunk on occasion.

D-Marsh was a clutch 3 point shooter, his best season was in 2006. His three point shooting came in handy during the 2007 playoffs, when he drilled 6 three's in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals vs. the New Jersey Nets. This helped us advance to the EC Finals vs. Detroit, where we all remember how LeBron took over.

In 2008, the Cavs decided it was time to part ways, and he was traded to the Seattle Supersonics. Cavs fans should remember Donyell in a positive light, and appreciate his ability to have a big game every once in a while. I'll also always remember his wardrobe malfunction in 2008 when he attempted to enter a game without his jersey on. Everyone on the Cavs bench got a good kick out of that one.

Donyell retired after he played the 2009 season with the Philadelphia 76ers. He currently is employed by Comcast as a sports broadcaster. D-Marsh, we will never forget your many three pointers you cashed in wearing #24 for the Cavaliers. You helped us get to the 2007 NBA finals, and we appreciate it. Much like Wally, LeBron always dished the rock to 'Yell when he was open, because he knew the man could shoot. Donyell Marshall is Underrated

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #20 Wally Szczerbiak

2010-05-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

Starting off our countdown of the greatest Cavaliers ever, is none other than Wally Szczerbiak. Wally was born in Madrid, Spain. He spent almost all of his youth in Europe, as his dad was a professional basketball player for Real Madrid. After his dad retired, he moved the family to New York. Wally was a grade-A high school baller, and was recruited by Division 1 Miami of Ohio to continue his basketball career.

Wally was a man possessed at Miami, leading a team of relative scrubs to the NCAA's Sweet 16 in 1999 as a 10 seed. In their first round upset of #7 Washington, Wally unloaded for a career high 43 points. After that they upset #2 Utah; he scored 24 points and led the Redhawks to the Sweet 16. Meanwhile, he was named a first team All-American and MAC player of the year in 98-99. He finished his career as Miami's 2nd all-time leading scorer.

After his solid college campaign, Wally was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 6th overal pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. His best year was in 2002, when he played in all 82 games, averaged 18 points, and was added to the Western Conference All-Star team. In 2003, he tied a Timberwolves franchise record scoring 44 points. For one reason or another, Minnesota decided to have Wally come off the bench in 2004. He wasn't too happy about it. In 2005, he regained his starting role. His total contract value for his time in Minnesota was $63 million.

In 2006, the Timberwolves decided it was time to part ways with fan-favorite Szczerbiak, and traded him to the Boston Celtics for basically Ricky Davis. He played well for Boston initially, and early in the season dropped 35 points on the Bobcats. But pretty soon, his injuries started to catch up with him and he had to have knee surgery. Not too long after that, he suffered injuries to both of his ankles and decided to have season-ending surgery on both ankles. Had Wally been able to avoid these injuries,which greatly affected his shooting and jumping ability, he could still be playing today. He's not on an NBA roster currently.

The Celtics saw Wally's diminishing skill-set and made a move on draft night to trade him along with Delonte West to Seattle, in exchange for Ray Allen and their 35th pick.. who ended up being Glen Davis. Probably one of the best trades in Boston's history. Ray Allen's pretty good from what I hear.

In 2008, the Cavaliers decided to go after Wally. At this point in his career, he was still a solid knock-down shooter, but his injuries were of major concern. We decided we wanted him anyways, and in February 2008 we completed a three-team trade to acquire Wally, Delonte, Ben Wallace, and Joe Smith. This sent Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, and Shannon Brown on their way. Probably shouldn't have given up on Shannon so early. I recall there was a lot of excitement in the air after this trade, mostly because of Ben Wallace. I was more excited about Wally.

In his first year, he played in 25 regular season games, starting only one time. He averaged 8.2 points and 3 rebounds. He was still very skilled at putting the ball in the basket, but you could tell his ankles were bothering him. When the playoffs came around, Mike Brown decided to start Wally at the 2 position.

In an important Game 6 vs. the Washington Wizards in Round 1, Wally dropped 26 points and helped the Cavs advance out of the first round. We eventually lost to Boston, but he averaged 10.8 points per game, and was always the best-looking Cavalier representative. Wally was always good for a quote after the game too. After one game, "Bottom line in this league is, you've got to make shots, especially in the 4th quarter."

Wally averaged 20 minutes a game the next year, and he played in 74 games. He averaged 7 points and 3 rebounds, shooting 45% from the field and 41% from 3. I can still hear my roommate screaming WALLLLYYYYY as he swished another shot. After that season, the Cavaliers signed Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon. These acquistions somehow made Wally expendable, and since his contract was up they did not resign him. I'll always remember the day we got Wally, and the passion he played with as a Cavalier. LeBron always loved to find an open Wally Szczerbiak, because he was a reliable jump shooter. An interesting fact about Wally: He named his son Maximus Jack. I can't imagine what that must be like. Maximus Jack Szczerbiak. Wally Szczerbiak is Underrated

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers of All-Time (well.. the last 10 years or so)

2010-05-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

No, Eric Snow did not make the list. In fact, he's probably my least favorite Cavalier of all-time. I've decided to boycott all the shenanigans currently transpiring regarding LeBron. I can't handle the daily garbage that comes up on ESPN, in Cleveland, Chicago, New York newspapers.. etc. Honestly, who cares? The Cavaliers lost. I get it. LeBron is a free-agent. Sweet. I'm going to do my best not to mention anything going on related to the free agency rumor mill. He can sign with any team he chooses starting July 1st. That's 41 days, 4 hours, 52 minutes, and 33 seconds from now.. not that I'm counting.

So, what this means is that I'm going to need something else to talk about for the foreseeable future. Obviously, there aren't any games I can talk about. I'm still watching the playoffs though, and it looks like a Lakers/Celtics Finals rematch of two years ago. Kobe is on a mission and the Celtics are solid. That's all I'll say about that.

Anyways, I've come up with a list of my 20 favorite Cavaliers that I can actually remember seeing play in a Cleveland uniform. You may not agree with my list, but quite frankly.. I don't care.  To be an all-time great Cavalier, you don't need to be considered a great player. The only thing I really judge is their impact on the Cavaliers organization.

I left several players off my list, for obvious reasons. Some of them I just didn't really like, others failed to live up to the expectations.  Here's a few of the players I left off the list:  Robert "Tractor" Traylor, Trajan Langdon, Eric Snow, Kevin Ollie, Bimbo Coles, Mateen Cleaves, Jason Kapono, Carlos Boozer, Delonte West, and Mo Williams all did not make the cut.

So for the next few weeks or so, this is what we'll be discussing. Why talk about ignorant LeBron free agency scenarios, when you can reminisce about some of the best players to ever adorn the Wine and Gold? (or Blue, Orange, White, and Black) I actually still love those black jerseys.  There's nothing quite like taking a trip down memory-lane. LeBron James is Underrated

Game 6: And it All Comes Crashing Down.. Let the Circus Begin

2010-05-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

So I took a few days to assess what just happened. Essentially, the Cavs crumbled under the immense pressure of being the favorite to win the NBA finals this year. This is about as low as it gets for Cleveland fans, who fear we may have seen the end of the LeBron James Era. It's over. No more games, the season is over. If you've seen any ESPN lately, you would know that it's basically turned into LeBronTV. Expect this trend to continue for the foreseeable future.

What a terrible way to end what may be the King's last season in his homecourt. The Cavaliers started off the game okay, but it was soon apparent we were not coming out of Boston with a win. There really aren't words to describe how crushing of a loss this was. I really don't even want to talk about the game, basically it was close at halftime but during the 4th quarter we just gave up. Let's get to what the end of the season means, for all those involved in the Cavaliers organization.

Let's start with Mike Brown. The sentiment in the air is that Brown is a dead man walking. The coach who led the Cavaliers to the best record two straight years in the regular season is apparently on his way out of Cleveland. When the expectation is a championship, and you have the best player, there isn't a whole lot of room for error. In other words, when you get bounced in the Eastern semi-finals and it's the deciding year for your prized free-agent, you're not coming back.

Danny Ferry said that he respects and admires Brown, but none of that really matters. Word on the street is that LeBron and John Calipari may be a packaged deal, so you better believe that Dan Gilbert is already on the phone with Calipari's agent, (who happens to be LeBron's agent) asking him what it will take to move him from Kentucky to Cleveland.

Sorry Mike, but you came up short. Your in-game adjustments and failure to produce a lineup that could win in the playoffs was your downfall. Relying too much on Shaq, not enough of Varejao and Hickson proved to be costly in the Boston series. You had a chance to be the coach of the best player on the planet for a significant period of time. Kiss that chance goodbye. Maybe you should learn how to properly implement an offense instead of differing to LeBron the entire game. Even the one thing you supposedly do well, namely encouraging defense, failed miserably this final series. Thanks for coming out. Maybe you can land a job in the D-league.

Let's move on to our owner, Mr. Dan Gilbert. Dan promised to be relentless in his quest to win a championship for the city of Cleveland. Well, it didn't happen. Your two major moves, acquiring Shaq Diesel and Antawn Jamison didn't work out like you planned it. You and your boy Danny Ferry's whole goal was to build a team that could contend with Orlando and effectively combat Dwight Howard.. only you failed to realize the supporting cast you had surrounded LeBron with couldn't even beat the Celtics. Dan, I hope you somehow can get The King to resign. Promise him anything you need to. And next time you have the chance to acquire Amare Stoudemire, don't let the potential of JJ Hickson deter you. Have a serious heart-to-heart with Danny, and assess your life goals.

Shaquille O' Neal, you were one of the only Cavaliers who showed effort and energy in the series vs. Boston. However, you promised to "Win a Ring for the King." You got me all excited, and in the end you didn't live up to your word. The only thing you "witnessed" was the early-exit of a team that should have won the NBA finals. I'm not sure you were worth the $20+ million we payed you this season. Oh, and the team you played for last year.. they're still in the playoffs. Maybe you should think about retiring, and preserving your legacy. You've already won championships with the Black Mamba and the Flash. You are without question one of the greatest centers of all-time. My advice is to avoid "pulling a Michael Jordan" and playing well past your prime. You were once a force in this league. Let us remember you the way we should.

There's really only one other Cavalier worth discussing. King James, aka the Dunking Dictator, aka the Akron Hammer, aka the Chosen One. Although I may be one of your biggest supporters, I must say my disappointment level is at an all-time high. After teasing us with your Game 3 performance in Boston, you effectively called the rest of the series off. Okay, so you lost Game 4 in Boston, we weren't mad about that. But when you came home for Game 5, we expected a lot more. Not only did you not play well, but it looked like you didn't even try. And then you let us give up in Game 6. What happened? Where is the heart and the desire? Everyone expected you, the two-time reigning MVP, to show up and lead Cleveland to the promised land. Didn't happen. You didn't even make it out of the second round.

Kind of embarrassing, and if you leave Cleveland this way, it will be a permanent stain on your already tainted legacy. Granted, you are the best player in the game but right now none of that matters. I don't know if the rumors are true about your Mom and Delonte, but that's not even an excuse. I'm not big into magic tricks, but your Game 5 no-show was one of the best disappearing acts I've ever seen. Plain and simple, you need to stay. Stay, and win a championship. If you go to Chicago and play with Joakim Noah we will never forgive you. You already cut a hole into the heart of Northeast Ohio, and by leaving you would just be pouring salt on the wound. Dan Gilbert is dedicated to giving you whatever you want. If it's Calipari and Bosh, he's going to do his best. Take some time, think about it, and realize this is your home. Until then, whether or not LeBron James is Underrated is highly questionable. Your legacy is in doubt. Don't make the wrong decision. Sincerely - The City of Cleveland

Game 5: The World May Be Coming to an End (What just happened?)

2010-05-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

The Cavaliers needed to win Game 5 to re-establish the home-court advantage in this series. What happened was a shock to all who watched. Honestly, this is one of the biggest embarrassments in the history of Cleveland (there have been a few if you recall). I'll spoil the end for you; LeBron apparently doesn't care, scores 15 points on 3/14 shooting, and the Cavaliers are blown out by 32 points, in the biggest game of the franchise's history.

We actually started the game off alright, running the floor as much as we could. Shaq established himself, and had a nice dunk off an LBJ pass. Anthony Parker had a solid And-1, but Kendrick Perkins came down and responded with one of his own. LeBron had 3 assists in the first 6 minutes.

Apparently MB read my post yesterday, because Zydrunas Ilguaskas was inserted into the game at the 4 minute mark.. after 3 straight games not seeing the floor. Z drills his 1st shot, and the crowd went nuts. Parker follows drilling a three pointer, and we're up 21-20. I would like to point out that at the 1:38 mark, Delonte failed to see that Jamario Moon was wide open for a 3. I digress. LeBron finishes the quarter scoreless, but does have 4 assists. Our defense does a pretty good job of containing Rondo, and we take a 23-20 lead into the 2nd quarter.

The second quarter starts off excellent, with the Cavs going on a 6-1 run, but this was the last time we would enjoy what we saw. Varejao gets called for a highly disagreeable clean block on Big Baby, and Rasheed picks up his 3rd foul at the 8 minute mark. Paul Pierce continues his awful performance, but that would soon change. Delonte West is becoming hard to watch, and LeBron is nowhere to be found. Joey Crawford has a questionable offensive foul call on Shaq, resulting in Antawn and Perkins getting double technicalled. 6 minutes left, and LeBron has made exactly 0 field goals, only scoring on 2 free throws.

Kevin Garnett drills a jumper, and the Celtics take the lead 30-29. They would never look back. This was a very ugly game at this point; The Cavs had 8 turnovers. 15-0 run for the Celtics takes place, and the Celtics are up 36-29. A clutch Mo Williams 3 cuts the lead to 42-39, while Big Baby tackles Varejao. Pretty unorthodox 4 point play if you ask me.

The Celtics continue to trash our defense, but a much-needed Zydrunas And-1 cuts the lead to 50-44, and we head into half. LeBron has 0 field goals (still) and only 8 free throws to show for an entire half. And we certainly didn't feel great about where this could be headed.

Ray Allen starts the 2nd half by drilling two consecutive 3 pointers. Not good. Rondo picks his game up, and starts dissecting our defense; We're down 12. Shaq's dunk starts the Cavs scoring, but the game was already slipping away. LeBron gets called for a charge, continuing his shaky game. No one could have predicted that The King would be such a no-show in this all-important Game 5. In my opinion, it looked like he didn't even want to be in the game. He deferred to his teammates, and really wasn't doing much of anything. The lead balloons to 16 points, and the Cavs are down 62-46. LeBron starts shooting a bunch of jump shots but they all looked miserable. And the whispers began, "Will this be LeBron's last ever game in Cleveland?"

Meanwhile, Shaq gets his 3rd dunk, while Rondo continues to hurt us offensively. LeBron is 0/, until he gets his first field goal (an easy dunk) at the 6 minute mark in the 3rd quarter. Not what we expected out of our leader. At this point, Brown decides to even give Daniel Gibson a chance.

Boom, another Ray Allen 3 and we're down 73-52. Antawn answers with one of his own, but it was too little too late. Another LeBrick, making him 1/9 from the field.

We literally just keep getting owned in the 4th quarter. It's pretty hard to watch. I can't even defend this pathetic performance. It's 92-68, and I'm starting to think it's time to turn this game off. The quarter drags on, while we wonder what LeBron could possibly be thinking. The game comes to a merciful end, and we lose by 32 points. This is the worst playoff defeat in Cavaliers history. Shaquille O' Neal leads the Cavs with 21 (not good). LeBron scores 15 points. 15 points. 15 freaking points.. in the biggest game of his career.

Now, I think we should all just take a second and really assess this game. Sure, LeBron looked like he would have rather been anywhere else. The rest of the Cavs, except for Shaq, looked like they were ready to fold as well. However, stop all the nonsense. This series is still up for grabs. Granted, the Celtics have the momentum, and a chance to close out out tomorrow at home.

The fact of the matter is this. This team can come together and win 2 games in a row. Have some faith people. Maybe LeBron wanted to add a little more excitement to the series. Wasn't it just last Friday that LeBron scored 21 in the first quarter verses this team, in Boston? Essentially, if we win tomorrow night, the series shifts back into our favor. Stop all the talk about LeBron being done in Cleveland. We're down, but not out. Sometimes, even The King needs to take a night off. Kind of a shame he chose Game 5 in a tied series to do it, but LeBron does what he wants. LeBron James is still Underrated

Game 4: I'm starting to get sick of Mike Brown (and maybe Rondo too)

2010-05-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

Uh-oh. The Cavaliers lost in Boston on Sunday, in ugly fashion. The series is now tied 2-2, and the we must defend home-court tonight to take a 3-2 lead. This is not what was supposed to happen in this series.

The Cavaliers still don't seem to have an answer for Rajon Rondo, who had a ridiculous 29 points, 18 rebounds, and 13 assists in Game 4. Seriously, a triple-double for Rondo? That's not right. LeBron was not on his game, and finished with only 22 points. He missed all 5 three-pointers he took. This one hurt to watch. Even though LeBron had a disgusting block on Ray Allen, and Jamison threw down a few dunks, there wasn't a whole lot of positives to take away from our defeat.

Cavs fans, we should all be highly concerned. This is now a 3 game series, and Boston seems to have the momentum in their favor. I'm not happy about it. I'm pretty sure it's all Mike Brown's fault; Let me tell you why.

Shaquille O' Neal was a force in Game 4 until he picked up his 5th foul. So of course Clown sits him down, and for some reason he never returns to the game. Are you serious? They were taking advantage of our small lineup, and apparently Brown didn't recognize or seem to care. Speaking of small lineups, what has happened to Zydrunas Ilguaskas? Honestly, this is really starting to chap my ass. So what you're telling me is, you don't have any room in your rotation for a 7 foot 3" Lithuanian monster who can knock down shots anywhere on the floor? This man has given his life to our franchise, and you are now deciding he has no place in our playoff lineup?

Really though, it doesn't make sense. We're getting dominated in the paint, Shaq has 5 fouls and you won't put him back in.. and you still won't put Big Z in? Don't you realize he's still one of the best centers in the league? Didn't we make a huge effort to resign him after trading him to Washington? Quit being stupid, adjust your glasses, and realize what you're doing. LeBron led us to the best record in the regular season, not you. In my opinion, you may be coaching yourself out of a job. If you can't figure out a way to get your lineup to make sense, and find out how to stop Rondo, (put LeBron on him all game) I really don't want you coaching my team. Not that you're really the coach anyways.

I'll continue my rant. Tony Allen comes in the game and starts lighting our defense up, and you still make no adjustments. Your answer? Play JJ Hickson for 5 minutes. You're not as smart as you don't look. I hope you make some serious adjustments in Game 5, because your stupid lineups are really starting to get on my nerve. Play Shaq until he fouls out, find minutes for Zydrunas, and put JJ in the game when we need a spark. Does LeBron have to make another public statement before you get it through your head? You're not the coach of this team. LeBron is. LeBron James is Underrated

LeBron's 1st quarter leads to Blowout Win, Cavaliers crush Celtics 124-95

2010-05-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

LeBron put all the elbow rumors to rest in Boston last night. In the all-important Game 3, the King came out ready to have a huge night. “It was my mindset to come out really aggressive and just dictate tempo from the start of the jump and I was able to do that,” said James. “I think rest helped me. Rest helped all of us and we were able to put a complete game for the first time in these playoffs.”

Our first 4 points came from Shaquille O' Neal, who the Cavaliers looked to get looks right off the bat. A Shaq hook shot, and 2 free throws later and it's Shaq 4, Boston 0. LeBron was quick to follow, and began drilling shot after shot. The 1st quarter was one of LeBron's most spectacular performances in the playoffs.

LeBron drills his first shot and then follows with a lay-up. Following that, he comes down and Kendrick Perkins tries to take him out. This was clearly a dirty play with a football-looking hit on LeBron's elbow side, but the King stepped to the line and drilled his 2 free throws. Kendrick, nobody likes you.

LeBron drills another 2 jumpers, continuing his scorching start. He was 4/5 shooting with 12 points at the 6 minute mark. You knew it wasn't going to end well for Boston. King James was looking for his own shot, and he was making it almost every time.

Garnett and Perkins rack up their 2nd fouls early, and we're up 20-8. The King cashes in yet another deep jumper, and his total is 14 at 3 minutes. And then another, just for good measure. LeBron reaches the 16 point mark before the Celtics do. This is the start we envisioned. Fast-forward thirty seconds where Bron gets hit while making a lay-up, a rather disgusting And-1. And LeBron has 18.

Meanwhile, the Cavs are playing great defense the whole time. The Celtics are turning the ball over, and they really can't do a whole lot offensively. We forced Rondo to be a jump shooter, but he just couldn't see the floor like he did in Game 2.

Pretty soon it was time for a LeBron-dunk, and he didn't disappoint. After grabbing another rebound, he fed Jamario Moon with a bounce pass on a fast break. Jamario wisely dishes it back to LeBron, and the king flushes an unbelieveable 360 jam. He had to duck his head from hitting the backboard; this dunk was unreal. So we reach the end of 1, and the score is Cleveland: 36, LeBron: 21, and Boston: 15. It felt really good to have a 19 point lead. There would be no looking back.

For once in his life, Mike Brown correctly decides to leave LeBron in the game at the start of the 2nd quarter, for once in his life. The King responds, starting the quarter off by splashing a 3 pointer. Give him 24. Then he swats Glen Davis and there wasn't much the Celtics could do about it.

The quarter progressed, and the Cavaliers defense was exactly the way it needed to be. Anthony Parker's 3 put us up 55-35, our second 20 point lead of the game. A few buckets later, the Cavs push the lead to 65-41, and LeBron has 28 points. That's a good night for 99% of NBA players. That's a good half for LeBron.

The half ends, and we're up 65-43. In addition to his game-high 28 on 11/15 shooting, the King nothes 8 rebounds and 4 assists. The Cavaliers shoot 61% in the half, and you can pretty much put this one in the books.

The second half started off just as we left it off. Shaq makes a hook and then gets an And-1 layup. LeBron drills his first 3, and the Celtics were just throwing up bricks. Shaq continued to punish them down low, Perkins really had no answer.

With Ray Allen right in his grill, LeBron double-moves and hits a shot right in his face, giving him 33. 77-52, and life is beautiful. Antawn Jamison is doing his part too, grabbing offensive rebounds and making a few shots. Mo Williams also looks better than he did in Gam 2, driving and making some lay-ups. Time-out Celtics, and the Cavs own a commanding 86-58 lead. The end to the quarter couldn't come soon enough for Boston, who were down 96-70.

We really didn't need to play the 4th quarter; this one had long been over. LeBron never gave the Celtics a chance. The Cavs never stepped off the pedal, and the final score was 124-95. This makes history in two different respects. First, the Cavs broke their margin-of-victory on the road in a playoff game, while the Celtics suffered their worst playoff loss in franchise history. The King finished with 38 points, and Boston had no answer all night. This is a great sign for the rest of the series. LeBron heard all the talk about his elbow, came out, and made a statement. LeBron James is most definitely Underrated

The Importance of Game 3

2010-05-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

This game means everything. After getting run off the court in Game 2, the Cavaliers need to bounce back and win this crucial Game 3 in Boston tonight. Why do we need to win tonight? Historically, when the series is tied 1-1, the winner of Game 3 takes the series 76.3% of the time.

The Cavaliers need to do a better job containing Rajon Rondo, and Kevin Garnett. Rondo made our pick-and-roll defense look pathetic.

LeBron's elbow has gotten ample rest, and he needs to come out of the gate and send the Celtics a message. The time for excuses is up. We need to win tonight, plain and simple. This game could potentially have a signifcant impact on the future of the organization. If we don't take care of business tonight and this series shifts into Boston's favor, the King's future in Cleveland could be in jeopardy. That is just something that cannot happen. LeBron belongs in the city he put on the map. LeBron James is, and always will be, underrated

Game 2 Recap: Ignorance Persists, Celtics win 104-86

2010-05-05T22:12:00.000-07:00

Monday night the Cavaliers received a playoff beatdown from the Boston Celtics. It was terrible to watch. LeBron was not at his best, obviously resulting in a Cavaliers defeat. Mike Brown summed it up:

“They kicked our behind from the beginning,” lamented a visibly upset Coach Mike Brown. “They got every 50/50 ball, they converted every offensive rebound into points and we did not fight back until late. We have to decide if we are going to take the fight to them and take these games. Nothing is going to be given to us at all.”

Asked again what went wrong, Brown asserted, "We all got our behind kicked. Every single one of us, starting with myself, did not fight tonight and it showed on the court. You gotta give the Celtics credit. It's 1-1, but let's keep it real, they kicked out behinds tonight."

We made a run in the 4th quarter but it was too little, too late. Rajon Rondo ties a franchise record in assists, and we lose by 18. Not exactly what we were hoping for.

Let's just pretend like this one didn't happen. Talking, or thinking about this game is pointless. It's clear that we need to win at least one game in Boston during this series. Hopefully they just win the next 2 and then close Boston at home in Game 5. As dedicated Cavaliers fans, we must humbly accept defeat but it realize it was a fluke. LeBron's elbow will get some much needed rest and we will come out Friday with much more intensity. The Cavaliers don't lose 2 games in a row. We're better than that. LeBron James is still Underrated

Cavs vs. Celtics Game 1: Sluggish start, solid finish, Cavs take 1-0 lead

2010-05-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

After a slow start and going down by double digits, the Cavaliers turned things around in the 2nd half and took Game 1 in Cleveland. LeBron James is Underrated

LeBron wins the 2010 MVP, makes sense if you think about it

2010-05-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

LeBron James was awarded with his second straight MVP award, coming off a 61 win regular season. The King pretty much expected this award, and rightly so. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that Kobe Bryant didn't receive any 1st place votes, and in fact finished 3rd in the voting. This is the 1st MVP trophy he will win this year. The next will be the NBA Finals MVP, after we sweep the Lakers in 4 games. We'll come back to this later in the week. LeBron James is the MVP, again. (LeBron James is Underrated)

Game 5: Cavs win 96-94, enjoy the offseason Chicago

2010-05-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

You knew the Cavaliers weren't going to allow Chicago to win more than 1 game in this series. Although it was far too close, the Cavs closed out the Bulls in game 5, winning 94-94. Essentially, here's what happened: the Bulls played tough and mistakenly thought they had a chance. Mo Williams started the game off with a 3 pointer.

With 7.8 seconds left, and the Cavs holding on to a 96-92 lead, LeBron shot a free-throw left-handed. He was dealing with a sore elbow, and this was not a good sign. A lot was made of this after the game, but I personally didn't read too much into it. We were a little concerned, but we knew LeBron wasn't about to miss Game 1 with the Celtics on Sunday.

Antawn Jamison led the Cavs with 25 points, and LeBron almost notched another playoff triple-double. His 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists were just another example of why he deserved to win the MVP. Cavs close out the Bulls, and send Joakim Noah a message: don't talk smack about Cleveland. LeBron's elbow was a major concern after the game, but we all knew it really wasn't going to be a big deal. (more to come on this closeout game later) LeBron James is Underrated

Game 4: LeBron messed around and got a triple double (Cavs win 121-98)

2010-04-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

You know when you see that poor guy in the wheelchair, and you give him a boost because it's the right thing to do? That's pretty much what the Cavaliers did for the Bulls in Game 3, but Sunday afternoon was a different story. With a 2-1 series lead, LeBron was not about to allow the Bulls get another game in this series.

Game 4 of the Cavs/Bulls series followed an impressive performance from Dwayne Wade on ABC. LeBron must have seen the highlights right before the game, and wanted to show Wade how it's done. Although the 1st half started off slow, back-and-forth, and not Shaq's best outing, it was only a matter of time before The King did what needed to be done.

LeBron started off in assist-mode, taking care of the majority of the dirty work for his 5th career playoff triple-double. One of his best assists came on a entry pass to Parker in the paint, who flushed a one-handed jam. Score one for the good guys. Lebron didn't really start attacking until late in the quarter. It was with about a minute left when he decided to drive down the lane and put a two-handed hurting on the rim. His passing ability also opened up Mo Williams and Anthony Parker for some delicious 3 pointers. LeBron drills a jumper at the buzzer, and we take the lead at the end of the 1st half, 62-52. We knew it was a matter of time before this game got out of hand. And it did.

In the second half, it was the video-game-LeBron-James show. Not to mention Antawn Jamison, whose 24 points pretty much took care of the rest. The 3rd quarter was vintage Cleveland Cavalier domination, and the Bulls just couldn't get much going. As the 3rd quarter buzzer arrives, so does LeBron James. With Derrick Rose in his face, The King steps into a jump shot near half-court.. and you know what happens next. The best part about it was how he just stood there like, "Yeah, I do that."

With a comfortable 23 point lead, we didn't expect to see any of LeBron in the 4th quarter, but we were wrong. A few bad offensive possessions in, and Mike Brown calls on his superstar to slam the door shut. We were pretty pumped, because LeBron was only 1 rebound away from the elusive playoff triple-double.

What happened next was a matter of determination by the best player in the Association. After grabbing his rebound, he drills a set of disgusting 3 pointers, three in a row to be exact. The Bulls at this point were planning how they are going to spend the offseason, after they lose in Cleveland tomorrow night that is.

It was good to see Hickson get some run in this game, if only because LeBron publicly requested it. Since LeBron's the coach, assistant Brown had to pretty much oblige. Hickson provided an added level of energy that even Varejao couldn't match. Even though he racked up several fouls pretty quickly, I was happy to see him in there. Speaking of players who don't get their deserved PT, Zydrunas sat out for virtually the entire game. I'm not sure if Brown knows this, but the man is 7 foot 3" and can shoot from anywhere on the floor. If you can't find time for him, you're doing something wrong. Z was all class, and even agreed to play the last couple of garbage minutes for Brown. Pretty insulting if you ask me. Boobie Gibson even got in, scoring a running layup. He also got to dribble the clock out at the end. Pretty cool stuff.

So what do we take away from this game? Well, for one, LeBron is the man. Next, we learned that there will be no Game 6 in this series. Tuesday night will be another beatdown, and we will send Noah into offseason mode where he can seriously consider getting his gap-tooth checked out. LeBron is on a mission, and is ready to take over whenever he sees fit. 37 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. All in a night's work. LeBron James is underrated

Game 3: Not what was supposed to happen here (Cavaliers lose to the Bulls)

2010-04-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

On a night where the Browns drafted Joe Haden, not a whole lot went right for another team in Cleveland. The 1st quarter was pretty hard to watch; it was one of the ugliest starts to a playoff game I can ever remember. Other than a couple early layups for LeBron, the offense looked predictable and was not effective at all. We had a bunch of turnovers, and we weren't playing defense.

Mo Williams kept turning it over, really not playing his game. Chicago looked to be in a great rhythm offensively, led by a fast start from Derrick Rose. He made 6 of the 8 shots he took in the quarter, and dropped 15 points in the first 12 minutes. But Shaq was making free throws (6/6 in the series) and Lebron was drilling some shots. The score was still manageable. But the defense just never arrived.

Late in the quater, Varejao gets called for a questionable foul while LeBron was in the process of drilling a 3; it looked like the refs were out to get us. LeBron misses a jumper and the quarter ends, with the Bulls leading 32-21.

The 2nd quarter was more of the same. Chicago extends the lead to 39-23 on a Deng And-1, and it wasn't looking good. They couldn't miss. Hey Mike Brown, when you're down 11 points in a playoff game maybe this would be the time to play LeBron at the start of the quarter, instead of letting Chicago beat us down even further.

Midway through the quarter, The King gets a steal and throws down a thundering Akron Hammer dunk. His free throw that followed cut it to 41-30, and we hoped that LeBron would take over the game. Jamario picks up right where he left off from Game 2, drilling a huge 3. But Hinrich, Rose, and Deng were just making shots. Did I mention Joakim Noah is the biggest idiot I've ever seen? Anyways, Shaq misses a gimme-dunk at one point. Not good. Story of the game pretty much. Halftime comes, and we're down 56-45. We could only hope the 2nd half was better.

Too bad the Bulls came out with the same intensity in the second half. They score the first 6, and the lead gets pushed to 62-45. Shaq elbows Noah in the face, (again) and even though he's called for a foul, we weren't mad about it. Brown calls a timeout after Rose scores making it 66-47.

Later in the quarter, Noah looked like an idiot again. While LeBron was being defended right by the Chicago bench, he stood up and started screaming in admiration of the defense being played. Haven't you learned your lesson? LeBron drills a fall away 3, and stares down their bench as he walked away. Basically, you can take your seat Joakim.

Mo hits a nice 3 pointer at the 5 minute mark, and the defecit was only 10. And we thought.. it was only a matter of time before the Bulls fell apart. We headed into the 4th quarter, down 68-79.

Antawn hits a 3 of his own at the 10 minute mark cutting the lead to 71-81. And then it was time for another LeBron dunk. Driving down the middle, he threw a two-handed dunk down as Noah tried to slow him down. LeBron misses the free throw, but Delonte gets the kickout from the rebound and buries a 3. Clutch shooting from the shotgun-in-the-guitar-case guy. Delonte makes another great play grabbing the ball after an Antawn turnover to hand it off to LeBron for an easy lay-up, cutting the lead to 88-92. And again, we got our hopes up.

But the referees were set on screwing us over at the end. LeBron gets called for a charge on on of the worst slide-in defensive flops I've ever seen, and then Delonte has to foul Hinrich. But then the King comes down and hits another ridiculously deep 3. They foul Derrick rose and he misses the 1st free throw. Mo Williams hits another impossible 3 pointer, and we're only down 1. Then Brad Miller goes 1/2, and Parker grabs the rebound and tries a halfcourt shot. It winds up short to the right but still pretty close, and Chicago wins. Like I said, not what was supposed to happen here. The Cavs will make amends when they beat them down on Sunday. LeBron James is Underrated

Game 2: LeBron drops 40, Jamario does work; Cavs win 112-102

2010-04-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

Dear Joakim, I speak for the city of Cleveland when I say you are not welcome here. You proclaimed, "Cleveland sucks.. there's nothing to do here." Coming from the single ugliest player in the Association, we take that as a compliment. Didn't you sign a multi-million dollar contract? You have some money, so fix the gap in your teeth before you talk about my city again.

That being said, let's talk Game 2. The game started off with Shaq fouling Noah, and then Antawn committing an offensive foul. Not exactly the start we were looking for. Then Shaq comes down, draws an easy foul and makes both of his free throws, much to the delight of the best crowd in the NBA. At one point Shaq elbows Noah in the face, and Noah gets called for the foul. Karma's great.

LeBron starts off in assist-mode, hooking up Antawn for some easy buckets including a nice baseline dunk. Anthony Parker starts stroking some 3's, and we instantly feel better.

And then it happened. At the 1 minute mark, The King affirmed his dominance. He drove right on an over-aggressive James Johnson, and had one of the greatest posterizations of his career. LeBron's face said it all. Congratulations James Johnson, you officially just got Le-Dunked on, in front of millions of people. LeBron finishes the 1st quarter with 10 hard-earned points, and 5 dimes.

But Flip Murray was up to the challenge. Right at the end of the quarter, he drives down the middle of the lane for an easy lay-up, (much to the dismay of LeBron) and the 1st quarter ends with the Cavs up 28-22. Mo Williams was playing like a kid who had one too many Red Bulls. He had several turnovers, and was forcing himself into bad situations. And Flip Murray was keeping Chicago alive.

The Bulls won the battle of the 2nd quarter, outscoring the Cavaliers 28-24. Right about the 4-minute mark, LeBron emphatically denies Deng on a dunk attempt. But on the next possession, he sprints down the floor and gets his dunk; all the King could do was watch.

Shaq picks up his 3rd foul, and Mo was still being ignorant. We were allowing Chicago to stay in the game, by not playing great defense. They also had 8 offensive rebounds in the half. That's 8 too many. Joakim Noah was booed every single time he got the ball. Right before the half ends, LeBron starts getting into a groove shooting some deep jump shots. The half ends with the Cavs up 52-50, and we wondered why Chicago was in the game.

The 3rd quarter was back-and-forth almost the entire time. The Bulls just kept making shots. Rose, Hinrich, and Deng were pretty much on fire. Although I hate to admit it, Noah was outplaying Varejao. Which brings me to JJ Hickson. Why is he not in Mike Clown's playoff rotation? Clearly Noah was playing well, and our bigs weren't really stopping him. Hickson was one of catalysts during the regular season. Stop trying to prove a point Mike, and put him in the freaking game. Inserting him with a few seconds to go at the end of the quarter doesn't count. I just don't get it.

Anyways, like I said, this quarter was a well-fought battle. We take the lead at the end 78-76, after multiple lead changes and a different-looking Bulls team. If they actually knew how to use Flip Murray instead of relying on Deng and Rose every possession, they might have had a shot to win this game.

The 4th quarter starts off much like the 3rd, with both teams playing hard. And then Jamario and LeBron decided enough was enough. With roughly 9 minutes to go, Jamario hits one of his four crucial 3 pointers in the game, putting us up 85-80, but the Bulls weren't done yet.

Fast-forward to 7 minutes remaining. Noah tries a stupid little hook shot, and Moon blocks the crap out of it. 2 minutes later, Jamario hits another one of his huge 3 pointers. Deng responds with an And-1 layup with 4:45 cutting the lead to 96-93.

And then LeBron showed Skip Bayless and all his haters why they don't know what they're talking about. King James hits a deep 3 right in Noah's face, and then winks to Vinny Del Negro as he backpedals down the court. This was just the start. He comes down, hits a twisting left-handed layup, and then another deep jumper. LeBron scores 15 of his 40 points in the last 8 minutes.

Jamario's final exclamation point came with 30 seconds to go, as he hit the ultimate 3 point dagger to push the lead to 110-100. At this point, you can put this one in the books. Moral of the story: LeBron relies on his jump shot and rips 40, and Jamario to drill some clutch 3 pointers. All while Shaq and Antawn are still on the bench. Joakim is still ugly, and even though he played decently, he ends up looking like a fool. Not really hard for him to do, since he's the ugliest player in the NBA. Joakim, nobody likes you. I'm glad you don't like Cleveland, because you won't have to return when we take both games in Chicago. Enjoy your offseason, maybe get your face fixed and your teeth taken care of? LeBron knows how big of a joke this guy is. 2 wins down, 14 to go. LeBron James is Underrated

Game 1: Shaq looks Unstoppable, Bulls can't hang

2010-04-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

Everything is looking real good for the Cavaliers right about now. On Saturday afternoon, the Cavs dropped the Bulls in the 1st game of the 2010 NBA playoffs, winning 96-83. This score didn't do justice to the fact that we were up by 22 points early in the 2nd half.

In his valiant return from injury, Shaquille O' Neal was nothing short of dominant. The Diesel came ready to play, and his 12 points in only 24 minutes were much appreciated. He gives the Cavaliers a low-post presence this team has lacked in past years. Joakim Noah looked helpless as Shaq dominated him in the low-post.

"Noah is a valuable piece for them, and he has to go to sleep worrying about what he will do with Shaq on Monday in Game 2," said Cavs point guard Mo Williams. "When Shaq gets that basketball, he can dictate the game."

Antawn Jamison also looked solid, putting in 15 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds. At one point in the 2nd quarter, he scored two layups in a matter of seconds. Antawn has to be thrilled to be on a team with championship aspirations. His effort was very important in this game.

The Bulls didn't go down without a fight, and cut the lead under double-digits in the 4th quarter. Derrick Rose led Chicago with 28 points, but the fact that he took 26 shots is not a good sign for this team. Chicago really doesn't have much of a chance in this series, and their only hope is to land a decent free-agent in the offseason. Rose needs a lot more help than he currently has.

"We can't wait to play again; I know I can't," he said. "It's going to be a fun series. This is something I live for. I think about it every day, every minute of the day, playing against the best team in the NBA and one of the best players in the NBA."

Derrick, stop and think about what you just said. You can't wait to play the Cavs again? Your team has no chance of even winning 1 game in this series. Stop talking, and start making plans for the offseason. It's going to be a fun series? You mean fun for Cleveland right?

Game 2 tips off tonight, and expect another beatdown by the best team in the NBA. Game 1 was evidence of the domination that will ensue in the playoffs. I wouldn't be surprised if we swept ever team from here on out. 1 win down, 15 to go. LeBron only scored 24 in the first game, and that's quite alright with Cavs fans. His best play was an alley-oop two-handed slam that really got the crowd into the game. On this year's team, LeBron doesn't have to score 40 every night for us to win. We have too many other good players. Mo Williams is a key part of this team. Add Shaq, Antawn, and our other role players and it's all looking good. LeBron will have some more spectacular plays tonight. I guarantee it. LeBron James is Underrated

NBA Playoffs 2010 aka the "real" season (Predictions sure to go wrong)

2010-04-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

It's time. The Cavs lost the season finale to the Hawks, but the time for LeBron to rest is over with. I must say, it kind of bothers me that we're "limping" into the playoffs on a 4-game losing streak. Mike Brown decided he didn't care, since we've already locked up home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

Cleveland, it is time for an NBA championship. LeBron, in his 7th season, is poised to win it all. This is the best supporting cast The King has had since he's been here. There aren't any excuses that can be made this year. Shaq Diesel has had a long time to get into playoff shape, and he's vowed his mission here is "To win a ring for the King".

Well, it all starts today. Chicago beat out Toronto for the right to play the Cavs in the 1st round. They probably think they have a chance to shock the world and upset the best team in the NBA. Not happening. Chicago doesn't have the depth or skill to match up with us. Think about our bigs, there's just too many of them. Zydrunas, Shaquille, Varejao, and Hickson. Brad Miller and Joakim Noah aren't exactly on their level.

16 victories. That's all we need to bring home the trophy. This is the best chance a Cleveland professional franchise has ever had to win a championship since 1964. We are considered to be the favorite, and rightly so. A lot of people are saying the Bulls will steal at least one game in this series, but I just don't see it happening. LeBron is on a mission. Cavs sweep the Bulls, although a few games will come down to the end.

This is the best time of the year. School is winding down, and the NBA playoffs are starting. There are so many good playoff matchups in the 1st round alone. In the East you have Chicago vs. Cleveland aka Rose vs. LeBron. My next favorite matchup is Orlando vs. MJ's Charlotte Bobcats. Orlando will likely win this series, but it won't be easy. In the end, too much Dwight Howard for the Bobcats to deal with. Orlando needs 7 games to win here.

Then you have the Celtics facing Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. Dwayne's a superstar in this league, but his lack of a supporting cast will equal a first-round exit. On a team with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett.. Rondo is still their best player. Too much Rondo, not enough Flash. Boston wins in 5. Boston's cast of senior citizens live to fight another day.

Atlanta takes on the Bucks, who are without Andrew Bogut. Atlanta is tough this year, and without Bogut the Bucks don't stand a chance. I like Brandon Jennings, but they just don't have enough other pieces to contend this year. The Hawks rely on Joe Johnson, Jamal Crawford, and Josh Smith to run over the Bogut-less Bucks. Atlanta wins this series in 5 games.

In the West, things are a lot more wide-open. The Lakers are not the team they were last year. They miss Trevor Ariza. They back into the playoffs losing 7 of their last 11, including losses against the LA Clippers, New Orleans, and Oklahoma City.

There are a lot of good matchups in the 1st round, but the most intriguing is obviously Kobe vs. Durantula. Phil Jackson knows his team is on-the-brink of an early exit, which explains why he threw $35,000 down the toilet to try to get into Durant's head by saying he draws too many ticky-tack fouls. The referees won't adjust their calls; I don't see that affecting this series. As much as I'd love to see the Lakers lose this series, it's not happening. Lakers win this one in 5 games, although the games will be a lot closer than the Zen Master would like. Durant's time is next year. He needs more than Russell Westbrook to take down the Lakers.

Denver vs. Utah is an interesting series as well. Carlos Boozer will be the reason why the Jazz do NOT win this series. He thinks he's way better than he actually is. Had he stayed in Cleveland, he would have had a much better chance at coming away with a ring. Too much Carmelo Anthony, and even without George Karl on the sidelines, the Nuggets take this one in 6 games. The Nuggets are going to make a run this year. You heard it here first.

Steve Nash and the Suns take on the Trail Blazers. No Brandon Roy and no Greg Oden means no wins. I'm taking the Suns in a 4-0 sweep. The Blazers won't be able to keep up with Nash, Stoudemire, and Channing Frye. Frye can knock down 3's with the best of 'em. Sorry Blazers, better luck next time.

The Dallas Mavericks are a trendy pick to come out of the West. They've been playing great, and with the addition of Caron Butler they add another degree of toughness. Dirk Nowitzki is one of the game's pure scorers, and they look tough this year. Jason Kidd is a playoff-tested point guard. But for some reason, it takes them 7 games to barely hang on and beat the San Antonio Spurs.  Greg Popovich always seems to get the best out of players during the postseason. Unfortunately, Richard Jefferson holds this team back and their defense can't hang. They do win 3 games and take a 3-2 lead in the series, but lose the next 2 and are sent home.

So, let's recap my picks here. Cleveland, Boston, Orlando, and Atlanta in the East. No surprises there.  In the West, the Lakers, Nuggets, Suns, and Mavericks all make it to the 2nd round.

Playoff time is great.  All of these series are going to be competitive, except for Phoenix/Portland and Atlanta/Milwaukee. If you think about it though, all of these teams are just playing for the chance to ultimately lose to LeBron and the Cavaliers. I am convinced this is our year. Too much talent and too much depth for any other team to win a series against us. LeBron's bringing the championship to Cleveland this year, the next year, the year after that, etc.. The Cavaliers are poised to become a dynasty. It all starts today. LeBron James is underrated

Welcome back Shaq, We've missed your services

2010-04-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

I feel the need to pay homage to the largest Cleveland Cavalier ever. Shaquille O' Neal is set to return from injury, although we're not sure if we'll see him in action tonight vs. the Atlanta Hawks.

It was probably tough for the Diesel to sit out most of what may be his only season with LeBron James. Since the injury though, he has been working hard to get into playoff shape. He dropped 20 pounds, and he looks to be in the best shape he's been for some time.

This video is an NBA all-star classic. Shaq, LeBron, and Dwight in a dance-off 2 years ago. What's not to love?

I knew Shaq had moves, but seriously.. this guy can dance. Not to say that LeBron doesn't have some tight moves himself. Regardless, the Big Aristotle has to be the best dancing 7 foot 3" 350 man ever. Enjoy this video, and the fact that we have this guy on our team. Shaq is a physical freak. Kind of like LeBron. LeBron James is underrated

shaq attack! from eldina fetic on Vimeo.

Bad news: No LeBron = 3rd straight loss.. Good news: Shaq is back

2010-04-13T12:39:00.000-07:00

Watching the Cavaliers without LeBron is like watching the Special Olympics. No offense, but it's hard to watch. You really want them to succeed, but you know something is missing.

Sunday afternoon, the team that bounced the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals last year showed up to Cleveland for the last regular season meeting between the two teams. Mike Brown decided to sit LeBron for the 3rd straight game, and the end result reflected this move.

Personally, like most other Cavs fans, I would have loved to see him play. I felt that we needed to send a message to the Magic that this is not their year, and the only way to do that is from a thorough beatdown right before the playoffs start. Regardless, it didn't happen. LeBron was in street clothes again, and (surprise) we lost by 6 points 98-92.

Let's give the LeBron-less Cavaliers some credit though; they started off as well as you could have imagined. At one point we took a 16 point lead, and the Magic looked like a D-league team. No LeBron and they can't do anything? Maybe they were let down because they thought The King would play, but that's not really a good excuse. Stan Van Gundy used it anyways.

"I don't know if we still would have won, but we would've played much better, much more focused had LeBron played," Van Gundy said. "The air went out of our locker room when our guys found out he wasn't playing."

Van Gundy was in a terrible mood for most of the first half, and you can't blame him. The Magic couldn't do anything offensively; they had no ball-movement and shots just weren't dropping. Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams were leading the Cavaliers to what looked like would be a blow-out.

It wasn't meant to be, and the Magic cut the defecit to only 4 points before half. Dwight Howard was a huge factor for them, and his 22 points and 13 rebounds were only a small part of his dominance. Antawn and Mo didn't see the floor in the 4th quarter, which might explain why we lost. Listen Mike Brown, I understand you want to rest your starters and we've already locked up the #1 seed overall, but have some perspective here. This is the team that knocked us out of the playoffs last year, and you're going to give them a game right before the start of the playoffs?

This reminds me of Jim Caldwell sitting Peyton Manning during the last part of their regular season finale, and the bench just couldn't hold the lead. That move allowed the Jets to win the game, ruined the Colts perfect season, and gave the Jets some confidence going into the playoffs. Sometimes coaches overthink resting their starters, and it can have a negative impact on a team. Losing 3 straight is not the way I envisioned this team heading into the last game of the regular season.

So here's what I'm saying, please get our starters back in vs. the Hawks. We need to at least get one game to get our team back on track, because losing 4 in a row can't ever be considered a good thing going into the playoffs.

Speaking of getting our starters back, there was great news for Cavaliers fans released yesterday. Shaquille O' Neal has officially been cleared to play, and maybe we'll see him tomorrow night vs. the Hawks. Shaq Diesel is going to be a huge part of our success in the playoffs this year; we need his physical presence. Sunday proved that without him, the Cavs can't handle Dwight Howard both offensively and in the rebounding battle. "The Real Superman" doesn't just sit around and let Dwight do his thing. He bodies him up and when it's necessary, sends him to the free throw line. There are reports that Shaq has lost over 20 pounds since his injury, and he looks to be in great shape. He also is sporting the clean-shaven look for the first time in awhile.

This season has flown by, and it's hard to believe there's only one regular season game left. Atlanta is another one of those teams we can't allow to gain confidence, because they have a well-put together team capable of making a run in the playoffs. My proposal: play your best players, and end this nonsensical losing streak. Mike Brown, take off your glasses for a second and stop pretending to be smarter than you are. LeBron wants to play. Don't be ignorant. LeBron James is Underrated

Without LeBron, Cavaliers lose two close affairs (what did you expect?)

2010-04-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

Breaking News: Without LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers aren't the best team in the NBA. Mike Brown has decided to rest his superstar, and the Cavs responded by losing two games in a row.

First up was the battle with Chicago on Thursday night. Even without LeBron, this was still a pretty entertaining game to watch. Most of the fireworks came from Mo Williams, who decided he would try to be LeBron-for-a-night. Mo finished with 35 points, and late in the 4th quarter he single-handedly kept the Cavs in the game. His 3 point shooting stroke was spectacular, and LeBron showed his appreciation dancing on the sidelines as Mo went off. Mike Brown also was very impressed with Williams.

"He was terrific,' Brown said. "He did a nice, nice job of not only looking for his shot, and being aggressive, but also looking to get others involved."

The game ultimately came down to the wire, and the Bulls held on to win 109-108. It was back and forth all night, with the lead changing 20 times. Anderson Varejao missed a jumper that would have stolen this game from Chicago, who desperately needed a win to keep their playoff chances alive. This marked the first time in 31 consecutive games that the Cavs lost to a team with a losing record.

There was however, something very positive to take away from this game; there was a Sebastian Telfair sighting. In only 16 minutes on the floor, Telfair had 8 points on 4/7 shooting. Remember the Cavs acquired him in the Jamison deal. His offensive game is solid, and his passing ability is also noteworthy. I like the way Sebastian runs the offense, and he could possibly serve as a great backup for Mo in the years to come. You had to have been impressed with his ability to come in the game and make an impact.

Mike Brown basically confirmed the fact that he wants to rest his starters as much as possible, because late in the game, Antawn Jamison went down with an injured ankle. He was attacking offensively and his 23 points were huge. Hopefully he doesn't have to miss any time in the playoffs.

After the loss in Chicago, the Cavs were set to face the Indiana Pacers. This is a team that has no business competing with the Cavaliers, provided that LeBron James is in uniform. The King took the night off, and you can pretty much guess the outcome: Cavs play tough, but without LeBron they lose again.

Mo Williams also sat out this game. Telfair yet again stepped up in his absence, and impressed his Cavalier teammates as well as coach.

"For being a new guy and a young guy, you can feel the leadership qualities that he does have," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "He is extremely intelligent, he has a great feel for the game and a great change of gear, and he's worked extremely hard on his mid-range game."

Telfair came off the bench and had another solid night shooting the basketball. He finished with 21 points on 8/14 shooting. He also had 4 nice assists, which is probably my favorite part of his game. His vision and ability to sneak bounce passes in tight holes makes him a threat offensively. Combine that with his great scoring ability, and you have a potentially great Cavalier in the making.

Danny Granger finished strong with 36 points, but his quote after the game made me laugh a little bit.

"It's a great confidence builder because Cleveland is a great team," Granger said. "I don't care who is not playing for them, they're still very good. So, it's a great road win for us."

Really Danny? You're proud of beating the Cavs without LeBron, Mo, Antawn, or Shaq? That's 4 of our starters and our best talent. Congratulations, you really should be proud of yourself. Next time, don't say stupid things.

So all of this brings us to the showdown with the Magic today. LeBron will not be playing again, which I have to question. Orlando is capable of beating the Cavs, and this game sets the tone for a potential Eastern Conference Finals matchup. Why not play LeBron and get him back into the flow, and then rest him in the season finale vs. Atlanta? I understand wanting to rest him, but you can't let the Magic gain more confidence if they happen to win today. Without LeBron in the lineup, that has a much better chance of happening. I think seeing Jamison go down in Chicago had a lot to do with this decision. Maybet we'll win anyways. It's all about the playoffs, which are approaching very fast. This is our year. LeBron will get his championship for the city of Cleveland. LeBron James is Underrated