Shaquille O' Neal won't play again during the regular season. Thanks to Glen Davis, the Big Aristotle required surgery on his thumb, and is expected to miss the next 6-8 weeks. Your initial thought might have been one of supreme worry, but there really isn't any reason to stress. Consider the current state of the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers are still the best team in the league. Shaq being forced to sit will open up more minutes for Leon Powe, JJ Hickson, and Varejao. The Cavaliers acquired O'Neal to matchup against Dwight Howard in the playoffs, which the Diesel will be well-rested for. Shaq is almost 38 years old, and the 2 month layoff will allow his body to regenerate so he can give LeBron and the Cavs his best performance when we really need him. O'Neal is still a force in this league, and his field-goal percentage at 57% leads the Cavs.

So Shaq goes down, and the Cavaliers first test was against the mighty New York Knicks on Monday night. This game absolutely confirmed that LeBron won't leave the best team in the league to go to the defense-less Knicks. It's not like the Knicks don't have talent. David Lee, Galinardi, Al Harrington, and more recently the likes of Tracy McGrady. It's more about the culture of losing within the franchise, which has been consistent for many years.

You could have just watched the 1st half and gotten a good feel for the game. The Cavaliers scored 74 points, including a multitude of dunks by LeBron. Anderson Varejao played like a man possessed; He was all over the floor. Delonte played great too. West contributed solid defense, scored 15 points, and had a back-door dunk on Tracy McGrady. Thanks for coming out T-Mac.

JJ Hickson started at the 5 for the first time I can remember. The Cavs went small, and it showed in our ability to get out on the fast-break. The end of the first half demoralized the Knicks, and they had to go into the locker room knowing they weren't coming out of the Q with a win. An underrated statistic in the NBA is the plus/minus of each player every night. Playing against the Knicks helps, but observe the ridiculous plus/minus of the 5 starters.

LeBron - +39
Jamison - +38
Hickson - +28
Parker - +35
Williams - +21

Clearly the Cavs did work. The Knicks never stood a chance, and this was precisely the game the Cavs needed after finding out Superman was out for the rest of the season. "They outclassed us, outmatched us and outplayed us," said Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni. "Obviously, they're a better team than we are." The final score of 124-93 doesn't even do justice to the beatdown that ensued. We were up 40 points at one point.

Which is why LeBron won't leave Cleveland for your crappy, defense-less team. It was made known recently that LeBron filed the paperwork to officially change his number from 23 to 6 next season. His reason is simple; LeBron wants to commemorate Jordan and thinks no one else should wear his number. What's more telling is the timing of this. LeBron didn't need to do this if he wasn't planning on staying in Cleveland. It's common knowledge that when you change teams, you can simply select the jersey you want, you don't have to change your number from your old team. Add it up. Best team in the NBA + looming championship ring in June = LeBron wants to stay in the city he built from the ground-up. LeBron James is underrated

Nothing tastes better than a beatdown against the Celtics, especially in Boston. It didn’t come easily until the 4th quarter, and the Cavs struggled for most of the first half. At the start of the game, LeBron was the only bright spot. Rajon Rondo dissected the Cavaliers defense at will, and no one except the King looked in-sync offensively. The Celtics outplayed and outhustled the Cavs. At the end of the quarter the Celtics led 31-21, and had clear control over the pace of the game.

The Cavaliers started the 2nd off with a sick play by Anderson Varejao. Following Shaq’s missed hook shot, Anderson had a nasty tip-slam. This was a sign of things to come, as Varejao came down the next possession, and drove backdoor for an easy lay-up. The Celtics remained hot, and took advantage of the lackluster defense on the perimeter, leading to several open 3 pointers. The Cavaliers ran the offense primarily through Shaq, and Varejao added several more baskets to keep the Cavs in the game.

Right around the 7 minute mark, Shaq took a timeout because he severely sprained his thumb on a hard block by Glen “Baby” Davis. The Diesel had to go to the locker room, and didn’t return to the game. We were down 10 points throughout most of the quarter, and the Cavaliers just couldn’t seem to get into rhythm offensively enough to cut the lead down. At the end of the half, LeBron drilled a three cutting the Celtics lead to 56-48. Leon Powe saw his first minutes as a Cavalier, and we wondered how long it would be until we saw Shaquille again.

The 3rd quarter was a turning point, and the Cavs came out with something to prove. LeBron and Jamison ended the quarter by combining to score the last 16 points, and the Cavs tied it at 74. Hickson played solid, and the Celtics didn’t look nearly as good as they did in the 1st half. At the end of the quarter, LeBron had already attempted 13 free throws. Speaking of which, does anyone realize that the Cavaliers are the 28th best free-throw shooting team in the league? That could come back to hurt us in the playoffs if we can’t hit big free throws at the end of games.

The Cavaliers stopped messing around in the 4th, and took control of the game. Mo Williams hit 3’s on back to back possessions midway through the quarter. At one point Kendrick Perkins and LeBron almost skirmished, and then Varejao stepped in. Kendrick Perkins – you are the dumbest, most uneducated piece of garbage to ever represent the NBA. Honestly, no one likes you. You always have a stupid look on your face, and you’re really the most un-intimidating scrub I’ve ever seen. Congratulations on not winning a championship this year. Somebody punch this guy in the face already.

The Celtics showed their age, and lacked the ability to hang with the Cavs late in the game. Mo Williams got real dirty, and this game turned into a blow-out, Cavalier-style. Who would have thought the Celtics would score 32 points in the 2nd half, and the Cavs would drop almost 60? Mike Brown has to be pleased with the defensive effort in the latter half.

The Celtics have serious issues, and don’t have the energy level to compete with the Cavaliers. LeBron did work as usual: 36 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds. Look for the Cavs to continue the new winning streak across the border in Canada tonight, where Chris Bosh will be waiting. The Cavs seem to be getting a better grip on life with Antawn, and maybe Shaquille sitting for awhile will give other players a chance to step up. LeBron runs this show anyways. LeBron James is Underrated

It's almost official like a referee with a whistle. Zydrunas is very close to ending his short, invisible stint as a Washington Wizard, as they are nearing buying out the 7+ foot Lithuanian. Something just didn't feel right when Danny Ferry sent the life-time Cavalier to Washington, and now he should get his opportunity to end his career in Cleveland.

Zydrunas has made clear that his heart has always been in Cleveland, and he was probably not too happy that the team had to include him in the deal to get Antawn Jamison. Nothing personal Z, just business as usual. The man gave the Cavaliers everything his fragile feet could offer. He battled through multiple foot injuries, and recently broke the record for games played in a Cleveland uniform.

For reasons only he must know, Z is expected to entertain offers from several other teams, but the league-wide speculation is that Z will return to Cleveland, for at least one more run at a championship with LeBron and the new-look Cavs. There are supposedly several other teams interested in his services, but it is highly unlikely that he would sign with anyone else. Per the ignorant 30-day NBA waiting period, Zydrunas will not be eligible to return until March 21st. I love that NBA rule, if you want to trade a player and then get him back.. he has to wait 30 days. Recently Phil Jackson and Doc Rivers complained to the league about this rule, and questioned the legitimacy of him returning to the Cavaliers who just traded him. Shut up already Phil, you were the architect of the highway-robbery when you stole Pau Gasol from Memphis a few years ago. Doc, just because you have a couple retirement-home all-stars, don't be jealous.

Why do the Cavaliers need Zydrunas back? Well, for one thing.. the dude is 7 ft. 3". Thats 87 inches of sheer man, and Ilgauskas is one of the most underrated big-men in the Association. His ability to spread defenses and knock down perimeter shots, including 3 pointers, is a vastly important tool for any offense. The Cavaliers need both Shaq for his physical presence, and Zydrunas for his finesse and ability to drill shots from every spot on the floor. LeBron likes having Z on the floor, because he is seemingly always wide-open when teams double the King. LeBron likes playing with this freakishly-tall Lithuanian loch-ness monster. LeBron James is Underrated

In his first start as a Cleveland Cavalier, Antawn Jamison hit the first shot, and made the first assist. He also stepped up his defensive effort, and forced David West to take several tough shots. Mo Williams found Shaquille O’ Neal on multiple occasions for easy alley-oops and dunks in Emeka Okafor’s face. Anthony Parker hit some wide-open 3 pointers; The Cavaliers were doing work.

And all this was before LeBron put a basket in. The Kings first two points of the game came via the non-human variety, when he drove the lane and crushed home a one handed video game-esque tomahawk slam. The Cavs owned a 28-16 lead at the end of the 1st quarter, and we liked what we saw.

When LeBron exits the game, as he typically does after 1st quarter domination, the crowd’s energy level does as well. The level of performance on the Quicken Loans hardwood instantly loses its luster. Needless to say, the 2nd quarter started off on a different tune. New Orleans made things interesting with a 9-0 run, taking advantage of LeBron’s absence. Mo Williams goes (Mortal-Kombat) Sub-Zero and starts the game Ice-Cold; He bricked 6 of his 7 first shots. Does anyone else remember how much better the offense looked with Gibson running the show, deferring to LeBron, while Delonte/Mo nursed their injuries? The Cavaliers allow Hornets rookie Marcus Thornton to score 23 points in the quarter. Who? He finished with 37 points. What happened to the defensive philosophy?

In the 2nd half, the Cavaliers still could not pull away from New Orleans. David West and Marcus Thornton kept coming at us, and the game was close all the way until the end. The best play of the night occurred in the 3rd on a LeBron/Jamison fast break, where the King bounced passed to Jamison who did not disappoint, dunking all up-in David West’s grillpiece. Jamison had to monkey hang after the slam, as he effectively made David West the recipient of an all-time great posterization. That one definitely got the crowd up, as it was Jamison’s first truly incredible play as a Cleveland Cavalier.

Late in the game, LeBron took over as he usually does, but this time it was by his ability to dish the ball. The Akron Hammer either scored or assisted on the last 10 points of the game, and the Cavs pulled away to win 105-95. Delonte West and Mo Williams redeemed themselves (somewhat) by drilling two clutch 3 pointers late. We need them to get it going earlier to put teams like New Orleans away.

Mike Brown, I like that you are trying to get Jamison acclimated within the offense, but I take issue when you can’t find a single minute for JJ Hickson, who has been the Cavaliers spark throughout most of the season. Daniel Gibson doesn’t get a chance to play either? I think the 32 minutes you found for Delonte, (who was getting schooled up and down the floor by a New Orleans rookie) could be better served by playing Daniel Gibson.

Leon Powe also deserved some playing time, since he is medically cleared and Cavaliers fans have been wanting to see what he can do all season. Get your rotation figured out Mike Clown, because we need Hickson and Gibson both contributing to win a title. Delonte West is not the solution, he may in fact be part of the problem. We better see all three in action on Thursday when the Cavaliers take on the Celtics. Gibson is shooting 48% from behind the arc on the season, which means you get him minutes. (and shots) Powe will be motivated to show his former team why they still should have signed him after his knee injury.. LeBron, as coach of this team please figure out a better rotation. LeBron James is underrated

Correction: Thanks to Brian B. of youngerandbetter.net, I learned that Mike Brown did not in fact, snub J.J. Hickson last night. Hickson was suffering from flu-like symptoms, and that is the reason he did not play. I stand corrected. My apologies Mr. Clown, but what was your reason for not playing Gibson? 48%. That's his 3 point percentage on the season. Get the man some PT. B-Bohan also informed myself that Paul Pierce will miss tomorrow night's showdown because of a busted thumb. Well, I guess that leaves only 2 senior citizens we have to contend with. Rajon Rondo is one of only a few Boston Celtics who doesn't park handicapped. LeBron will make them look their age. LeBron James is still underrated

Since the Cavaliers are on an irrelevant 3-game losing streak, I've decided to shift attention from that to something much more important in the long run. Pretty soon the Cavs will figure out what works with the new look team, and Antawn Jamison will play solid in a quarter other than the 3rd. The Cavs don't play until tomorrow night, and quite frankly there's nothing else to talk about.

So here's what I propose; Move over Jerry West. I'm sorry, but you've long been outdated as the NBA logo. It's about time that the game's best player ever represented the league. Why was Jerry West even the NBA logo to begin with? I'm not really sure, but it doesn't matter. The logo should be a current player, not one who is now classified as a senior citizen.

Jerry West doesn't even have a cool picture on the current NBA logo, because he never had the skill to dunk the ball like the King does. I'm sick of it. Please somebody just do something about this already.

You could go with Kobe, but no one really likes that selfish, overrated, purple jersey-wearing scrub. You maybe could argue that Michael Jordan should be the logo, but his playing days are over. I'm pretty sure that just leaves the best choice, the greatest player to ever play the game. David Stern should get this taken care of, because we're sick of Jerry West. LeBron needs to be the face of the league, considering LeBron is the face of the league. LeBron James is underrated

Since trading for Antawn Jamison and sending Zydrunas on a leave-of-absence, the Cavaliers are struggling. The first test after the all-star break was against Carmelo Anthony and the surging Nuggets, and an epic duel broke out between two of the NBA’s premiere players. Long story short, LeBron played out of his mind, messed around and got a triple-double.(43 Points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds) but Carmelo’s game winning shot sealed the deal.

After that heartbreak which ended the losing streak, the Cavs went to Charlotte and layed an egg. In Antawn Jamison’s first appearance as a Cavalier, he failed in grand proportion, missing all 12 of his field goal attempts, and never looked even remotely in-sync with his new team. In summation, Cavaliers lose their second in a row, and it appears that hell has frozen over. This is why the showdown in Orlando today was immeasurably important in terms of turning the ship around.

There were multiple storyline angles to consider in today’s game. First you have the growing nickname debacle between Shaq and Dwight. Shaq is upset, and rightly so. He was the original “Superman.” Another thing to watch for was the play of Antawn Jamison, and the Cavaliers ability to incorporate him into the offense.

So what does the King do? He comes out on a tear, and in the 1st half he dropped 21 points on 9/15 shooting. Shaq plays solid, battles Howard, and makes his first 8 attempts from the floor. Jamison looked out of sync and didn’t really have a good grasp of the offense still. The Magic played amazing defense on the Cavs and controlled the tempo of the 1st half, even without Dwight Howard who yet again picked up fouls leading to his early exit.

Early in the 3rd quarter, Jamison caught up to the offense and scored a bunch of points in a row. He makes impossible shots look easy, and this game definitely helped Antawn get a better feel for what he can contribute to this team. Shaq continued his vendetta against Dwight Howard, and early in the second half he not only blocked Howard’s hook shot, but also lost him defensively and slammed it home one-handed while drawing the contact for the And-1. Shaq does not like Dwight Howard, and he's taking the Superman-nickname war to another level.

The reason the Cavs couldn’t pull this game out was because of the defensive effort in the 4th quarter. The Magic hit some big 3 pointers late, and Vince Carter waited until the end to make his impact. Tough loss for LeBron and company, and we’ve now begun the wrong type of streak.. losing three in a row. Hopefully they can get it together and end this slide Tuesday night when New Orleans comes to town. This 3 game losing streak marks the first of its kind in over 2 years. There is one common theme during this skid; Zydrunas has averaged roughly 0 minutes. Oh wait, he's not on our team anymore. This might actually help the team though, because it’s better to lose a few now.. than a few in the playoffs which would mean no ring for the King. LeBron will soon put an end to this ignorance. LeBron James is underrated

You heard it hear first. I told you on February 5th (check the archives) that this move was coming. Cleveland owns the best team in the NBA, and they just made it even better. Dan Gilbert and Danny Ferry knew the importance of what is at stake. They want to show LeBron how serious they are about contending for a championship, and they wanted to do it now. The trade deadline was today, and the front office pulled off a move that they believe will keep LeBron in Cleveland. The Cavaliers obtained Antawn Jamison for Zydrunas Ilgauskaus and a 1st-round pick.

On ESPN’s Sportsnation yesterday, the Cavaliers free agency possibilities led the show. Colin Cowherd compared the Cleveland Cavaliers organization to an undeserving man who has the hottest girlfriend in the world. He will never have another girlfriend this attractive, and whatever she wants he must make happen. Well, undeserving Ferry yet again invests more money into keeping his girlfriend. (What’s next, a ring?) If LeBron James leaves the city of Cleveland this summer, you can pretty much consider the city’s championship aspirations null and void.

This is what Dan Gilbert knows, and he has made clear his intentions to give The King everything he wants and more. He just wasn't going to do it the wrong way. Amar'e Stoudemire was the Cavs first choice, but since they required us to trade JJ Hickson, Ferry set his sights on Jamison. Danny, you are a smart man. The joke is now on Phoenix, who failed to move Stoudemire.. and they know he's not coming back after this season. I like the move because we hold on to Hickson, who at this point might be more valuable than Stoudemire, because of his potential and the fact that he's only a 2nd year player.

The only knock on Jamison coming in is the fact that he sometimes plays suspect defense. When you play for the Wizards, and you know you're getting bounced in the 1st round by the Cavs anyways.. you'll have that. Guaranteed he shows up ready to work on his defense, because Mike Brown expects nothing less. This marks one of only a few times in NBA history that the team with the best record has obtained a player who is averaging more than 20 points in the season. In case you don't know, Jamison is an unbelieveable offensive threat in this league. He creates his own shot when he wants, and knows how to play off the ball. Couple that with LeBron's passing ability, and it smells like a championship is a-brewing in Cleveland. (holla at me Great Lakes Brewing Company)

The Cavs play their first game since the All-Star game tonight, against Melo and the Nuggets. Doubt Antawn will be ready to play in this one, but you never know. LeBron definitely had his hand in this move, as Ferry wouldn't have made it if he didn't have his approval. The Cavaliers somehow just pushed the best team in the league over the top. LeBron wants his ring, and he's going to get it. LeBron James is underrated