LeBron James, LeBron James blog, Cleveland Cavaliers

Friday, December 31, 2010

LeBron James' green light has Miami Heat red-hot

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.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

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

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.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

LeBron James and Dan Gilbert Part II

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.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

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

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.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Monday, September 20, 2010

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #3 Ricky Davis

"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.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #4 Zydrunas Ilgauskas

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.

* 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

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