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.

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

                    

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

                    

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

                    

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