From nba.com

 

Love this picture!

 

Caption: LeBron James #23 of the Eastern Conference dunks over Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Western Conference during the fourth quarter of the 2008 NBA All-Star Game at the New Orleans Arena.

 

http://www.nba.com/gallery/MVPAllstar/080217_11.html

Later La-La-Larry!  It's about time!!  :clap:  :clap:  Thanks  -  but let don't let the door hit you on the way out!

 

Sources: Cavs get Wallace from Bulls, Szczerbiak from Sonics

By Marc Stein, ESPN.com

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to have beaten the NBA's annual trade buzzer to get LeBron James some of the fresh help he's been openly craving.  In a three-way trade with Chicago and Seattle that has been submitted for league approval, NBA front-office sources say that Cleveland will come away with four new teammates for James, headlined by Ben Wallace from the Bulls and sharpshooter Wally Szczerbiak from the Sonics.

 

After Cleveland watched two longstanding trade targets land elsewhere -- Mike Bibby in Atlanta and Jason Kidd in Dallas -- sources say that the deal calls for the Cavaliers to receive Wallace, Szczerbiak, Seattle point guard Delonte West, Chicago's Joe Smith and a future second-round pick from the Bulls.

 

The Bulls, apparently abandoning their gamble on Wallace less than two seasons into the lucrative four-year deal they used to sign him away from Detroit, would get Cavaliers forward Drew Gooden and swingman Larry Hughes along with Cavs reserves Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown.  The Sonics, shedding Szczerbiak in the name of additional payroll flexibility, come away with the expiring contracts of Cleveland's Ira Newble and Chicago's Adrian Griffin as well as Cavs veteran Donyell Marshall.

 

More at www.espn.com

so the cavs gave up crap, overpaid crap, underused crap and drew gooden for wally and wallace?

 

(that's a compliment)

Hey I'm glad.  Hell I could probably have a better FG% than Larry's ~40%!  Also, at least we're not the knicks!  HAAAA

I love the Wally trade but the other one doesn't do anything for me.

 

We gave up one of the worst contracts in the league to get one equally as poor.  We'll see though.

I'm waiting for Steve Smith to respond to my email!  He's always got something bad to say about the CAVS! 

 

The boys on my staff are like what'ev and have started talking crap.

 

I just hung this sign on my door!  :-D

 

miraculously....Instant quiet.  :wink:

I'm very happy with this trade. Chicago was an awful fit for Ben Wallace. I know this is petty, but I thought it was ridiculous they wouldn't let me wear a 'fro and headband. They were trying to make him someone he isn't -- he's a bruiser, sitting under that hoop, and that hair is just part of his thing, like Andy's hair flopping around. I am STOKED to see him throw his weight around down low!

 

I am also excited to see the point guard play and how Wally fits into this team. I haven't watched him much since he left the T-Wolves.

 

One point that hasn't been mentioned is this addition through subtraction. We basically dumped all the players who sit and watch LeBron work his magic. Maybe the new blood will be able to create a dynamic environment around him. The NBA is crazy this season.

I am also excited to see the point guard play and how Wally fits into this team. I haven't watched him much since he left the T-Wolves.

 

One point that hasn't been mentioned is this addition through subtraction. We basically dumped all the players who sit and watch LeBron work his magic. Maybe the new blood will be able to create a dynamic environment around him. The NBA is crazy this season.

 

I agree jamiec.  Looks like we got folks who can produce and finally got some badass*s.  We're not going to be looked at as the "walk overs" or "nice guys" anymore.

Delonte West is the sleeper of this trade. He's been benched a lot in Seattle but has some decent defensive skills for a point guard and was scoring at a 10-point average before this season. His new teammates and scenery may give his career some new life.

Yeah lets just be honest.. anyone coming from Seattle is gonna have some new life after getting out of that hell-hole.

i'd have loved to have gotten kidd or bibby, but i have to say i'm floored by this. stunned. funny the cavs finally got wally.

Agreed, KJP.  I like Delonte and think he will fit in well here.  Quick, a good passer, and can score if he needs to.  Everyone always talks about how a good point guard doesn't need to score, but he's still gotta be somewhat of a threat to score, otherwise it's 4 on 5 (think Eric Snow...sorry Eric, you're a great guy and hometown and everything, but you gotta be able to score).

 

My feelings on the guys we gave up:

 

The biggest addition by subtraction, though, is Larry Hughes.  And I am not saying this to be a Larry Hughes basher like everyone else.  The guy has some talent and could be decent on another team...he just was an awful fit for a team with Lebron on it.  He doesn't move well without the ball, he doesn't pass well, he gambles too much on defense (it's either a steal or they get an advantage and then we usually pick up a foul), and on offense the only time he's productive is when he decides it's time for the Larry Hughes Show (you know, when you get that feeling that somehow he's gonna force a shot up sooner or later as he's dribbling around the 3 point arc).  No doubt the guy is a decent scorer, but on a team with Lebron James, there are many other things we need other than a one-on-on type player.

 

Also addition by subtraction is Donyell.  He's been awful this year.  Is it just me or does it seem like he throws up a brick/turns it over every time he drives?  He really should just hang out under the basket or stand outside and attempt to hit a 3 every once in a while.

 

Ira Newble...self-explanatory.  Ditto Cedric Simmons.

 

Drew Gooden...I don't know what to think of this guy.  He looks like an All-Star sometimes (not some games, sometimes, like he'll be good for half the second quarter, or for 5 posessions in a row in the 3rd, etc)...and other times, he looks like his mind is back on the Amish farm he found his beard at.  Is he bipolar or something?  I don't think he was as big of a loss as people think.  And it's too bad, because he has a lot of skill (great right hand half hook, pretty good shot from 18 feet, can throw it down hard, unlike Z) but he just goes into extended funks way too much to be reliable.

 

Shannon Brown...interesting one here.  I always thought this guy would turn out to be decent...and sometimes when given the chance he would look OK...but he always seemed to find a way to have enough bad games to put himself back on the bench...that and he likes to dribble way too much.  But I think he could turn out to be a better player than he was here, maybe he just needs to find some confidence.

 

All in all, I'm very happy with this trade.  I think Wally World will fit in here.  Delonte will too.  Ben Wallace will be nice to have around for all those times when you're screaming at the TV "quit playing like such a wimp Z!"  And Joe Smith is a respectable big man well.  Especially when Anderson comes back, we will have a nice, deep frontcourt.

I'm cautiously optimistic.

Trade adds up for Cavs

Thursday, February 21, 2008 

by Chris Broussard

ESPN insider

 

It's no secret that I'm a Cavaliers fan.  So how do I like today's blockbuster trade?  Well, I'm not dancing in the streets, but I do like it.  I think it betters their chances of winning the East, though they're still not the conference favorite.  Here's my breakdown of the 11-player trade for each of the three teams involved:

 

Cleveland: While Ben Wallace is the biggest name in the deal, he may not make the biggest impact for the Cavs.  The acquisition of Wally Szczerbiak could be huge.  With a player like LeBron, outside shooters are critical, and in Wally, the Cavs just added one of the league's best.  I also like getting Joe Smith. Smith is quietly having a very productive year.  He's averaging 11 points and 5 boards, but in seven starts this month, he's posted 18 points and 7 rebounds a game.  Smith is a smart, skilled player who'll play well off LeBron James, and those famous brain cramps Drew Gooden was known for will be no more.

 

More at www.espn.com

Honestly, I think Larry surge this last month was him playing for a trade.  He hated it here, at least as relates to his role on the team.  Larry's anything but dumb and he realized with his salary, he'd better buck up and start playing like he used to (Wizards, early Cavs) or he'd be stuck here.

 

Let's see what Big Ben has left.  Can still be an enforcer.  Fortunately, here, as in Detroit, he won't have to be THE MAN as the Bulls counted on him to be -- terrible fit.

 

Joe Smith, along w/ Ben and Andy, give us some tall enforcers to compliment Z's offensive game.  And he can score, and as Broussard notes, he won't hit the snooze button like Drew on D.

 

And Wally, though he's injury prone and has slow footspeed, can stick the 3 -- now we've got him, Gibson and, oftentimes, Damon, who can spread the floor for LeBron...

 

... I'm cautiously optimistic... Whatever the case, can't say Danny Boy's gun-shy anymore.

 

Honestly, I think Larry surge this last month was him playing for a trade.  He hated it here, at least as relates to his role on the team.  Larry's anything but dumb and he realized with his salary, he'd better buck up and start playing like he used to (Wizards, early Cavs) or he'd be stuck here.

 

Let's see what Big Ben has left.  Can still be an enforcer.  Fortunately, here, as in Detroit, he won't have to be THE MAN as the Bulls counted on him to be -- terrible fit.

 

Joe Smith, along w/ Ben and Andy, give us some tall enforcers to compliment Z's offensive game.  And he can score, and as Broussard notes, he won't hit the snooze button like Drew on D.

 

And Wally, though he's injury prone and has slow footspeed, can stick the 3 -- now we've got him, Gibson and, oftentimes, Damon, who can spread the floor for LeBron...

 

... I'm cautiously optimistic... Whatever the case, can't say Danny Boy's gun-shy anymore.

 

 

Exactly what the Cavs needed....a point guard, an outside shooter and especially an enforcer.  The Cavaliers have been too soft for too long....and very lucky that LeBron can't be manhandled out of his game like Kidd, Parker, Ginobli, etc.   

Man, this was such a fun game to watch tonight--the Q seemed to be rocking with excitement.

 

Here's a a recap out of Canton with some great quotes:

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

New-look Cavs rout Grizzlies

Sunday, February 24, 2008

BY Chris Beaven

REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

 

Throw out strategy. Forget calling plays. Energy, effort and emotion ruled Sunday night at Quicken Loans Arena when the revitalized Cavaliers delivered a 109-89 beating to the Memphis Grizzlies. A sell-out crowd of 20,562 showed up ready to roar, fired up the players and then got quite a show in watching the Cavs win their third straight.

 

From "Big" Ben Wallace chasing around a point guard and forcing a five-second count to Joe Smith making jumper after jumper, the new-look Cavs made an impressive debut together and had as much fun as the fans. "I was telling the guys on the bench that might have been the first time in a long time I got chills when I took the court," Smith said. "When we ran out on the floor for warm-ups, the crowd reaction and how they accepted us, I kind of got goose bumps on my body. And that hasn't happened in a while."

 

Full story at http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=400839&Category=17&subCategoryID=27

 

Man, this was such a fun game to watch tonight--the Q seemed to be rocking with excitement.

 

I agree; I was lucky enough to be at the game and people were definitely stoked about the new guys. Weirdly there was one guy standing at the base of an elevator shouting "SLAP MY HAND IF YOU AGREE DANNY FERRY IS AN IDIOT AND SHOULD BE FIRED!!!!".. nobody slapped his hand.

Saw this on the front of Yahoo!

---

 

 

Jay-Z’s relationship with James should worry Cavs

By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports Feb 25, 4:19 am EST

 

As Jay-Z made a toast next to his co-host, LeBron James, at a VIP dinner during All-Star weekend, he spoke of branding, about a new world order of celebrity businessmen.  They declared this the Two Kings dinner in New Orleans and the star-studded list of invitees included NBA owners and stars, music label executives and A-list performers.  Jay-Z talked of a tomorrow when these two monuments to music and basketball will transform the rules of engagement for the iconic performer, one witness said. He talked of making history.

 

For the Cavaliers officials watching, there had to be something of a collective gulp.  What’s unnerving to Cleveland is that Jay-Z happens to be a part owner of the New Jersey Nets with unlimited access to James’ heart, mind and ambitions.  Of course, the Nets are plotting a move to a sparkling new arena in Brooklyn, perhaps as soon as the 2011-2012 season.  They’re clearing cap space and planning a pursuit of James when he can opt out of his contract in the summer of 2010.

 

More at http://sports.yahoo.com/

Do I hear/read an echo in here?

Dumbest.. article.. ever..

Dumbest.. article.. ever..

 

The NYC media and other parts of the national media have loved manufacturing this story for about 4 years now.

This guy is a putz. I end up sending him poison pen e-mails at least twice a season. For some reason he and the other dummies love to drag this out: LeBron loves New York. LeBron love Jay-Z. LeBron is leaving Cleveland.

 

LeBron is going to go where he needs to go in order to win. If in two years the Cavs still haven't won it all and their future prospects look crappy, he's going to go where he can get a lot of money and have a solid chance to win. It would be really something to see him in a Brooklyn uniform, but Jason Kidd just stormed out of town because they couldn't put a winner together. They haven't had a decent shot in years. Will they be able to figure it out in time? If LeBron is still craving a championship, is he going to be patient enough to go to another team and do the same thing all over again that he's doing here?

 

There are a lot of other areas where LeBron can team up with Jay-Z. I don't think there is some secret deal to leave. What will be will be. In the meantime, the Cavs needs to keep winning.

Can I get a [what what]?

Do I hear/read an echo in here?

 

No, that was a gnat farting ;-)

The Cavs are doing what the need to do: win now.  We made our 1st finals last year in the franchize's 37 years.  We could win it all this year -- the trade certainly made that possible (and if not this year, the contracts set up for more cap-space clearance for still an even bigger trade this summer/next year -- around/over $50M are coming off our books after next year).  Beyond that, why worry about 3 years from now.  If LeBron wins us 1 championship, I'll be happy in the championship-starved market.  If he leaves after that?  ... so be it. 

 

Clevelanders love to drive themselves crazy/paranoid with this silly stuff and the NY media is loving every min of it.

Dumbest.. article.. ever..

 

The NYC media and other parts of the national media have loved manufacturing this story for about 4 years now.

 

totally.

 

typical remark in the article: “Jay-Z is the one person that I can put in a parallel universe with LeBron from where they started and where they are now. If LeBron has a role model in life, it’s Jay-Z."

 

geezus what crap -- since when were lebron's role models former drug dealers? whatev.

 

most egregious of all is the studious lack of real background information in that article. although some preliminary pre-construction has begun, woj likes to forget atlantic yards & barclays arena in brooklyn are mired in lawsuits. the completion timeline has ballooned from 3 1/2 yrs away to 5 yrs away. come on, it's a contested mammoth 22 acres of development, including a huge deck over a railyard, it definately won't happen quickly. so lastly, if woj just wants to yak it up in that editorial puff piece of his well then what about the current rumor that the ratners may sell and the nets may be playing in a newark arena after all!?!  oooh can't bring up all that stuff can he? :laugh:

 

 

 

 

What happened to Bron-Bron?  Is he injured badly??

geezus what crap -- since when were lebron's role models former drug dealers? whatev.

 

They are both wealthy African-American men.  That guarantees they have had pretty much the exact same life experiences, doesn't it?

 

</sarcasm> for those that haven't caught on yet

Did anyone catch Lebron's shot before halftime (3 of his 50 tonight)?  Fading away and to his left from about 7 feet inside half court, elevating and shooting at his peak, nothing but the bottom of the net.  That could have been of the most impressive shots I have ever seen.  I can't imagine being strong enough to be able to even get it there, let alone have any accuracy!

Yep I watched the game tonight--he also told Spike Lee he was going to score 50 during the 3rd quarter.  Madison Square Garden even gave him a standing ovation after the game...so please stay in Cleveland Lebron.

 

 

Game Recap from USAToday:

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

James has 50 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, leads Cavs over Knicks  

 

NEW YORK -The "MVP!'' chants weren't enough for one fan, who had to come on the court to tell LeBron James how much he appreciated the superstar's spectacular performance.  James had 50 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds to win over the Madison Square Garden crowd and lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 119-105 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.

 

He shot 16-of-30 from the field, including 7-of-13 from 3-point range, in his second 50-point game this season. He exited with fans standing and chanting ``MVP!'' in the final minute.  One fan in a Cavaliers jersey ran onto the floor toward the Cleveland bench, even saying a few words to James, before being turned away by security and arrested.

 

More at http://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores108/108065/NBA777015.htm

Man he played a heck of a game. Wish i could've watched it.

LeBron unfazed by running fan

By IAN BEGLEY

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Thursday, March 6th 2008, 4:00 AM

 

A fan approaches LeBron James on the court on Wednesday night.  No one in a Knicks uniform could stop LeBron James on Wednesday night, but a fan wearing a King James jersey did his best to get in the superstar's way.  With 23 seconds left in Cleveland's 119-105 win at the Garden last night and James headed to the bench, Anthony Erskine, 17, of Mount Vernon, dressed in a white Cavs No. 23 jersey, sprinted from the Seventh Ave. side of the floor to the Cavs' sideline and made a bee line for James.  Some on the Cleveland bench, including coach Mike Brown, were startled, but not James.

 

"It was a great feeling, to get a fan to come down there and express the way he feels about you," James said after he scored 50 points.  "He (said) he loves the way I play, I was his favorite player.  Was James intimidated by the fan, who was in a full sprint before Garden security quickly grabbed him and tossed him out of the arena?  "No, I'm 6-9, 260 (pounds)," said James, who finished two rebounds short of a triple-double with 10 assists and eight rebounds. "I'm all right."

 

More at www.nydailynews.com/sports/index.html

eh, looks like lebron was hanging out with his buddy jay-z after the game at this new tiny bar joint near my place:

 

Overcrowding at The Knot

Friday, March 7, 2008

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Rusty Knot owner Ken Friedman is worried that last night's soft opening of the new far West Village bar was a little too successful. He's going to think things over and postpone the opening to next week: "Friedman has decided to close the place back up for a few days until he can figure out how to handle the crowds, which are much more intense than he bargained for. (Just last night, we saw Mary-Kate (or was it Ashley?) Olsen coming out the door, and Kate Krader of Food and Wine says Jay-Z and LeBron James were frolicking inside too." [Cutlets]

 

http://eater.com/archives/2008/03/overcrowding_at.php#reader_comments

from http://mvn.com/nba-cavaliers/2008/03/08/the-top-5-reasons-to-look-forward-to-the-playoffs/

 

The top 5 reasons for Cavs’ fans to look forward to the playoffs

By James | March 8th, 2008

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a team in transit.  That may be the understatement of the century after the 11-player deal that saw 4 new players take the place of 6 departures.  Most agree that the players that were added, at the bare minimum, will give the Cavaliers better spacing to allow LeBron James more room to get the job done.  Some believe that when this group finally becomes a team, they could challenge the Pistons and Celtics for the top spot in the East when it’s all said and done.

 

The new players have had their struggles fitting into the system.  This, combined with injuries to Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao, Sasha Pavlovic and Daniel Gibson, have left the Cavs in a state of flux.  Fortunately for Cleveland, LeBron James doesn’t deal well with Flux.  Fortunately for LeBron, come playoff time, this team should be ready to showcase it’s new look.  Let’s take a look at the top five reasons why Cleveland should be a force in the playoffs:

 

5. The Frontcourt has the potential to be one of the best in the NBA, and should be at full strength come playoff time

 

4. The Point Guard play will be vastly improved, and varied enough to put opposing defenses on their heals

 

3. Cleveland might have the best depth in the league, once healthy

 

2. The Cavs finally have outside shooting

 

1. LeBron James is entering a new level of play.

 

 

***

 

No, the Cavaliers aren’t a team yet…but when they are…

sun-sentinel.com/sports/basketball/heat/sfl-flspiracol09sbmar09,0,4602890.column

 

South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

2010 a James-Wade odyssey

Year the Cavaliers, Heat could face opt-outs by their franchise players

Ira Winderman

 

NBA Columnist

 

March 9, 2008

 

Even with the Heat at the bottom of the standings, apparently what happens here resonates elsewhere, and vice versa.

 

 

^ What is that butthead talking about, the Heat are looking at a high lottery selection this season. If I were D-wade, I'd be looking for a way out. That team is a mess.

^ What is that butthead talking about, the Heat are looking at a high lottery selection this season. If I were D-wade, I'd be looking for a way out. That team is a mess.

 

Agreed.  I see him in New York before LeBron.

A long, but good article on Cleveland's Delonte West:

 

 

Traveling West finds Cleveland

Posted by Mary Schmitt Boyer March 09, 2008 17:22PM

Categories: Cavaliers

 

 

The 10-year-old dropped to his knees, placed the ball in front of him and spoke the words in his heart.

 

"Lord, this is all I ever want to do," he said, referring to playing the game of basketball. "It's all I know how to do. I never asked you for anything. Well, I did ask you that one time to put a treasure chest full of gold coins under my bed, and you never put those under my bed. But just help me get to the NBA. That's all I ask. I'll forgive you for the gold coins."

 

Up until that time, life had been hard. "A mean story," is how the new Cavaliers guard summarized his youth.

 

 

More at Cleveland.com  http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/2008/03/traveling_west_finds_cleveland.html

Top 10 best (super-human) highlights of Lebron James:

2008 (so far):

http://broadband.nba.com/cc/playa.php?content=video&url=http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/nba/nbacom/kia/kia_mvp_cand_james_l_2008.asx&video=blank&nbasite=nba

2007:

http://broadband.nba.com/cc/playa.php?content=video&url=http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/nba/nbacom/top10s_specialties/best_of_2007/top10_lebron_plays_2007.asx&video=blank&nbasite=nba

ooo la la Lebron.

 

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http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hTYQa2mJ_IiX2oFYM9bZU5HORgHQD8VCRU3O0

 

James to Grace Vogue's Cover

By TOM WITHERS – 4 hours ago

 

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James is striking a pose.  The Cleveland Cavaliers' superstar will appear on the April cover of Vogue, joining actors Richard Gere and George Clooney as the only men to do so in the influential fashion magazine's 116-year history.

 

Wearing a tank top, shorts and sneakers from his own Nike clothing line, James appears on the cover dribbling a basketball and screaming as if in game mode while throwing one arm around supermodel Gisele Bundchen with Tom Brady nowhere to be found.  The pairing of the All-Star forward and the runway icon was shot in January by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz in James' hometown of Akron, Ohio.

 

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/basketball/nba/03/13/lebron.vogue.ap/index.html?eref=si_topstories

Rasheed on the "King" after beating Denver.  Too bad he couldn't back it up the next day.

 

http://ryaneski.multiply.com/video/item/79/NO_KING_IN_CLEVELAND

AMAZING game last night as Lebron broke the all-time Cleveland career scoring record (at age 23...).  Fortunately, I was at the game and was able to witness these LBJ highlights.  Rise Up!

 

http://broadband.nba.com/cc/playa.php?content=video&url=http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/nba/nbacom/news/theking_080321.asx&video=blank&nbasite=nba

 

Not to mention a great game over all.  Z had two blocks into the stands and Damon was hitting threes late etc.

Does anyone else feel that LeBron is really conceited? The Yankees hat... the attitude. The guys an amazing athlete, but that doesn't entitle him to step all over the city that gave him his fame. Am I right?

 

(Please reply to this post.)

Does anyone else feel that LeBron is really conceited? The Yankees hat... the attitude. The guys an amazing athlete, but that doesn't entitle him to step all over the city that gave him his fame. Am I right?

 

(Please reply to this post.)

 

NO! 

 

Why are you bringing this up six months later???

Does anyone else feel that LeBron is really conceited? The Yankees hat... the attitude. The guys an amazing athlete, but that doesn't entitle him to step all over the city that gave him his fame. Am I right?

 

(Please reply to this post.)

 

He's more than just an athlete...he's become a national celebrity...and already branching out to other countries (i.e. world power china). 

 

All all honesty, lebron can do what he wants.  The amount oof happiness and national media attention he has brought to this city cannot be quantified.

 

Overall, he's got a pretty damn good head on his shoulders for the amount of fame, fortune, and media attention he has achieved while being so young.

About tonight's win from a North Carolina paper....but it's half about Davidson's point guard Curry, haha (and there an interesting fact at the bottom)  plus Washington and Toronto lost tonight.

 

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http://www.gastongazette.com/sports/cavaliers_18949___article.html/james_played.html

 

LeBron James fouls out, but teammates lift Cavaliers over Bobcats

By Richard Walker

April 2, 2008 - 10:44PM

 

CHARLOTTE - The Charlotte Bobcats had seemingly the perfect recipe for a win over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday.  Not only did the Cavaliers come into the game with a six-game road losing streak, but James fouled out for the first time of the season - and only third time of his career - in the fourth quarter.  Instead, a balanced Cleveland attack that featured seven double-figure scorers did in the Bobcats in a disappointing 118-114 victory.

 

"Another one of those games where we played hard, we played well," said Charlotte coach Sam Vincent, whose team fell to 28-47. "We played well enough to win, but we didn't get the ‘W.'"  It certainly was disappointing for the Bobcats, if for no other reason than they shot 53.1 percent as a team and got monster efforts from Jason Richardson (31 points, six rebounds, seven assists) and Emeka Okafor (25 points, nine rebounds).

 

Does anyone else feel that LeBron is really conceited? The Yankees hat... the attitude. The guys an amazing athlete, but that doesn't entitle him to step all over the city that gave him his fame. Am I right?

 

(Please reply to this post.)

 

He's more than just an athlete...he's become a national celebrity...and already branching out to other countries (i.e. world power china). 

 

All all honesty, lebron can do what he wants.  The amount oof happiness and national media attention he has brought to this city cannot be quantified.

 

Overall, he's got a pretty damn good head on his shoulders for the amount of fame, fortune, and media attention he has achieved while being so young.

 

Ah.....No Lebanon (You'll get that if you saw Meet the Browns?) cannot do what he wants.

 

He is just a cog in the wheel of marketing for the city.  Until he official asks to be the "ambassador" or "public face" (ie oprah for Chicago), he still needs to be cautious about what he says and does in regard to the city. 

 

His words and actions (and I work in PR) can easily be turned into a negative.

Does anyone else feel that LeBron is really conceited? The Yankees hat... the attitude. The guys an amazing athlete, but that doesn't entitle him to step all over the city that gave him his fame. Am I right?

 

(Please reply to this post.)

 

He's more than just an athlete...he's become a national celebrity...and already branching out to other countries (i.e. world power china). 

 

All all honesty, lebron can do what he wants.  The amount oof happiness and national media attention he has brought to this city cannot be quantified.

 

Overall, he's got a pretty damn good head on his shoulders for the amount of fame, fortune, and media attention he has achieved while being so young.

 

Ah.....No Lebanon (You'll get that if you saw Meet the Browns?) cannot do what he wants.

 

He is just a cog in the wheel of marketing for the city.  Until he official asks to be the "ambassador" or "public face" (ie oprah for Chicago), he still needs to be cautious about what he says and does in regard to the city. 

 

His words and actions (and I work in PR) can easily be turned into a negative.

 

I'm still sticking with my guns.

 

LeBron is creating a new brand for Cleveland...and at the very least he is the face of the NBA worldwide--and growing.  We're witnessing his national/international influence spread more and more everyday now.  I would put money on asking random people outside of the state what's in Cleveland: The response will be RRHOF and LeBron.

 

Plus, it doesn't hurt when news like this comes out:

 

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Maria Sharapova invites Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James to join UN Goodwill Ambassador Team

 

Cleveland - Monday, April 14, 2008

ARK in Berea: Maria Sharapova, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador, has invited Cleveland Cavaliers Basketball star LeBron James to “Team Up Against Poverty” on a new UNDP advertisement to garner support for achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Joining Environmental Artists David and Renate Jakupca as official Goodwill Ambassadors from Cleveand, Ohio.

 

"Team Up Against Poverty" - feature celebrities from the world of sports, arts, fashion or business portrayed in teams of two by top professional photographers. Fifty celebrities, including UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors and soccer greats Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane, have agreed to participate in the initiative to promote the MDGs and to undertake specific anti-poverty activities, ranging from supporting educational activities and HIV/AIDS projects to funding water and sanitation initiatives and promoting safe drinking water campaigns.

 

World-renowned photographer Patrick Demarchelier photographed both stars for this new series of UNDP pro bono advertisements.

 

More at http://cleveland.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?newsid=155823&type_news=latest