DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum *** Cavs February/March Thread - Part Trois ***

The Knicks are a damn joke. We just put 74 on them in the 1st half!

again

Clearly they are showing LeBron just how exciting Knicks B-Ball could be!

Just imagine how good the Knicks are gonna be next year!

Shaq who?

obviously lebron respects knicks, i mean why else would he shoot an unrushed three when they're up by 42?

gotta love dantoni's defensive system.

i honestly think i could drop 15 on them.

Dude. You could put up more than 15 against that trash...

j/c

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2010/03/lebron_james_files_application.html

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James fans, get ready to make some room in your closet for No. 6 jerseys.
James told The Plain Dealer on Monday that he's filed the paperwork with the NBA office to switch his jersey number from No. 23 to No. 6 next season. He had to make the decision this week, the deadline to make the request to the NBA is Wednesday.
James first brought up the idea in November, saying he wanted to give up No. 23 out of respect to his hero, Michael Jordan. At that time he said he was "50/50" on switching to No. 6, his Olympic number and the day of the month his first son was born. That now seems to be 100 percent.
"I've done it," James said. "I already sent it in. I'm going to be No. 6."
The NBA does not have to fulfill the request, players who don't change teams have to apply to change their number in March before the previous season. However, the wave of new jersey sales the switch promises to trigger would likely be too enticing for the league to turn down.
In 2006, Kobe Bryant requested his number to be changed from No. 8 to No. 24. The NBA approved the move and Bryant's jerseys quickly shot to No. 1 in sales across the world. James has been in the top three in jersey sales in the U.S., China and Europe in recent years but hasn't enjoyed the top spot for several years.
Player do not directly benefit from merchandise sales, however. It goes into a league-wide pool that is distributed to teams and then players based on seniority.
Jordan, of course, also pulled such a move. He switched to No. 45 for part of a season when he came out of retirement for the first time with the Chicago Bulls.
Other than playing for Team USA, the last time James did not wear No. 23 was during his freshman year of high school when he wore No. 32 because a senior was wearing 23.


**If LeBron were to sign somewhere else he wouldnt need to make this request to the league.

no surprises. the Olympic number was the leader in the clubhouse anyway.

Quote:

---

players who don't change teams have to apply to change their number in March before the previous season.

---

Players who are going to stay with their current team DO have to file

wonder if bspn will leave out that part when they put the article up on their site tomorrow.

maybe they should leave out tonight's final score too?

The article is already up at ESPN, and no mention of the fact that he only has to request a change if he's staying with the same team.

Here's something else that will probably be convieniently skipped by ESPN tomorrow ... a quote from Lebron after the game when asked if he wants to play for a team that they just walked over:

“I’m a winner. I just want to win,” he said. “I’ve yet to play for a team that doesn’t like defense, but that’s not about the team, it’s about individuals first. Individuals have to want the responsibility to guard the guy in front of them and then it makes it a lot easier as a team.”

http://www.ohio.com/sports/85889387.html

Shaq has successful surgery, is expected to return for playoffs
By CLEVELAND: Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal underwent successful hand surgery in Baltimore on Monday.

POSTED: 09:00 p.m. EST, Mar 01, 2010

O'Neal injured the hand against the Boston Celtics Thursday night. Team officials estimated that he will miss eight weeks, meaning he will miss the rest of the regular season and should be back during the playoffs.

''The doctors were very pleased with the surgery this morning. He will be in a splint for the next two weeks,'' Cavs General Manager Danny Ferry said. ''From there, he starts the process of physical therapy so that he can be at full strength and back on the court during the playoffs.''

Cavs coach Mike Brown said O'Neal's teammates had the expected reaction.

''They were down and sad for Shaq as an individual, but it's part of the game. I think everybody understood that,'' Brown said.

Brown said they understand that there is nothing they can do.

''We just look at it as [a bump in the road]. Just as it's happened all year, hopefully someone will step up and fill in the void,'' he said.

Ferry has built a team that is deep in the frontcourt and that will play a huge role in the coming weeks as O'Neal rests and rehabs. Anderson Varejao will play center and Leon Powe, who recently returned after recovering from knee surgery, will also get more minutes.

''We are fortunate to have some depth in our frontcourt that can keep us moving forward while Shaq recovers and returns to play for the postseason,'' Ferry said.



Reading between lines

O'Neal's injury adds a greater need for the return of center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who was traded away almost two weeks ago.

Several reports have claimed that there's already a deal in place for Ilgauskas, a Lithuanian native and 12-year veteran, to return to the Cavs. Ilgauskas' agent, Herb Rudoy, has consistently denied any such deal but seems to be wavering.

''I think obviously this Shaquille thing will impact his decision based on his loyalty and affection for his teammates,'' Rudoy said Monday.

Now that he's cleared waivers, Ilgauskas can sign with anyone and even declare his intention to re-sign with the Cavs.



Six pack for LeBron

LeBron James continued his assault on the NBA Monday by winning his sixth consecutive Eastern Conference Player of the Month award (fourth in a row this season).

James led the Cavs to an 8-3 record in February, averaging 32.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 10.5 assists.



Buzzer beaters

J.J. Hickson started at center for the Cavs against the New York Knicks on Monday night . . . Daniel ''Boobie'' Gibson was inactive for personal reasons.

Back by playoffs is good news!

didn't get to watch the game....was Gibson on the bench or did he miss the game to be with Keysha and their new joy?

"so the knicks are in town, the team that lebron loves playing for, oh whoops, sorry i'm getting a little ahead of myself"

you can find this quote on espn.com in their highlights section from yesterday's game. what a joke.

look, we all know espn wants him in new york, but act with at least a bit of professionalism.

seriously. i'm getting tired of it.

On the radio they talk about NY's Cap space and how much NY can offer him, yet fail to mention that the Cavs can offer significant;y more money than NY. To an avg fan who doesnt know this, it can be VERY misleading which I find very annoying. They also fail to mention in the LBJ changing his number story that he didn't do it to sell more jerseys (because the jersey sales are split in a way that favors vets and so fourth, meaning that he doesnt see a direct increase in his own finances for changing numbers) nor do they mention that he only had to file the papers if he intends to stay on the same current team. Its very frustrating for a Cleveland fan with the blant bias that BSPN is displaying with this "story".

i don't think lebron would do the city of cleveland like that. i think he stays. i'm not 100% sure on it because anything can happen, but no way would he make this move when in his mind he already thinks he's going elsewhere. i think if nothing else it truly shows he is going to weigh his options. which i believe is good for us, because it shows it is not a matter of being in a big market (which in my mind, he already proved this when he extended in 2006)

ESPN also commented that LBJ retiring #23 out of respect for MJ, and taking # 6, could be considered a slap in the face of Bill Russell. - They're kinda screwy at ESPN. I mean, they joke around a lot about multiple athletes and teams, and they never have been "professional." Maybe they don't really care whether LBJ stays or goes, rather, they are just trying to create headlines.

If ESPN has an agenda with LBJ to NY, wouldn't they be covert about it?

I mean, if ESPN wanted him in NY that bad, why make a big deal about it to the general public?

If they have an agenda here, and that agenda is to get LBJ to NY, wouldn't it make more sense for them to give LBJ's management team a call and say "look, if you go to NY we're gonna give you more press, which may result in more endorsement cash, don't worry about public perception of you for leaving Cleveland, we'll take care of that." - And then they would go on to not make a big deal about him leaving Cleveland.

By making this such a big deal, ESPN is creating headlines at LBJ's expense. They have pushed this to such a point now that everybody and their mother knows about LBJ's upcoming free agency. - Which means that if he leaves, everybody basketball-minded person in the world knows that he's ditching out on his hometown to go play in a bigger market - which means that ESPN has given people outside of Cleveland a reason to hate Lebron if chooses to leave. - Which tells me that ESPN is actually doing us a favor by never shutting up about the summer of 2010 - whether they know it or not.

But the world hates Lebron for staying in Cleveland. Just about every fan of every NBA team that's not the Cavs wants Lebron out of Cleveland. Not because they want him on their team, they just don't want him in Cleveland. I don't know why...its just the way it is.

let's see ESPN spin the last part of this article

A.M. LeBron James/New York Knicks fodder: If not LeBron, someone else; Tracy McGrady's email; Wishful thinking;
By Starting Blocks
March 02, 2010, 9:49AM

LeBron JamesAPLeBron JamesThe last thing New York Knicks' fans want to hear is what if LeBron James doesn't sign with the Knicks this summer?

Or Dwyane Wade? Or Chris Bosh?

It is a possibility. NewJersey.com reporter Steve Adamek writes if James does not come to New York, maybe the Knicks should go after players like Joe Johnson, Amar'e Stoudemire or Rudy Gay (a restricted free agent).

Or, writes Adamek, maybe the Knicks should wait until 2011, when Carmelo Anthony heads a less-deep free agent class?

Both Walsh and Ernie Grunfeld, the former Knicks' executive who now has cap space for one big-ticket free agent in Washington, both say there's no reason to spend just for the sake of spending.

"Just because you have cap room doesn't mean you have to go out and use it all," Grunfeld said.

"I'm not going to limit it to just this year," Walsh said.



E-mail: New New York Knicks' forward Tracy McGrady has communicated with LeBron James about joining him in New York next year.

In a New York Post article:

"He's a good friend," said McGrady, who sat out the fourth quarter for the third straight game. "He wanted to see me back on the basketball court and congratulate me on being back. I sent him an e-mail that said: 'I'm in the Big Apple. I'll see you here next season.' "

LeBron's response was "LOL," and after last night's Knicks no-show, he may be laughing at the prospect.



Link

I'm not with that. Lebron is the face of the NBA right now. - People flock to watch him play no matter where he is at. - They had his image on one of the buildings in Dallas for the All Star game. He is a likeable, marketable, character right now. - Signing with his hometown team adds credit to his character, and makes him more marketable.

If he leaves to sign with NY, he'll be villafied here, and he will lose cred in other mid-market towns. - Look at what going to Ny did for Alex Rodriguez's career. He went from being such a marketable player to somebody who is looked upon as a jerk. Granted, the ped's played a part in that, but not as big of a part as going to NY.

But how could Lebron balk at the opportunity to play with a star of McGrady's caliber??? I mean, the guy's got zero playoff series wins for his career and hasn't had an injury free season in something like 5 years. He's only going to be 31 next year. He would make the perfect Robin to Lebron's Batman.

I find it especially humorous how the author says that Lebron not playing for the Knicks "is a possibility". It's a possibility the same way Lebron getting out of bed this morning is a possibility. These idiots act like its all but a done deal.

the other thing people never talk about is that, lebron sells shoes. yes, he has new york flavored shoes, but what espn won't tell you, and where it is really hard to find, is that he sells them in a lot of cities, miami, dallas, etc...

it's brilliant marketing. let's say lebron doesn't wanna leave. the money is in cleveland, the best team is in cleveland, he's gonna stay, but he keeps the new york press, and the fans in new york (the bozos who wear those fake lebron knick jerseys, those are the same idiots who show up to the draft in jets garb and boo their own picks) thinking he's coming to town.

and guess what? even if he does stay, the likelyhood is another 3 years, which means he can do it to new yorkers for another 3 years. because the consensus among those fans will be that the knicks simply aren't good enough for lbj to come now. lbj is not going for a rebuild. so he sells even more shoes while still playing in cleveland.

How NY handles it if he re-signs here is an interesting question. - If he signs in Cleveland, popular opinion says that it will be for another 3 years. - If so, are Knicks fans going to continue to cheer for him when he plays in NY? Or are they going to boo him for not signing there?

Only a couple athletes in the world make more per year in endorsements, and none of them are in the NBA.

That was only because it was about the Browns,....

NRTU

One thing that is being overlooked here is, if LBJ leaves for NYC, he will be villified in NE Ohio the same way, probably worse, that Manny and Albert Belle were when they left for brighter lights and bigger cities. LBJ would be turning his back on his hometown. He would be going to a less talented team, for less money, for a shorter contract than can be offered by the Cavs. NE Ohio will throw him under the bus.

i always felt that Thome and Manny were still beloved by most. there were a few that gave them boos when they came back but nothing like Belle (leaving for your arch-rival is probably not the best way to endear yourselves to those you are leaving).

if he gives us a championship this year, then I will love him regardless of what uniform he wears. if he doesn't and leaves, I certainly won't cheer for him, but it would take quite a bit for me to not respect him anyway.

"That" would be a major firestorm, compared to the smoldering campfires that were Belle, Manny, and even Thome.

I said it at some other time, I would be done with the NBA.

lebron has made no promises. i just think it would be incredibly dumb and you could argue career suicide.

jim thome was the guy that said you'd have to rip that jersey off of his back... that's a guy who deserved the boos he received (although it's grown old)

i don't think i'd boo lebron, but yeah i'd be upset. i certainly wouldn't be rooting for the bricks. no freaking way.

by the way, for those that think everyone outside of cleveland wants lbj out of ohio, you're wrong.

i caught the afternoon local talk show on my way home today and all 3 guys on the show said they'd think it would be a much better story if lebron stuck around in cleveland.

they also thought it is a no brainer that he should stay, money, roots, and the best group of talent.