The Cavs and Cav-Nots

While some of America spent Monday night fixated on a slough of malodorous morons (or "Pittsburgh", if you will), I was fixated on Cleveland Clinic Courts, where the Cavaliers opened training camp with media day.

This time of year is usually fraught with optimism and people saying the right things. That wasn't the case last fall, when Damon Jones opened his interview session by demanding a trade before saying anything else. Eric Snow entered camp as hobbled as Tiny Tim and as rich as Ebenezer Scrooge. But hey, at least they showed up. Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao displayed the market awareness of Kmart and begrudgingly ended their contract holdouts well into the season.

There's much more continuity in the air now. After the team-morphing deadline deal last February, Danny Ferry swung a summer deal for Bucks point guard Mo Williams, re-signed clutch guards Delonte West and Daniel Gibson, and acquired a pair of bigs through the draft to address age concerns up front.

He also put us in a good position for the future, with only four players under contract past the summer of 2010, which could provide the best crop of free agents in NBA history.

But why look that far ahead? What about now?

If this year's training camp is any indication, the Cavaliers are ready to win a championship. And unlike two years ago, when we got bossed around by a Spurs team we had no business facing, you bet your ass this team can do it.

We haven't seen Mo Williams play with these Cavs, nor have we seen how a full training camp will benefit a team that's only been together seven months. We don't know how good Boston or Detroit will be, or who will join them in the ranks of the East's elite. We don't know if Mike Brown will continue to strap an anchor on the offense or finally hike up the tempo.

Beyond the fact that this is the most talented Cleveland roster since 1992, we don't know a whole lot about this team.

And it doesn't matter, because the Cavaliers have the ultimate trump card.


Here's a 23-year-old whose 2008 included a first-team all-NBA selection, an All-Star MVP award, a league scoring title, a franchise record for most career points, and a gold medal as captain of the U.S. Men's Olympic basketball team. He has the power to change a game in so many different ways, more than any other player in the league.

It's time to stop pussy-footing around. LeBron James is the best basketball player on the planet.

He may finally have a team worthy of his supernova abilities. No more me-first, me-second Ricky Davis, no more butt-ugly Larry Hughes jumpers. No more paying $4 million a 3 with Damon Jones, no more decrepit Donyell Marshall. Just athletes, shooters, team defenders and guys committed to winning. That's all LeBron wants to do in Cleveland, and it's all Cleveland can ask of LeBron.

It's something the Cavs will do again this year barring injury, and our eyes are firmly on the NBA championship. The revamped and recharged roster will be a big key, no doubt.

But in the city where Superman was born, a real-life Superman now resides. LeBron James has already scaled all-time great heights, and stands poised for even bigger things this year.

By the way, he's all ours.