Classic Posters 2008: Volume LeBron

Regular readers of The Legend, know that from time to time, we run a Classic 80's/90's sports posters piece taken from readers submissions of nutty posters like Eric Dickerson Robo-Back. Today's posters lack the delightful cheese factor of their 80's and 90's predecessors, but when some blogger whips up a, Classic Turn of the Millennium Posters, blog post from his grandmother's basement in 2020, LeBron dunking over Garnett last night will be featured prominently.

By now you've heard about LeBron's dunk last night and seen highlights of it. Just in case you haven't:

Yes, that dunk really happened last night. He did lose Pierce on the screen and he did fake Posey out of his jock. And, he did throw down an "Eat Sh** " dunk, despite Garnett's (you know, the 6'-11", 253lb., NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and most intense person on the planet guy) forearm to the chest . As the resident Cavs fan here, I apologize for the slow reaction, but I've been in a state of elated shock since last night. A phone call to a friend confirmed that there was no way to describe that play.

Thank you LeBron, for finally getting my mind off of those ass clown Wizards fans (and some Celtics fans late in game 2) who were chanting overrated at you. Overrated? If LeBron is overrated, than why have he and the Cavs demolished the Wizards for the past 3 years in the playoffs? Does the "overrated" chant imply that Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Sasha Pavlovic, Eric Snow, Ira Newble, Donyell Marshall and the rest of LeBron's supporting cast from the past couple of seasons are underrated? Morons.

Anyway, that dunk was off the hook, it's worth watching over and over. I'm glad that LeBron pulled that out, it gives sportswriters something to talk about besides his field goal percentage in this series. After game 3 (which I thought LeBron dominated despite his numbers), a lot of writers focused on Lebron's shooting woes. A few good ones pointed out the other things he brought to the table in Game 3 (like his sick defense), but many just harped on his shooting slump.

I thought his performance in Game 4 was similar to his Game 3 efforts, except for the nasty dunk. He played great defense in both games and was unbelievable setting up his teammates. In both games his shot wasn't falling, so he stepped up on D, and created countless opportunities for his teammates by using his superior passing ability to smoke double and triple teams. A ton of the plays where LeBron didn't get assists the past two nights were result of a sharp first pass from LeBron which led to a wide-open teammate on the second pass (if they kept assists like NHL stats where 2 guys get an assist per goal, LeBron would have had 30 in each of the last 2 games).

I'm fine with LeBron's shot being off. It'll come around. Now if LeBron wasn't playing nasty D, grabbing boards, and setting up 97% of the Cavs offense, then it'd be worry time. Right now its optimism time, just imagine how lethal LeBron is going to be throughout the rest of the playoffs once his shot comes around. If you'll excuse me, I need to watch LeBron's dunk about 350 more times. And no, LeBron does not play with any regard for human life.

Anyone Remember This LeBron James Character?

First things first. I can find no fault in anyone selecting Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul or LeBron James as NBA MVP. Apparently, the Lakers star will have the award bestowed upon him later today (nothing like suspense, eh?).

Many in the basketball know unequivocally tag Kobe as the best player in the NBA. He may very well be. You also can't question those who are putting their support behind Chris Paul.

The MVP thing is a bit of "who's hot today." There's also the age-old question of the true meaning of that mysterious word "valuable." It's been debated since the days of the Roman gladiators and continues to divide civilizations (and sports fans) to this day.

All that said, here's our only issue. LeBron James seems to have disappeared from the discussion of late. Completely. While there are probably countless reasons, part of it is that he is so good, so soon, that expectations of his play are fairly out-of-whack. Accordingly, there has been a bit of sentiment that LeBron has not been at the very top of his game. Fair enough. Let's assume that's true. It really shouldn't matter...in a way.

Here's what I mean, and the real crux of my beef with LeBron's fading out of the race (although we'll see how far he faded, or if, later today). I take the traditional view of valuable in the sense of "how would this team be without this player's contributions." As I mentioned back in early February, the Cavs are borderline awful without LeBron. Now, that particular post was written at a time when Eric Snow, Donyell Marshall and Ira Newble were getting mad run. Granted, things have changed slightly.

But, still, who's LeBron's running mate? Wally Szczerbiak? Ilgauskas? Boobie Gibson? Please, people. CP3 has fellow All-Star David West by his side with New Orleans. West poured in 30 points and grabbed nine boards in game one against the defending champs. Kobe has Gasol, Fisher, Odom, and a significantly more talented supporting cast right down the line (than does LeBron).

Take away Paul, James or Bryant from any of their respective teams and the results would be frightening. That's a given. However, without James, the team in Cleveland is startlingly poor. He carries that team. He carries that franchise. In many ways, he carries that city. It doesn't mean he should definitely be the MVP, but he still certainly deserves to be in the conversation. That's alls we're sayin...

Best and Worst Case Scenarios From The Cavs Blockbuster Deal

Please, can we see this Ben Wallace in C-Town?

I got overly excited yesterday when I heard about the Cavs' blockbuster trade, and hastily posted this bit of rambling. I won't try to explain the psyche of the Cleveland sports fan, but know this, trades excite us. C-Town has even rolled out a Welcome To Cleveland letter.



I've calmed down (a little bit) and decided to look at the best and worst case scenarios for the Cavs. Some people think this trade sucks it, and some people think it rocks. I think it's a good thing, if for no other reason than to make LeBron happy. Please be happy LeBron, please!



Best Case Scenario: Ben Wallace -- Big Ben approaches his productivity and intensity levels from his Pistons days. It's foolish to think that Wallace will be able to be the force he was as a youngster, but it's not too much of a stretch to think he'll kick it up a notch (or 10 hopefully) from his Chicago days. Playing with LeBron invigorates the big man, and the Cavs interior D blossoms, while the Cavs continue to be a great rebounding team. My suggestion is that he plays with the huge fro' more often. I love it when Ben lets his hair out.



Worst Case Scenario: Ben Wallace -- Mike Brown leaves Wallace in to shoot free throws at crunch time. Please don't let this happen, Coach Brown. Figure something else out. Also, there is the possibilty that Wallace's motor is burnt out, incapable of revving past what he's given the Bulls the past two years. I'm cautiously optimistic that this isn't the case.



BCS: Wally Szczerbiak -- I get over the fact that his name is hard as hell to spell, and he flourishes in his role as 3 point shooter extraordinaire. Why shouldn't he? He's spent some time as an Ohio legend when he led mid-major Miami, OH to the Sweet 16. Open looks created from none other than, Mr. LeBron James!! LeBron creates a ton of open shots for his teammates, that is a fact. He's never had a teammate consistently knock down those shots. All you have to do is shoot Wally!



WCS: Wally Szczerbiak -- The name spelling is just too much to overlook and like so many before him, he can't knock down those open looks. And, the Cavs defense sucks when he's on the court. This would be bad.



BCS: Delonte West -- Delonte plays some good, gritty basketball, and helps the situation at point guard. I loved Delonte when he was at St. Joe's. Who didn't love the West and Jameer Nelson led, underdog Hawks who made Billy Packard eat his words all the way to the Elite 8 in 2004? I thought he was showing some potential with the Celtics before he went to the soulless bastards who are moving Seattle's franchise to Oklahoma. Go forth and prosper Delonte. Plus, he could bring more of this. What's not to love?



WCS: Delonte West -- The Cavs hole at point guard grows deeper, and West just can't hang in the NBA. I do not anticipate this happening. Also, it would be bad if Delonte failed to provide any more YouTube clips like this one, found by Rotoevil.



BCS: Joe Smith -- Smith adds some scoring, some boards, and solid D. A solid veteran addition.



WCS: Joe Smith -- Smith adds some scoring, some boards, and solid D. A solid veteran addition.



Chicago and Seattle: Chicago, good luck with Gooden and Hughes. Gooden is okay, but has huge mental lapses. Hughes was a MAJOR disappointment in Cleveland. It sucks, because he's quality people, and I hope his career bounces back. Shannon Brown might have some talent, but it was never going to come out under Mike Brown. Seattle, I'm sorry that some asshole has decided to rip your franchise away from you. It sucks. It pisses me off to no end when this happens. I hope the responsible party is having cocktails in hell with Art Modell for eternity.
**Editor's Note -- I just saw this in ESPN's Cavs/Wiz recap in the Game notes, "Wallace had his hair in tight cornrows, but promised to let his 'do go. "You're always going to see the 'fro," he said." Good sign for the Cavs!! -E.S.

Things that Bother Me...People Making the Case for Anybody Other than LeBron James Winning MVP

Give the King His New Hardware

Seriously. Stop it. I'm sick of it. I know you are paid to stir controversy, encourage debate and keep the fans "interested." But I do not want to hear one more member of the media even mention anyone else as a legitimate candidate for the NBA MVP. Give the trophy to LeBron...now.

Not that there are a lot of naysayers out there to begin with, but any talk of Garnett or Kobe or whomever else needs to be squashed. Unlike Erie's Scribe, I have no ties or lifelong allegiance to Cleveland. I am not, per se, a Cavs fan. I am a slightly-above-casual NBA fan, in the context of the generally sports-crazed population of our readers of which I am a citizen. Meaning I probably watch at least portions of three or four NBA games a week.

With that background, I watched the Cavs play the Rockets on Thursday night. I wanted to put this post up immediately following that game, but I got distracted. So, I'm here now and I've got something to share that anyone who's watched this team figured out in about :30. The Cleveland Cavaliers are a TERRIBLE basketball team sans LeBron. Not just average. Not OK. Not serviceable. TER-RI-BLE. Before we get into just how bad a team the Cavs are putting on the court is, let's juxtapose that cast with that infamous V word that sits at the center of this award. Valuable. Most valuable.

Now, if the award were to be named for the "Best Player in the NBA," I'd have slightly more patience for Kobe entering the discussion, although I'd still likely hand it to LeBron. If we're going to honor the spirit of the M.V.P. award, it's not even close. Which takes us back to this team...on Thursday night, LeBron took the floor surrounded by the following four players: Z, Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall and Ira Newble. Go ahead, read that again. Now, granted Z is a legitimate player...and with Varajeo, Gooden and Pavlovic the Cavs are a far deeper team.

But let's be real here, outside of Ilgauskas, not one of these guys is a bona fide legit NBA starter. In fact, the whole roster has nary a "B" player among the bunch. Daniel Gibson and Damon Jones? Nice secondary, if not tertiary, players on an NBA roster these days. Devin Brown is getting 20+ minutes a game on this squad?! LeBron is bringing new definition to "carrying your team."

Last night, in a win against Atlanta, LeBron had what was for him an average night: 26 pts, 11 boards, 7 assists, 2 steals, 1 blocked shot and only 1 turnover in 44 minutes. Actually a below average night in terms of points. Oh yea, Eric Snow was part of the starting lineup last night and contributed two points, five assists and no rebounds in 27+ minutes. How is this team winning? LeBron. That's it

Honestly, even as I'm writing this I can't fathom how anyone could consider anyone else for MVP in the league for even a millisecond. LeBron has somehow managed to lead a team of also-rans and nobodys to a 28-21 record, winning seven of their last 10. Without King James, Cleveland is 0-6 and would have a hard time giving the D-League All-Stars a run.

I don't know how else to say it anymore. I'm 30. I watched Jordan and still, like so many of us, talk about how games he played in were just different. You couldn't take your eyes of the screen and you wanted him to get the ball on every single possession. I'm not there yet with LeBron James. But I'm getting awfully close. Speaking of awful, that's what this Cleveland team would be without him. So, why don't we skip the contrived debates and just give the man his trophy now?

LeBron Is The Tits

LeBron goes left against 3 Lakers, giving the Cavs the lead

After watching the end of this afternoon's Lakers/Cavs game, I officially turned the page from football season to LeBron season (yes, the Super Bowl is next week, but if you aren't a Patriots or Giants fan, isn't it a bitter bitter game to watch? I'll watch it, but I'll be pissed the entire game). I turned the Cavs game on sometime in the third quarter, but flipped back and forth between the game and Ghostbusters until crunch-time. I was not following LeBron season at that moment, because he hadn't revealed that it had started yet.


With the clock winding down in the fourth quarter, The Choosen One let me know that it is time to start following LeBron season. He was locked in a head-to-head battle with Mr. Kobe Bean Bryant in The Staples Center, and the Cavs had battled back from 7 down earlier in the quarter.


The Cavs took the lead as Bron sliced through the the lane with using his left hand and laid it off the glass with 1:16 left. The Cavs were still up one at 94-93, when the King took Kobe one-on-one with a quick, indefensible jump shot from a step inside the three point line with 20 seconds left. The Cavs would need this cushion, because of a quick Lakers score and a wild melee after a Larry Hughes inbounds turnover (Daniel Gibson fell down on the play).


Somehow the Cavs came away with the ball and their one point lead in tact after the craziness, and Bron-Bron got fouled. Despite Lebron's maddening tendency to brick clutch free throws, he drained them both (maybe a new wrinkle in his game?), and the Lakers got the ball back with 9 seconds left. His Excellency led the defensive charge from there, and the Lakers didn't even get a shot off.


Basically LeBron took over the game and beat "the best player in the NBA" in the process. LeBron 41 points, Kobe Bean 33. Cavs: 98, Lakers: 95. If I sound like an unapologetic homer, it's because I am. The Cavs have won 10 of their last 12, and I'm damn glad that LeBron season is back. I am a Witness.