NBA East preview: LeBron James wants to be more than just a great basketball player

Posted Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009 Comments   (0) Print Share Share Reprints
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By JAN HUBBARD

jhubbard@star-telegram.com

For 18-year-old LeBron James, being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers was equivalent to the glass slipper fitting perfectly.

He was born and raised 40 miles down Interstate 77 in Akron, Ohio, and when he went directly from high school to the NBA, he was able to do it at home with support from family and lifelong friends.

Hard to believe, but on Dec. 30, James will have only his 25th birthday but make no mistake, he’s all grown up.

The Cavaliers are acutely aware of that. They made the NBA Finals in 2007 with a team that had no business being there. It was the basketball equivalent of LeBron and the seven dwarfs, and when Cleveland was eliminated in four games — twice failing to exceed 80 points — James made it clear to management:

Improve the team ... or else. James has a contract that allows him to become a free agent after this season.

Management, to its credit, has done everything possible to placate King James. In the past two years with little in the way of bargaining chips, Cleveland GM Danny Ferry has added quality players in guards Mo Williams and Anthony Parker, forward Leon Powe and, most importantly, center Shaquille O’Neal.

Last season, the Cavs had the best record in the league at 66-16 but were defeated in six games in the conference finals by Orlando.

The Cavs are better than they were last season, but Boston won 62 games and Kevin Garnett was sidelined because of injury for 25 games.

When James becomes a free agent, he’ll have many suitors, most notably the Knicks, who will have the lure of the big city and Mike D’Antoni’s offense. In an article that appeared recently in Alpha Magazine, James said:

"I want to leave a legacy beyond basketball, beyond sport ... [that] is what I want. I am still writing my story; my legacy notebook isn’t complete yet, and I have a lot more to do. I want to be a great basketball player, but I also want to be more than that ... I want to mean something."

Can he mean something in Cleveland? Or will it take a larger venue? That will be the dominant topic in the NBA this season.

The playoff teams

1Cleveland: Owner Dan Gilbert is spending to try to impress James. The payroll will be near $80 million and with the luxury tax, the amount will grow to $90 million. "Our payroll is high and our expectations are high," Williams said. "When the owner spends a lot of money, it’s not just to make the playoffs or be mediocre. Our goal is high, and that’s to contend for a championship." O’Neal is 37 but he still averaged 17.8 points last season, his highest average since the 2005-06 season. He also averaged 8.4 rebounds.

2Boston: The Celtics’ four best players — Kevin Garnett (33), Paul Pierce (32), Ray Allen (34) and Rasheed Wallace (35) — are old enough to know the championship window is shrinking. Fortunately for the Celtics, they won their title in 2008 and Wallace a ring in Detroit in 2003. Rajon Rondo (23) has proven that he is one of the top young point guards in the league and the Celtics have good role players in Eddie House and Kendrick Perkins. They are also excited about the addition of former Maverick Marquis Daniels, who handles point forward duties when Rondo is on the bench.

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