LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal Give Cleveland A Sporting Chance

[duncan228]

LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal give Cleveland a sporting chance
By Terry Pluto

It's a star-studded roster. It's a budget-busting payroll. It's a mob of microphones and reporters on media day.

It's LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal.

Together. In Cleveland. With the Cavaliers.

"I never thought I'd play with Shaq," James said. "I dreamed about it. I dreamed about playing with other Hall of Famers. This is great for the city, for the team and for me."

Who'd ever have dared think the Cleveland Cavaliers would one day have the game's brightest young star in the 24-year-old James and the sport's elder statesman center in the 37-year-old O'Neal? And who would have thought they'd be willing to carry all the frustrations of area sports fans on their wide shoulders, aiming to become the first major Cleveland pro sports franchise to win a championship since the 1964 Browns?

James said the goal is indeed an NBA le. He said anything but that "is a disappointment." He promised he is already "a much better player" than when he walked off the court after the Cavs were eliminated by the Magic in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Orlando, Fla.

"I stay in the gym, I do a lot of shooting and working in the interior, in the post," he said.

James is coming off his first Most Valuable Player award. After six years with the Cavs, he has won everything except an NBA le. He believes he can combine with O'Neal to change that.

He talked about how Kobe Bryant won a le with Pau Gasol, how Tony Parker and Tim Duncan have produced championship to San Antonio. Then he mentioned the combination of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in Boston.

"When you have a 1-2 punch like that, then they have to double-team somebody," said James. "Now, we have another guy they have to double-team."

So what will it be like face this new edition of the Cavaliers?

"It can be scary," insisted James.

James said that when the massive 7-foot O'Neal catches a passes near the basket, he draws a crowd. No single center can defend O'Neal for an entire game without fouling out or physically wearing down.

"Shaq brings an interior presence we've not had before," said James. "He brings an intimidation factor that a lot of teams wish they had."

James meant no disrespect to Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the center who has played with so much dignity for so long with the Cavs. The 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas is the only Cavs player to be James' teammate for all six of his seasons here.

But Ilgauskas is primarily a mid-range jump shooter. While he always has been an underrated shot-blocker and defender, he does not have the raw physical strength of the 325-pound O'Neal.

The loss to Orlando in the Eastern Conference Finals exposed a couple of weaknesses. First, the Cavs lacked a center with the sheer size and pure physical power to contend with Magic star Dwight Howard.

They also came up short in terms of tall players to defend the likes of Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu when they were 15 feet from the basket. The Cavs have had trouble with taller teams such as the Lakers, Rockets and Celtics. They needed quicker players in the 6-5 to 6-8 range. "[The front office] did a great job of sensing what was needed, getting some athletes for the perimeter," said James, meaning the addition of free agents Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker. What the Cavs have done is replace Ben Wallace with O'Neal, Wally Szczerbiak with Moon and Sasha Pavlovic with Anthony Parker.

But the real story is James and O'Neal together -- two monster talents with public personalities and a global following.

James said he told the front office to trade for O'Neal, when the possibility of a deal with Phoenix emerged at midseason. The Suns backed off from trade talks for O'Neal in March. Phoenix missed the playoffs, then traded O'Neal to the Cavs for Wallace and Pavlovic after the season.

James knows O'Neal was the man in the middle with Kobe Bryant won his first three les with the Lakers, and when Dwyane Wade won his only championship in Orlando. James was asked if the talked to Bryant about playing with O'Neal.

"No," said James. "[Shaq] is a teammate. It's not like adopting a kid."

James laughed.

O'Neal has said his goal in Cleveland is "Win a ring for the King," and he wants to be the player who pushes James into that elite championship circle.

"That's humbling," said James.

He paused.

"But there is only so much talking we can do," he said.

He meant it's time for the team to play ball. For Cleveland fans suffering through the painful seasons of the Browns and Indians, that can't come soon enough.

[duncan228]

Cavs won’t lack star power with Shaq, LeBron
By Marc J. Spears

The lights abruptly shut off at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ practice facility Monday afternoon, leaving LeBron James to navigate the hallway in the dark. James wasted no time in assessing blame.

“That’s never happened in all these years,” James said. “Shaq comes and the lights are out.”

Electrical outage or not, there was no denying that James and the rest of the Cavaliers spent their first day of training camp standing in Shaquille O’Neal’s shadow. Even James, for all of his greatness, can’t eclipse Shaq’s mammoth personality.

“Shaq,” James said, “definitely brings that excitement.”

The Cavaliers also help O’Neal brings them a ring. Despite finishing last season with the NBA’s best record, the Cavs lost to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference finals. Needing to better match up with Dwight Howard, Cleveland traded for O’Neal a month later.

“I’ve gone through a lot in my NBA career, but I haven’t had a chance to win an NBA championship,” James said. “He’s been a part of it. He’s brought home championships and even lost two. The opportunity to be around a champion is going to help us and help me.”

Said O’Neal: “Believing is the first key. So when you have someone that has been there, done that, believe in what he says and believe in what he does.”

This is new territory for James. He has a do entary headed to the theaters, a feature film in the works and countless commercials on his resume. No athlete is bigger in Ohio than King James. But he’s also going to have to share the stage with a teammate for the first time since he joined the Cavaliers. James has chosen the Cavs’ intro music each of the past two seasons. This season?

“We’ll probably have to ask Shaq what he thinks now, too,” one Cleveland employee said.

O’Neal carries his own global appeal. He just had his own reality show on network television and still ranks among sports’ top endorsers. A “Welcome to Cleveland” party for O’Neal sold out quickly and drew celebrities and star athletes from each of the city’s major teams – along with an Olympic gymnast and star boxer. O’Neal arrived fashionably late, entering the party after a stroll down the red carpet.

For all the attention O’Neal likely will draw, he has pledged to defer to James on the court.

“I’m cordially and respectfully passing the torch,” O’Neal said. “I’m 37. It’s not my time anymore. I’ve had my time and I did what I did. I’m not one of those players that always think it’s his time. It would not be advantageous for us or me to be taking 30 shots at 37 when you got a guy like him.

“Give him the ball and let him do what he does. I’m being real. … But you know and I know, when I had my time no one did it better.”

This is James’ time, of course. He is the league’s reigning MVP and has distinguished himself as one of its brightest stars. Now he’ll have to cede some of the spotlight. The last player to command equal billing with James? New Cavs forward Leon Powe.

James played on an AAU team with Powe following his sop re year in high school. Of the two, Powe was initially more touted. Powe admits that quickly changed as James grew into the team’s star.

Powe also played for the Boston Celtics’ championship team two seasons ago. Boston coach Doc Rivers pushed his three All-Stars (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen) to put their egos aside, and Powe believes James and O’Neal can have similar success with the same mentality.

“In order for things like that to work … they have to be willing to exist with each other,” Powe said. “If one needs to say something to the other, they need to listen. Here, I don’t see no problem with that.”

History hasn’t always been on O’Neal’s side. He and Penny Hardaway went to the 1995 NBA Finals with the Magic, but they didn’t see eye to eye and never truly realized their potential. O’Neal and Kobe Bryant won three championships together with the Los Angeles Lakers, but their deteriorating relationship also led to their undoing. O’Neal then won a le with Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in 2006, but the two also reportedly parted on less-than-amicable terms.

Such issues, O’Neal vowed, are in the past.

“That time of my career I was a different player,” O’Neal said. “Kobe said it the best, ‘Two alpha males on the same team.’…”

James scoffed at the thought of calling Bryant and Wade for advice on coexisting with O’Neal.

“For what?” James said. “He’s a teammate. It’s not like I adopted a kid or something.”

On Monday, James spoke unenthusiastically to the media horde in a corner of the Cavs’ practice facility. A couple hours later, O’Neal appeared in the weight room to accommodate even more reporters. Teammates and other members of the organization stood nearby to listen. O’Neal charmed them all, touting his past accomplishments while also joking about himself – he called his small shorts “Brad Daugherty-ish.”

“I’m still the funniest guy in the league,” O’Neal said.

Time will tell whether O’Neal and James can mesh together on the court. The more pressing question: Can their egos coexist, too?

“Our No. 1 goal is to win an NBA championship,” James said. “That’s the only thing we need to talk about right now.”

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LeBron, Shaq Defer Questions About Free-Agency

Next year? Next topic: Though it figures to be a hot topic of conversation all season, LeBron James did not want to talk about his contract situation Monday.

After announcing in August he would not sign an extension this summer, he has been asked about his contract repeatedly during his worldwide media tour promoting his new shoe, book and movie.

"Next summer is next summer," James said. "When it's time to deal with it, I'll deal with it."

The same went for Shaquille O'Neal, who is on the final year of his deal and repeatedly brought up his desire for a new contract during his first news conference as a Cav in June.

In fact, O'Neal vowed not to discuss his deal or James' this season.

"I won't mention my situation, I won't mention his situation, I'll just come play," O'Neal said. "My mother told me not to say anything about it because I've been the luckiest athlete in the world. I've had three great deals in one career, so if I can get one more, good. If not, I'll try something else."

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