Zydrunas Ilgauskas prepares Return to Cavaliers

Last month, the Cleveland Cavaliers dealt Zydrunas Ilgauskas in an effort to bring Antawn Jamison to the squad. Going into the playoffs, the Cavs need a good three-point shooter to match up with the shooters of the Orlando Magic. Ilgauskas had been the longest-tenured player on the team, but the trade ended that streak. Since LeBron James arrived in Cleveland, he was the only player that was there every season since. When he was traded, it was assumed that he would find his way back to Cleveland before playoff time.

Three weeks have passed since Ilgauskas was traded to the Washington Wizards. He never showed up to any of the practices and it did not take long for his contract to be bought out. This benefits Cleveland because they can now offer him less money to sign on for the rest of the season. While the Cavs are not going to be major players in the upcoming free agency period, they can offer a bit more money to their star, LeBron James. There are rumors of him leaving the team after this season.

The lure of playing alongside LeBron James is enough for the man called Big Z. Before James joined the franchise, he had played through multiple losing seasons with the Cavaliers. He was also forced to wear those horrible jerseys of the 1990s that matched the Cavs' consistent losing. In 1999, Zydrunas Ilgauskas had played in three playoff games and it would be seven years before he returned. Since that return, he has been in the playoffs every year. In 2007, he got as far as the NBA Finals with LeBron James. He knew that he would be trade bait, so being traded to the bottom-feeding Wizards did not come as much of a surprise. But, the games are over and Big Z wants to return to his team.

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Looking at Shaq's injury in the Long Run

Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers stormed through the regular season. The efforts of LeBron James earned him his first MVP award. Not only was he the MVP, but his team posted the NBA's best record. When the playoffs began, the Cavs swept through the first two rounds before experiencing some trouble with the Orlando Magic. This trouble would prove to be too much for James and the Cavaliers. As a result, the Magic would go on to beat the Cavaliers.

While the Cavaliers were exposed on many levels by the Magic, the one thing that stuck out the most was their lack of a true center to defend Dwight Howard. In the 2009 playoffs, it was Howard, alone, that dominated the Cavs' front court. In the final game of the series, Howard posted 40 points and 14 rebounds. During the offseason, the Cavaliers were determined to find a center to hold Dwight Howard.

After an unsuccessful experiment with Shaquille O'Neal, the Phoenix Suns were willing to deal. In the end, they traded Shaq for a bunch of spare parts from the Cleveland Cavaliers. With Shaq in the mix, Cleveland has had little problems when it comes to beating Orlando, or the Los Angeles Lakers for that matter. Things with Shaq have been going great, but recently he went down with a thumb injury that will keep him out for the rest of the season. Experts say that O'Neal may not return to action until sometime in the second round of the playoffs. Worst case scenario, the Cavaliers lose their grip on the first seed in the Eastern Conference.

If that is the case, Orlando will probably end up posting the top record in the East. With an injured and already old Shaquille O'Neal, Dwight Howard will run all over him. Just O'Neal's defense on Howard has held him down during the season series. But, Dwight Howard will be turned up to another level come playoff time and with his thumb injured, Shaq will not be forcing too much on Howard. That will give him the chance to dominate O'Neal just as if he was Anderson Varejao. Even if Cleveland does hold on to the first seed, they will most likely face Boston or Orlando. With Shaq partially injured, their big men are going to run all over the Cavs.

This late-season injury to Shaquille O'Neal may cost LeBron James the 2010 NBA Championship.

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LeBron James gives up on Number 23

There has been talk about the jersey number, 23, ever since Michael Jordan retired for a second time in 1998. When he left the game, a lot of new players came in wearing the same number. Among those players was LeBron James. However, unlike the rest of those players, James was expected to live up to that number. While James has been great and his team has had great runs, he just could not live up to the last notable person to wear this number in 23.

LeBron James was not feeling the pressure about the jersey number situation until after the 2007 NBA Finals. The fact that his team could not score a victory, let alone a championship ended any chance of his legacy even touching that of Michael Jordan's. Ever since that time, many critics, mainly Skip Bayless, have let LeBron James have it. He has said numerous times on the ESPN program, "ESPN First Take," that James should change his jersey number.

It was not until after the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals that LeBron James actually began considering the idea of changing his jersey number. He is now in his seventh season in the NBA and he has yet to deliver a championship to the city of Cleveland. Some people feel that this is their year, but James is afraid of a repeat of last season. All of the talk of LeBron James giving up his jersey number is no longer talk. He has filed the proper papers to have his jersey number changed from 23 to 6 for the upcoming 2010-2011 season. Some people see a hidden message in his jersey number change.

There has been quite a bit of talk about LeBron James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the spotlight that is the City of New York or down to South Beach with his buddy, Dwyane Wade. If that were indeed the case, when he signed with a new team, he could simply pick a new jersey number. But, the fact that he chose to file paperwork to receive a new number could provide symbolism that he may be staying in Cleveland for a few more seasons.

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What makes LeBron James so Great?

Sure he dunks the basketball with flair, but who doesn't? Sure his team has the best record in the league, but they had the best record last year, too. To make a long story short, LeBron James is nothing special in the NBA. He came into the league straight out of high school and won the Rookie of the Year award. But, with all of the hype surrounding him, why is he being applauded for living up to it.

Take a closer look at his rookie season. The Cleveland Cavaliers were indeed the worst team in the NBA and LeBron James did wonders for the franchise. In only one season, James led the team from a 17-65 record to a 35-47 record. The turnaround was fantastic, but the team still did not make the playoffs. Coming into the league, James was said to be the next Michael Jordan, but Jordan made the playoffs his rookie year.

LeBron James put up MVP-like numbers during his sophomore year and he led the Cavs to their first winning record in ages. Still, the team failed to make the playoffs, as their 42-40 record was not enough. It was during the 2004-2005 season that "King" James proved that he cannot handle pressure. The team sat at 30-20 before the All-Star game as they held on to the fourth playoff spot. But, he managed to lead the team to a 12-20 record for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, Dwyane Wade, drafted the same year as James, led his team to the best record in the Eastern Conference and to the Conference Finals in only his second year.

In his third season, LeBron James finally broke through and led the Cavaliers to a 50-32 record. It took him three years to make the playoffs. Initial expectations had James winning his first NBA title by 2006. While it would not be James to win a championship that year, another 2003 draftee in Dwyane Wade would do so, leading seasoned veterans to their titles. Despite all of his accomplishments, the spotlight remained on LeBron and he barely led his team out of the first round. They beat the Wizards in six games, before posting a NBA record low 61 points in their game seven loss to Detroit.

By his fourth season, the focus had shifted from LeBron James to Dwyane Wade. It was Wade with the endorsements, wins, and fans, but a serious shoulder injury cost him two seasons. Because of this James was able to lead the Cavaliers to another 50-32 season and with the Miami Heat banged up throughout the roster, his team received a free pass. They would sweep the Washington Wizards, who were without their star, Gilbert Arenas. In the second round, they faced an injured New Jersey Nets team that pushed them to six games. LeBron James was able to pull off a great comeback to defeat the Detroit Pistons, who also had an easy road to the Conference Finals.

Everyone was ready to annoint LeBron James the new Michael Jordan when he made it to the NBA Finals in his fourth year. But, James did something that Jordan never did when he left the Finals empty-handed. History tells the true basketball fans that when Michael Jordan goes to the NBA Finals, he goes home with the NBA title. History also tells true basketball fans that when LeBron James goes to the NBA Finals, James not only goes home without a ring, he also goes home without a win. That was the first time, of many, when James would crack under pressure. Throughout the season, he performed heroics in games that simply did not matter.

Despite LeBron James eliminating himself from the greatest-ever discussion, sports media still backed him and with Dwyane Wade battling injuries for a second consecutive season, big things were expected from the Cavs. With their leader, LeBron James, he managed to lead the team to a 45-37 record, five less than the previous season. In the playoffs, he led them to a six game victory over the Wizards and then a game seven loss to the Boston Celtics. That loss was said to inspire LeBron James to come into next season and win the NBA Championship. Sports media was ready for him to have it, but James did not deliver, again.

During the 2008-2009 season, LeBron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a league-best record at 66-16. There was not a single person in the basketball world that doubted the Cavs. Even in the playoffs, James led the Cavs to sweeps over both the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks. It appeared as if LeBron had punched his ticket into the NBA Finals. They drew an Orlando Magic team that was supposed to have lost in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. But, the Magic did the impossible and stole game one and would go on to stop LeBron James in his tracks. He still managed to win the NBA Season MVP award, the one that sports media gives to their favorite.

This season, the sports media is all over LeBron James again. He is poised to win another MVP Award, but with more competition than he had in 2007, his chances of getting to the Finals are slim. His chances of getting to the NBA Finals and defeating the Jazz, Lakers, or Nuggets are even slimmer. LeBron James is a great individual talent, but he is not an effective team leader. When it comes to talent, no one can match up with him, but leadership is mixed in when dealing with a team sport. He lacks the killer instinct of Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, or even Kevin Durant. Maybe one day it will come, but that day does not appear to be any time soon.

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LeBron James has the Cavs on a Roll

There will always be a discussion, or an argument, about who is best and who is less. In an effort to pick the best player in the NBA, a fair assessment simply cannot be made. There is a legitiamte argument for Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James. But, as it stands, LeBron is the hottest.

Not only is LeBron James playing the best basketball of his career, but he also has his Cleveland Cavaliers on top of the league. They are not just beating up on the weak teams, either, the Cavaliers are knocking out contenders. Sure, it is only February, but this is the month where runs are made. A few years ago, Miami proved this when they won 15 of 16 in the month and finished the season strong and ended up winning the championship.

James decided to start his run in January, though, and with the All-Star break coming up, he may allow the Cavaliers to lose one. That way, they can begin a new, possibly longer win streak after the break. Before this winning streak, Cleveland was one of the top teams in the East, but this streak has given them the East and the league for that matter. Despite being contenders before the winning streak, people still criticized LeBron James for not being as "accomplished" as Kobe Bryant or Dwyane Wade. However, during this season, neither Kobe Bryant nor Dwyane Wade have accomplished 12 wins in a row.

LeBron James will never be as great as Michael Jordan, he may never even equal up to Kobe Bryant, but he has finally proved that he is an effective leader. These 12 straight wins are no fluke, this team is standing at 42-11. That is a record that even Jordan and his Bulls would have struggled to get to during the height of MJ's popularity.

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