Texas' Tristan Thompson (left) was selected by the Cavaliers, while Arizona's Derrick Williams went to the Timberwolves. (US PRESSWIRE)

The picks went fast and furious, but mostly without a hitch. At the end of the first round, NBA Commissioner David Stern was booed by the fans who attended Thursday’s draft in New Jersey but that was to be expected as basketball fans are worried about an impending lockout that may interrupt the 2011-12 season.

Duke point guard Kyrie Irving, not surprisingly, went No. 1 overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the Cavs thought they had Turkish center Enes Kanter at No. 4, but he was snagged by the Utah Jazz at No. 3, forcing the Cavs to scramble a little bit and made a panic pick with Texas’ Tristan Thompson. Jay Bilas described Thompson as someone “who needs to learn how to play and how to score.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

OneManFastBreak.net examines the five biggest losers and winners from the 2011 NBA draft.

——————————————————————

LOSERS: Cavaliers, Spurs, Raptors, Bobcats, Pistons

——————————————————————

– CAVALIERS – Before Cleveland fans can start coming out of their post-LeBron doldrums, remember these names: Bobby Hurley, Jeff Capel, William Avery, Jay Williams, Chris Duhon and Jon Scheyer. All were spectacular players at Duke, but none of them became stars in the NBA. Irving is a good point guard, but was he really the best player in the draft and deserves to be the No. 1 overall pick? That was the million-dollar question the Cavs faced weeks prior to the draft. He played in only 11 games in college because of a toe injury so that’s one red flag, and the other warning sign is he’s not super quick. In the Eastern Conference, you have dynamic and explosive point guards such as Derrick Rose, Deron Williams and Rajon Rondo. Irving will have to adjust to the speed of the game and must get stronger. The Cavs were hoping Kanter would fall to them at No. 4, but the Jazz ruined that master plan. Instead of taking the next best player available, the Cavs pulled off a head-scratcher with the selection of Texas forward Tristan Thompson, who is a decent player but is not worthy of a top-five pick. And where is Thompson going to play? Is he better than J.J. Hickson or Anderson Varejao? Probably not.

– SPURS – Heading into Thursday, the Spurs were reportedly shopping point guard Tony Parker for one of the top-eight picks. As it turned out, they were shopping Parker’s backup, George Hill. Now, this one is a bit puzzling. Hill is a terrific defender and can play either guard position, which makes him very valuable for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich given the history of injuries for Parker and Manu Ginobili. In a very un-Spurs-like move, Hill was traded to Indiana in exchange for the No. 15 pick, which turned out to be San Diego State’s Kawhi Leonard. Leonard is a good athlete who can defend and rebound, but he shot just 29% from the college 3-point line and it’s not going to get easier since the NBA line is 3 feet farther. Normally, Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford excel on draft day but shipping Hill out of San Antonio is a little questionable.

– RAPTORS – First of all, the Raptors hired Dwane Casey as their head coach. Casey has a career coaching record of 43-59. No matter how you spin it, Casey is not a good NBA coach. That’s not a good way to retool your franchise. As if that wasn’t enough of a flub, the Raptors drafted 6-10 Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas, who is a terrific prospect but may not be able to get out of his Euroleague contract until 2014. There is no doubt about Valanciunas’ talent. But why would the Raptors gamble on a guy who can’t help them right away? Puzzling. Better hope Valanciunas is worth the wait.

– BOBCATS – So far, Michael Jordan has shown very little skills as the head of basketball operations in Charlotte. Should we be surprised about that since Jordan was the mastermind in ruining the Wizards almost 10 years ago? Jordan’s latest move was trading his best player, Stephen Jackson, to Milwaukee for Corey Maggette. What saves Jordan from having a complete disaster on draft night were his picks: center Bismack Biyombo (Congo) and guard Kemba Walker (Connecticut). Both should be decent contributors for the Bobcats, but can they change the fortunes of the franchise? Not with Michael calling the shots.

– PISTONS – The Pistons’ offseason started with the firing of head coach John Kuester. Not a good way to being your offseason. Then, general manager Joe Dumars, who has had a run of bad picks lately, chose Kentucky guard Brandon Knight with the eighth overall pick. Knight didn’t look pleased at all when he step up to the stage and shook hands with the commissioner. He’s probably thinking, “Why did a guard-heavy team that already has Rodney Stuckey, Ben Gordon, Will Bynum, Richard Hamilton and Tracy McGrady would ever need me?” If that’s what Knight was thinking, he certainly has a point.

————————————————————————

WINNERS: Timberwolves, Jazz, Kings, Wizards, Nuggets

————————————————————————

– TIMBERWOLVES – The night started great for general manager David Kahn with the selection of Arizona forward Derrick Williams with the No. 2 overall. Williams is the most NBA-ready player out of all the prospects, and that includes Irving, and he’ll pair up well with fellow Pac-10 stud Kevin Love. Then, the night got even better when Kahn was able to dump disappointing point guard Jonny Flynn to Houston, opening up the point position for Spanish star Ricky Rubio. The Wolves also picked up center Brad Miller via a trade, and Florida forward Chandler Parsons is not a bad second-round selection.

– JAZZ – The Jazz put a wrench into the Cavaliers master plan with they picked Kanter at No. 3. ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla rated Kanter as the best international player in the draft and he could turn out to be the best player, along with Williams, from this class. Kanter is a physical big man who can face up and hit a mid-range jumper. He describes himself as a Pau Gasol low-post player with a Dirk Nowitzki-type of perimeter game. Big talk from a very confident player. He should pair up well with Jazz forward Al Jefferson. The Jazz also added Colorado shooting guard Alec Burks in the first round to round out their excellent draft day.

– KINGS – Year after year, the Kings have done a great job in picking players in the draft and this year was no exception. BYU star Jimmer Fredette is headed for Sacramento to play with Tyreke Evans (class of 2009) and DeMarcus Cousins (class of 2010). Fredette should well in Sacramento because he’s a spot up shooter who has unlimited range, which is good news for Evans because this allows him to play more point guard. The Kings were so high on Fredette that they shipped last year’s starting point guard Beno Udrih to Milwaukee.

– WIZARDS – In less than two years, general manager Ernie Grunfeld has managed to change the culture in Washington. Point guard John Wall is now the face of the franchise and center JaVale McGee is one of the best young big men in the league. OnThursday night, the Wizards added more young pieces to their roster in forwards Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton and guard Shelvin Mack. Vesely, from the Czech Republic, brings a lot of energy and athleticism to a Wizards squad that should be running more often next season. We’ve seen Vesely finish plays above the rim and has shown a non-stop motor. What we didn’t know about him is he likes public displays of affection. Check out the video:

Singleton is a rock-solid defender who brings a lot of toughness, and Mack was the catalyst of the Butler squad that made it to the NCAA Tournament final in back-to-back years.

– NUGGETS – If Raymond Felton is a better fit in Portland then Andre Miller is a much better fit in Denver. The Nuggets, at times, plays too fast and having the heady, crafty Miller running point should help maximize their offensive possessions. The trade also allows coach George Karl to play Ty Lawson and Miller together, with Miller defending the 2 guard spot. Denver landed a diamond in the rough with the 22nd pick in Morehead State forward Kenneth Faried. The 6-7 Faried is a high-energy player who defends and rebounds. Think Paul Millsap and Udonis Haslem. Faried doesn’t need any set plays to be effective, which is perfect in Denver because Karl has enough scorers on the team and Faried’s effort and hustle will be a tremendous addition.

Popularity: 6% [?]

LeBron James does his usual power-toss routine before the game and then he smoked his former team for 38 points in his return to Cleveland. (GETTY IMAGES)

It was a memorable and unabashed return to Cleveland for LeBron James.

The moment he stepped on the court at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, he had an extra hop in his step, razor-sharp focus and played with a ton of bad intentions. Cavs Nation took shots at LeBron all night, and he shot right back. He even went through with his pregame powder-toss routine, a loud and clear message to Cavaliers fans that he was going to smoke them on this night. And he did.

The second time James touched the ball in the first quarter, he buried a baseline jump shot over Anthony Parker. With the game tied at 17, he drove baseline and scored on a reverse layup to give the Heat the lead. That shot ignited a 16-0 Miami run and the Heat never looked back.

Then LeBron applied the finishing touches to his in-your-face performance with a dominant third quarter, a quarter in which he scored a Quicken Loans Arena record 24 points. He couldn’t miss. He made jump shots, layups and alley-oops. By the time he left the court for good, the Heat had built a commanding 30-point lead.

LeBron James and his new family, the Miami Heat, basically went back to Cleveland and showed all Cavs fans what they’re missing. It was like watching your girlfriend kissing Stan Gable in your house while Olger was thrashing your living room and drinking all your beer.

LeBron’s stat line: 30 minutes (three quarters), 38 points on 15-for-25 from the field, five rebounds, eight assists, no turnovers and numerous not-so-friendly chats with the Cleveland bench.

Nothing fazed LeBron on this night despite a steady stream of boos and obscenities from the same fans who cheered him the past seven seasons. The fans came out in full force, with signs that read “LeQuitter,” “LeLoser,” “Witless,” “Quitness,” “11-8? Looks Like You Left Your Talents in Cleveland,” “You’re Only A Prince in Wade’s County,” and “Betrayed.” Fans also made T-shirts that read “Lyin’ King” and “Queen James.”

You have to hand it to the Cavs fans. They definitely brought their Hate Game and unleashed it on the two-time NBA MVP, who has now joined Art Modell as the most hated man in Cleveland, Ohio. Just too bad the Cavaliers players couldn’t match the energy and passion of their fans.

As James kept throwing haymakers at his former team for much of the night, the Cavaliers players went down faster than Michael Spinx.

Chris Webber described the Cavs’ performance as a “wet, soft tissue.” Charles Barkley couldn’t believe how the Cavs players did absolutely nothing as James continued to strut and yap near the Cleveland bench where owner Dan Gilbert was within earshot. Barkley said he would have knocked somebody down if his team was getting trashed.

James’ in-game chatter really angered head coach Byron Scott. Scott is an old-school guy, and he just couldn’t understand why his guys were fraternizing with the enemy. Michael Jordan never joked with Isiah Thomas and the Pistons. Larry Bird never shared pleasantries with Magic Johnson and the Lakers during their heated playoff battles.

Chants of “Akron Hates You!” and – my personal favorite – “Scottie Pippen!” rained on LeBron throughout the second half as the Heat poured it on the overmatched Cavaliers. LeBron even cracked a smile when Cavs fans amped up the booing while he was on the free throw line.

After the game, Craig Sager asked LeBron is he wanted to take this opportunity to apologize to Cavs fans for what transpired last July. LeBron said,  “I don’t want to apologize. My intentions was not to hurt anyone. My intentions was solely on kids during the whole process. I always say, the decisions I make I live with them. There’s always way that you could correct them that you could do them better, but at the end of the day I live with them. And I’m satisfied and happy with that.”

James certainly got the last laugh on a night when Cavs fans was supposed to put closure on this whole ordeal. Instead, their emotional scar got even worse.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Cleveland won't bring out the welcome mat when LeBron James and the Miami Heat visit tonight at Quicken Loans Arena. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

In case you haven’t heard LeBron James is returning to the lion’s den tonight, also known as The Q.

James and his battered and beleaguered Miami Heat squad will face a blood-thirsty crowd that will unleash their anger and hatred on their former favorite son, who basically left the franchise for dead in favor of a better life in South Beach.

Cavs fans have been waiting for this moment since the night when LeBron told the world that he’s “taking his talents to South Beach.” The city of Cleveland, and for the entire state of Ohio for that matter, felt like a jilted housewife who just found out that her husband is moving in with a younger and sexier woman. Wouldn’t you be upset if that were you? I would.

It was bad enough that James left the Cavaliers for another team, but the way he embarrassed them on national TV made it ultra worse. Did he really have to go on ESPN and announced that he was leaving Cleveland? Bad decision, Bron. Bad decision. Had he done it in a more subtle way, he may have salvaged his relationship with some fans. Now, ALL THE FANS want his head on a silver platter and feed it to the lions.

If I were LeBron, I would skip his little powder routine because it would literally cause a riot inside the arena.

Expect the Cavaliers and owner Dan Gilbert, who slapped the White-Man-From-Town-Curse on LeBron shortly after he skipped town, to pull out all the stops tonight to make their former King really, really uncomfortable. This game is Cleveland’s NBA Finals and Super Bowl combined. The Cavs could care less if they lose the rest of their games as long as they win this one.

Mo Williams said that the Cavs are not only playing for Cleveland, but they’re playing for all basketball fans who despise the Heat. Daniel “Boobie” Gibson admitted that, even though he considers LeBron a friend, he will go at LeBron hard tonight. Not sure how Boobie is going to go at LeBron, but we’ll take his word for it.

Here’s how I see this night unfolding:

– As soon as LeBron steps on the court, he will feel the wrath of 20,000 angry Clevelanders, who will boo him like Philly fans booed Santa Claus. He’ll get booed even when he’s sitting on the bench. Heck, they may boo him when he goes to the restroom.

– LeBron will struggle shooting early and the Cavaliers will come out fired up and take a lead in the first quarter, taking advantage of dead legs from the Heat, who played the night before.

– Anderson Varejao will record a double-double in this game and will outplay Chris Bosh.

– Mo Williams will play out of his mind.

– The Heat will make a game of it as Dwyane Wade will carry his buddy LeBron for much of the night.

– But in the end, the Cavs will feed off the high energy from their fans and will come out victorious.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Cavs fans Josh Hall (left), Rob Hose (center) and Mike Adams burn LeBron James No. 23 jerseys. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

What is the best and most interesting matchup of the 2010-11 NBA season?

The opening-night matchup between the Miami Heat and their Three Kings against the Boston Celtics’ Big Four is nice, but it lacks drama. The Christmas Day showdown between the Heat and defending NBA champion Lakers in Los Angeles has plenty star power on and off the court, but the subdued and spoiled fans at Staples Center probably won’t be throwing their mocha lattes and cappuccinos at the opposition during the holiday season.

The best regular-season matchup for the 2010-11 season is….drum roll, please…..the Dec. 2 contest between the Heat and Cavaliers in Cleveland, also known as The Return of LeBron.

When LeBron James announced on nationally TV that he’ll be “taking his talents to South Beach,” seething Cavaliers fans began spitting venom and started breathing fire. They were burning No. 23 jerseys and tearing down LBJ posters just minutes after The Decision. The anger was comparable to the day Clevelanders eliminated “Art” and “Modell” from their vocabulary.

Even Cavs owner Dan Gilbert lost his cool, calling LeBron’s decision “cowardly” and slapped The Curse of White Man from Town on the two-time league MVP.

“The fanbase is still in shock,” Cleveland Plain Dealer writer Brian Windhorst said on NBATV’s Game Time. “Everything that happens to the Cavaliers for the foreseeable future is going to be attached to after LeBron.”

When LeBron walks back into Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday night, it would be like walking into a vampire’s lair with blood dripping from his arms and a piece of meat hanging from his shoulders. Cavaliers fans will have their fangs out, all dying to take a bite out of their former hometown hero.

TNT will televise the game and the hype will be absolutely bananas. It will be like Terrell Owens returning to Philly….times 10! The boos Pat Riley heard the night he returned to Madison Square Garden as the head coach of the Heat are nothing compared to the boos LeBron will hear on Dec. 2.

LeBron better have added security that day because Cavs fans will be out in full force ready to eat him alive.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Shaquille O'Neal has yet to sign with an NBA team. (GETTY IMAGES)

August is nearly here and Shaquille O’Neal is still a free agent. Not many teams are jumping at the chance to snag The Big Diesel, who is reportedly asking for a two-year deal worth around $8 million. O’Neal will be 39 years old in March and his once imposing presence and larger-than-life reputation has become nothing but a distant memory.

If O’Neal posted his resume on Craigslist it would read something like this: Three-time NBA Finals MVP looking for work …. Funny, outgoing and likes to come up with nicknames …. Prefers to play for a winning program ….  can only work half a season, and preferably just 24 minutes a day  and no more than 150 minutes per week …. Salary: negotiable …. Medical benefits: needs full coverage because of preexisting condition …. Work experience (by city): Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix and Cleveland …. Unique skills: space eater, hard to move, very strong …. Hobbies: likes to rap and dance (part-time member of the hip-hop group Jabbawockeez: America’s Best Dance Crew) …. References: available upon request.

If he retires now, after 18 seasons, O’Neal will leave with four championships, three NBA Finals most valuable player trophies and 15 All-Star game appearances, and he is second all-time in field-goal percentage at .581.

All those numbers are certainly good enough to put him in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., but they all could have been better.

Shaq says he wanted to leave the game with at least five championships. He won three with the Lakers and one with the Heat, which leaves him one short of his goal. O’Neal could have won more than three with the Lakers, but he wasted a lot of “company time” arguing with Kobe Bryant. He won just one regular season MVP (2000) and never played more than 79 games in each of his eight seasons in L.A.

Although he helped lead the Heat to an NBA title in 2006, it was Dwyane Wade who was named Finals MVP. The last time O’Neal was an MVP was his first year in Miami (2005). From that point on, O’Neal’s scoring average has dropped like the stock market.

His 28,255 points puts him fifth on the all-time list for now, but he could have easily surpassed 30,000 had he not missed more than 5,000 free throws. Last year, he averaged just 12 points and six rebounds – half of what he averages for his career.

There were reports that the Hawks were interested in signing O’Neal, but their interest has diminished. The Celtics, who are in need of big men, toyed with idea of bringing in Shaq to fill the void left by Kendrick Perkins, who is expected to be out until January after knee surgery. Boston ended up signing an O’Neal, but it wasn’t Shaquille. Instead, the Celtics and Jermaine O’Neal agreed to a two-year deal and if Rasheed Wallace comes out of retirement it would be foolish for the Celtics to go after Shaq.

The Spurs were in The Diesel’s radar, but the signing of Brazilian center Tiago Splitter, the best big man in Europe last season, pretty much ended a Shaq-Duncan pairing.

So which teams can afford to fit O’Neal into their plans? Here are seven possible destinations for Shaq:

– New Orleans Hornets: Shaq played at LSU and wouldn’t mind a return to the Bayou. The Hornets have Emeka Okafor as their starting center, but he’s not immune to getting dealt. If the Hornets decide to keep Okafor, O’Neal will have to swallow his pride, take a pay cut and be Okafor’s backup. Not likely to happen, unless Chris Paul tells management that he wants to play with Shaq.

– Milwaukee Bucks: The injury to Andrew Bogut may take a while to heal, so the Bucks are looking to rent a center for a few months. Head coach Scott Skiles still holds Shaq in high regard and has maintained a solid relationship with The Big Aristotle. Shaq would fit right in Milwaukee and be the strong personality in the locker room for the young Bucks.

– Oklahoma City Thunder: OKC acquired 6-11 center Cole Aldrich in the draft, but they certainly wouldn’t mind adding more size to their already very quick and athletic roster. However, Shaq will be a huge liability on both ends of the court and GM Sam Presti may be reluctant to bring in a big personality like the self-proclaimed MDE that would stunt the growth of 21-year-old leaders Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

– Atlanta Hawks: There is still an outside chance that O’Neal signs with the Hawks to bolster their very small frontline. But O’Neal must take less money or else this could be a deal-breaker.

– Boston Celtics: Ditto. If Shaq wants to have another shot at winning a championship ring, the Celtics may be his best opportunity. But, are the Celtics still interested?

– L.A. Clippers: Shaq back in L.A.? Wouldn’t that be something. This would be a longshot given the Clippers’ history of not being big players in the offseason, but bringing in a guy like Shaq would certainly upgrade the Clippers brand off the court. On the court, O’Neal would have to play behind Chris Kaman, but that’s easier said than done. O’Neal’s massive ego may not be able to handle that demotion. But if O’Neal agrees to play second fiddle and takes less money, it would certainly would inject some HGH into the Lakers-Clippers rivalry.

– Cleveland Cavaliers: Another longshot given Shaq’s wish of playing for contender. The Cavaliers’ championship aspirations went out the door as soon as LeBron James said “Good-bye to Cleveland” and “Hello to Miami.” O’Neal played with new Cavs head coach Byron Scott with the Lakers so playing for B-Scott shouldn’t be problem.

And should all of these teams pass on The Big Free Agent, there’s always a spot open with the Jabbawockees.

Shaquille O'Neal performs with the Jabbawockeez at the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Popularity: 19% [?]

Dwyane Wade will always have a leg up on LeBron James in Miami. (GETTY IMAGES)

LeBron James has never looked so small.

When James ditched his homestate team of Cleveland, Ohio, for a chance to play with not one but two of his All-Star buddies in Miami, Fla., it was loud and clear admission that the self-proclaimed King James can’t rule a kingdom on his own. Sadly, it was almost a cry for help. This is The Chosen One? The guy who is supposed to be the biggest and the baddest player in the Association and heir to Michael Jordan’s throne as the greatest player of all time? What a royal disappointment.

In James’ quest to conquer his first NBA championship, the 25-year-old two-time league MVP raised his right arm and waved for more troops. He needed Chris Bosh. He needed Dwyane Wade. He didn’t want to be in the frontline nor the backline. He just wanted to jump on someone else’s troop and win the battle playing as the second or third fiddle.

To put it in a New York Yankees perspective, LeBron is Alex Rodriguez and Wade is Derek Jeter. That leaves Bosh as Mark Teixeira. Much like A-Rod, James went lead role to a supporting actor, and didn’t mind it one bit.

Can you imagine Jordan teaming up with Isiah Thomas with the Detroit Pistons? Or, how about Larry Bird leaving Boston to play with Magic Johnson in L.A.? Can you see Kobe Bryant opting out of his contract with the Lakers and teaming with Wade and Bosh in Miami?

No way! Heck no! And hell no!

Miami is Wade County and American Airlines Arena is D-Wade’s house. Wade owns a championship ring and a Finals MVP trophy. Because he was The Guy who led the Heat to a championship in 2006, he will always be toast of the parties on Ocean Boulevard in South Beach.

During the Heat’s news conference at American Airlines Arena Friday night, James was introduced first, then Bosh and then Wade. Wade also got the loudest ovation from the more than 10,000 Heat fans in attendance. Then, during the session with the media, Wade sat in the middle of the table and was flanked by James and Bosh. That’s going to be the pecking order with the Miami Heat. Wade will always drive the Heat bus, with James and Bosh as his passengers.

Charles Barkley, one of only six regular-season MVPs to not win an NBA championship, said that  during his prime years in the league, it never even crossed his mind that he needed help from other All-Star players to win a title. In fact, Barkley thought he could do it on his own every year because he wanted to be The Guy.

Barkley wanted to be The Guy who took the last shot, grabbed the key rebound, made the crucial pass that led his team to victory and ultimately to a championship. That title never came, but at least Barkley never took a backseat to anyone. When he first arrived in the NBA in 1984 as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers – a team who won the NBA title the previous year and boasted Hall-of-Famers Moses Malone and Julius Erving – Barkley, in his mind, was the best player on the team. He didn’t care if Moses or Dr. J were on the same court.

“If I was 25, I’d try to win [a championship] by myself, not technically to win it by myself, but I would make sure I was The Guy on the team,” Barkley said on NBATV. “We just started giving Kobe Bryant credit the last two years. There was that stigma that he hadn’t won without Shaq. You see, we have elevated him because he won the last two as The Guy. And LeBron is never gonna be The Guy. Dwyane Wade has already won a championship, so it’s his team.

“I still think LeBron is the best player in the NBA. But there is a knock – and it is a fair knock – because the reason why I say that is if we’re gonna use the same criteria on Kobe Bryant we have to use it on LeBron James also.”

Barkley said he was disappointed James didn’t stay with the Cavaliers because winning a championship in a title-starved city like Cleveland would have been sweeter, especially for a player who grew up in nearly Akron and is all too familiar with the sad sports history of Cleveland, Ohio.

“It would have been a lot more significant to win a championship in Cleveland than piggyback on Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh,” Barkley said. “If he wins a championship in Miami, would it be a great thing ‘yeah, it would be a great thing.’ But it won’t be nearly as significant and it won’t enhance his legacy. That’s the bottom line.”

Barkley is completely miffed at the fact that James, who at 25 is very much in the prime of his professional basketball career, would choose to defer to another superstar just to win a title. In other words, LeBron took the shortcut instead of staying on the long road to the promised land. Barkley used Karl Malone and Gary Payton as examples of two basketball legends who stuck it out on bad teams, hoping to win titles as the leaders of their respective teams.

“They tried to win it by themselves. That’s why I admire and respect those guys,” Barkley said. “They did go the Lakers and Gary went to Miami to win a championship, but they didn’t try to piggyback on anybody else early in their careers. When you’re 25, you shouldn’t have to piggyback on other people.”

James said during his one-hour made-for-ESPN special Thursday night that the No. 1 reason why he decided to join the Heat was because he felt, with Wade and Bosh in the fold, Miami gave him the best chance to win a title, which is an unwarranted indictment on the Cavaliers organization, owner Dan Gilbert and former GM Danny Ferry.

“Let’s be realistic. Cleveland, to me, they were still one of the five or six best teams in the NBA. Think about that,” Barkley noted. “They lost to the Celtics, that was a tough matchup. You take away Orlando and they’re still in the mix as the best team in the East, and other than the Lakers in the West, they would have been in the mix. [Cleveland] has had the best record in the NBA [the last two years] so it wasn’t like he was playing on a bad team. So I wished he would have tried to win it by himself as The Guy.

“[LeBron's] legacy is going to take a hit.”

Popularity: 30% [?]

LeBron James watches with his family during All-Star Weekend. Home and family were highlighted during the Cavaliers' final pitch to James. (GETTY IMAGES)

Home is Cleveland and the Cavaliers are family.

Those were the points of emphasis the Cavaliers hammered home to LeBron James in their final attempt to convince their hometown hero to remain in Cleveland.

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, newly hired head coach Byron Scott and general manager Chris Grant met with James and his management crew for a little over an hour Saturday and, according to Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, part of the presentation included a cartoon clip that featured LeBron and his friends, made in a “Family Guy” style, one of James’ favorite TV shows.

When Grant said the meeting was “fun and very interactive” he was likely referring to the “Family Guy” part of the presentation.

“We had a very good meeting with LeBron and his group. It went well, we had a good time, we had fun, it was very interactive. Obviously we know LeBron well. I would characterized it as positive,” said Grant, who took over the GM duties when Danny Ferry left the team earlier this year.

Using “Family Guy,” as crazy as it may seem, may be the best approach to reach the two-time NBA MVP at this point. It shows that the Cavs know LeBron best. It was a personal touch that only a close family member can formulate, and it also provided some levity in an otherwise high-tension moment for all parties involved. While teams such as the Heat, Bulls and Knicks made their very serious offers and formal business proposals to James, the Cavs went with an approach that was totally out of left field.

Windhorst wrote the team had been planning on the cartoon presentation for six months.

James was drafted by Cleveland in 2003 and has never played for another NBA team. The Cavaliers are like family to him, and every home game at Quicken Loans Arena is like one big backyard barbecue.

The LeBron James free-agent saga has become such a hot-button topic that even tennis star Serena Williams was asked about where LeBron should go just moments after she had won her fourth Wimbledon title in England.

Without hesitation, Serena believes James should remain in with the Cavaliers. “I think he should stay in Cleveland because he’s from Ohio,” said Serena. “He has built such a great franchise there with the Cavaliers, so many people watch him and [the Cavs are ] such a popular team now. Obviously I like Miami, but I think he should stay in Cleveland.”

Maybe the Cavaliers should have invited Serena Williams to their scheduled meeting with James in downtown Cleveland. She certainly would have made an attractive argument.

Another point of emphasis for Grant and the Cavs was “home,” as in keep LeBron in his home state of Ohio and continue to work toward building a championship team.

Scott knows all about winning for your hometown team. The former Los Angeles (Inglewood) High School standout – who grew up just a few blocks from The Forum where the Lakers used to play – won three NBA titles as a member of the Lakers in the 1980s and he could certainly share his experiences with James, who attended high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s in Akron.

So far, the theme for the 2010 free-agent class is “stay home.”

Dirk Nowitzki has decided to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks, Paul Pierce has agreed to remain with the Boston Celtics and Joe Johnson has 120 million reasons to stay in Atlanta. The Cavaliers are hoping James will follow suit.

Popularity: 13% [?]

LeBron James needs to take a deep breath before making a decision on where to play next season. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

The LeBron James free-agent watch is officially ticking.

The moment the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated from the 2010 NBA playoffs, all eyes, ears, cameras, binoculars, video players, Twitter followers and Facebook fan pages were fixated on LeBron James and his future. Did he play his last game as a Cavalier? Is he going to New York? Will he sign with Chicago? Is Miami big enough to house LeBron and D-Wade? Can Jay-Z convince LeBron to be the centerpiece of the Brooklyn Nets?

“I have no plans at this point. I’ve made no plans,” said James, who had 27 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists and nine turnovers in Cleveland’s 94-85 loss to Boston in Game 6.

No one knows for sure where James will play next year. Even LeBron James is not sure where he’ll play next year. It’s all speculation.

“Me and my team will figure out what’s the best possibility for me,” James said. The “Team” James is referring to is his management group comprised of his longtime friends from high school.

Maverick Carter, James’ former teammate at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School who currently is employed by Nike, acts as James’ manager. Two other friends, Randy Mims and Richard Paul, are also on James’ payroll. Mims currently serves as James’ personal assistant and road manager and Paul is a “close confidant.” According to The Associated Press, James and his three friends call themselves “The Four Horsemen.”

Sounds like LeBron and his buddies have been watching too many episodes of “Entourage.” Victory!

There Is No Place Like Home

As much as it pains Cavaliers fans their beloved team is out of the playoffs, the disappointment of how the Cavs lost in the conference semifinals could be the reason James stays in Cleveland because he doesn’t want his Cavs legacy to end on an all-too-familiar sad note.

James has lived in the state of Ohio since birth and carries Akron everywhere he goes (three of them to be specific). The man can recite Cleveland’s sad sports history in a heartbeat. He was 2 years old when the Browns allowed “The Drive” to happen and he was 5 when Michael Jordan hit “The Shot over Ehlo.” LeBron is a loyal guy by nature and it would be extremely hard for him to bail out on his people, especially at the way the season ended for the Cavs, and uproot his family to a different city.

Like a smart business man should do, James will keep his options open. He’ll fly from city to city, listen to offers and recruiting pitches from various teams before he makes a decision. He’s got an entire offseason to make up his mind.

“That fact that it’s over right now is definitely a surprise to myself. But it is what it is,” James told reporters. “A friend of mine told me after the game, ‘I guess you have to have to go through a lot of nightmares before you finally accomplish your dreams.’ And that’s what’s going on.”

Cleveland’s worst nightmare is seeing LeBron in another uniform. It would dwarf what Packers fans felt when Brett Favre ditched Green Bay for New York and then later Minnesota. Favre wasn’t the reigning league MVP when he skipped town.

The Cavaliers can offer James the most money and a hometown experience like no other. No athlete in Cleveland sports history, other than Jim Brown, has been more beloved than LeBron. Under the current salary cap restrictions, the Cavs make the most sense financially. The Cavs can offer a maximum deal of $125 million over six years, while other teams are maxed out at five years, $96 million. That’s $30 million on the table James would have to walk away from should he decide to play elsewhere.

“I love the city of Cleveland, of course,” James said. “Another disappointing season, to say the least, but at the same time we had a great time together. We’ll see what happens.”

Chi-Town, Jersey Shore, The Big Apple or South Beach

From a basketball standout, the Bulls are very attractive because they have a collection of young studs  in All-Star Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. But going to Chicago would mean playing in the shadow of Michael Jordan. If James is willing to shoulder that burden, then Chicago becomes a real viable option. Another reason to consider Chicago is if the Bulls hire John Calipari as head coach. But Calipari, who tried to recruit James to play for Memphis, has done the NBA tour once before. Remember the Nets? All you need to know about Coach Cal’s NBA track record is this: he passed on drafting Kobe Bryant and took Kerry Kittles instead. Case closed.

The Knicks have been gearing up for the Summer of LeBron for two years and have gone all in with their chips, hoping the bright lights of the self-proclaimed basketball mecca and Mike D’Antoni’s run-and-gun offense would be good enough reasons for James to move to New York. But why would James go to a place where a championship is light years away? The only way the Knicks lure James to New York is to bring in not one but TWO superstars to play with him. It’s possible, but highly unlikely because the third wheel would have to take a pay cut.

The Heat and Nets are in the same predicament. Both franchises are tied in to what other free agents would do before James even begin to consider them. The Nets are a lottery team and their best selling point is LeBron’s good friend Jay-Z. Miami is attractive in many ways for James, but Pat Riley’s No. 1 priority is to re-sign Wade and rebuild the Heat roster. It would be nice if can get Wade and James to play in South Beach, but I’m not sure if both men are willing to share the spotlight at this stage of their young careers.

And Back to Cleveland

There are a ton of questions the Cavs need to address this offseason. Is this team, the way it is currently constructed, good enough to make a championship run? Will the Cavs bring back Shaquille O’Neal? Is this the end of the line for Zydrunas Ilgauskas? Can Mo Williams handle playoff pressure? Will the team retain Mike Brown as coach?

Expect sweeping changes in Cleveland. Shaq turns 39 next season and the Cavs are not likely to keep two aging centers on their roster. Ilgauskas could return, but he is also considering retirement. And despite two 60-win seasons, Brown is probably out as Cavs coach.

“I really don’t know everyone’s contract situation as far as years and things like that, but we had a great team. We had a really good team and we played hard all year. We just didn’t play consistent basketball, and that’ s why Boston is moving on. For the most part, as a team, we all get along and we had a great year,” James said. “As an individual, I’m gonna continue to get better throughout the offseason like I always do. And I’ll come back a better player next season.”

At the end of a very long offseason, when it is all said and done and “The Four Horsemen” have exhausted all of the party invitations and red-carpet treatment, James will probably stay with the Cavaliers. He’ll probably sign a shorter deal to keep the Cavaliers on championship alert.

What Happens Next?

Here are a few scenarios that could play out:

1) James stays in Cleveland but signs a 3-year deal; 2) Wade stays in Miami but signs a 3-year deal; 3) James convinces Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire to come to Cleveland; 4) Wade takes Bosh or Stoudemire (or Carlos Boozer) with him to Miami; 6) James forces Cleveland to hire Calipari, but GM Danny Ferry resigns; 7) Cavs are bounced again in the playoffs and James tells Cavs management to bring back Mike Brown and sign his St. Vincent-St. Mary’s teammates to NBA contracts.

The first domino could fall before July 1 so things could change. But after three years and LeBron is still without a ring, then we’re headed for a summer sequel in 2014. By that time, LeBron and D-Wade could be ready to share the spotlight and play on the same team. Which team? Stay tuned.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Mike Brown has won more than 60 games the past two seasons, but could lose his job. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

In case you haven’t heard, LeBron James can opt out of his Cleveland Cavaliers contract on July 1 and become an unrestricted free agent. James holds the future of several people in the Cavaliers organization, including head coach Mike Brown. But after the 94-85 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 6 that knocked Cleveland out of the 2010 playoffs, James didn’t exactly give Brown a ringing endorsement.

James did not mention Brown’s name once during his postgame news conference but, if you read between the lines, he hinted to Cavs management that he needs a better bench jockey to help him win an NBA title.

“It’s all about winning for me, and I think the Cavs are committed to doing that. But, at the same, I have to give myself options to this point,” James said. “I think Boston, first of all, had a great game plan. Their coaching staff gave them a great game plan. They tried to keep us on the perimeter as much as possible. They have a lot of veteran players who’ve been in a lot of postseason games and they all just bought into their system, and it worked for them.

“We had opportunities to win the game, to win the series, but we didn’t execute for 48 minutes. You don’t do that against a very experienced team.”

When Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer asked LeBron about the Cavs’ game plan and how Brown handled the defensive matchups and the rotation, he made Windhorst repeat the question as if he wanted to gather his thoughts and carefully choose his words. Once the question was re-asked, James said: “Well, I think we had good game plans going into the game. I think sometimes we could have made some better adjustments throughout the course of the game. But for the most part, we had a game plan we try to go out and execute it. Did it always work? No. Did it work sometimes? Yes.”

“Tonight was a game where we fought hard. But when you turn the ball over as much as we did and give up 27 points off our turnovers, it is very difficult. I think tonight we left it on the court and we have nothing to hang our heads.”

The key statement that stood out was “we could have made some better adjustments throughout the course of the game.” That is a direct shot at Brown and his inability to make the proper adjustments during a game.

Eric Snow, James’ former teammate and current NBATV studio analyst, said he noticed a different LeBron James in the last three games of the series. “It looked like something was bothering him,” Snow said.

Brown’s decision to keep Antawn Jamison on Kevin Garnett is what ultimately killed the Cavaliers in the series. Doc Rivers pointed out that that was the matchup the Celtics focused on when the series began, and Brown wasn’t able to take away Boston’s No. 1 option. Garnett clearly had a huge advantage over Jamison, but for some reason Brown stayed with Jamison way too long and didn’t use Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson enough to combat Garnett in the post.

And to start Game 6, Brown’s big move was to put Shaquille O’Neal on Garnett, which totally backfired. The Celtics immediately put O’Neal in pick-and-pop situations and Garnett got open looks and hit his five first shots.

Brown also mishandled his rotations and changed his substitution pattern midway through the series. Windhorst wrote on his blog after Game 4 that the Cavalier players were unhappy with the way Brown has changed some of their roles and O’Neal was frustrated over not playing in the fourth quarter.

In Brown’s defense, he had the difficult task of reorganizing his roster for the playoffs with the return of O’Neal and expanding Jamison’s role, which meant someone was going to be left out. Zydrunas Ilgauskas barely played in the first round and got spot duty in the conference semifinals. Hickson, who started 73 games during the regular season, played a total of nine minutes in games 4, 5 and 6. Varejao was the backup power forward all season, but was moved to backup center for the playoffs because Brown felt compelled to keep Jamison on the court.

It’s tough to fire a head coach who has won 127 games the past two seasons, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. The Cavaliers had the best record in the NBA the past two years, but failed to make The Finals twice. The players, including James, appear to have lost faith in Brown, whose inability to lead a very headstrong squad will ultimately cost him his job.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Age, injuries and gravity may have taken away a big chunk of Kevin Garnett’s physical attributes, but they definitely haven’t affected his mind or his heart. He may not be as quick nor as strong as he was when he was an MVP in Minnesota, and he certainly doesn’t rebound nor defend like he used to, but the Big Ticket still has some value.

Despite all of his limitations, Garnett – who turns 34 this month – can still impact a game in many ways and he is, without a doubt, STILL the most valuable player on the Boston Celtics.

Rajon Rondo is the most dynamic player on the Celtics, Paul Pierce is their best one-on-one player and Ray Allen is their best shooter. But all three have been able to stay in their proper roles because of Garnett.

With Garnett playing the backline of Boston’s defense, Rondo is free to freelance on defense, and Pierce and Allen can push up and play their opponents tighter without fear of getting beat off the dribble. KG is the conductor of Tom Thibodeau’s defensive philosophy, a well-orchestrated scheme that is built on packing the box and protecting the driving lanes, smothering pick-and-rolls and closing out on outside shooters.

The Celtics’ air-tight defense has managed to turn LeBron James into a reluctant scorer, and their masterpiece was on display in Game 5 when they held the two-time NBA MVP to zero field goals midway through the third quarter and cruised to a 120-88 rout to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

“We just change up looks,” Garnett explained. “You know, the player of [LeBron's] status and his ability, he’s so damn good that some of the schemes we just try to slow him down and put extra bodies in places to where he sees a group or a crowd.”

A frustrated and somewhat demoralized James was limited to 15 points below his season average, made just three of 14 shots from the field and was 0-for-4 from 3-point range in Game 5.

“I wouldn’t say he was frustrated, but I could see he was trying to throw this on myself,” Garnett said about James, who is nursing a strained and bruised right elbow. “He was very aggressive, you could see he was ducking his head going to the basket, trying to set up guys and get them easy shots. All the things he usually does. You see him start to take over the game it’s because he’s getting fouls, he’s getting and-ones. I thought we did a good job of crowding him and controlling everybody else.”

Kevin Garnett and the Celtics defense has been superb against LeBron James and the Cavaliers. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

James’ struggles in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals is more of a product of the Celtics’ defense than LeBron’s elbow, the Cavs’ lack of passion or energy, Mo Williams’ disappearing act, Shaquille O’Neal’s rust, or Mike Brown’s in-game adjustments.

“If we have an open look, we have to keep stepping in and knocking them down. You gotta give Boston credit. When we do get open looks, they’re doing a good job of flying out and contesting and trying to run us off the 3-point line as best they can. So, we either gotta let it go or attack the rim.”

With Garnett playing in the post on offense, the Celtics can throw the ball inside and work their offense inside-out. This keeps defenders attached to Allen and Pierce, and affords Rondo more room to collapse the defense with dribble penetration.

The Celtics love the Kevin Garnett-Antawn Jamison matchup and the Cavaliers have not been able to solve this problem through six games. Jamison, who is only 6-7, simply can’t handle Garnett on the block, and his outside shot hasn’t been consistent enough to pull Garnett out of the paint on defense.

“When we are aggressive, especially on both ends, it’s hard to beat us. I really, really believe that. We are a defensive team that can score the ball and at the end of the day we have to hang our hat on that,” said Garnett, who is making 50% of his shots from the field and averaging 18.2 points in the series. Meanwhile, Jamison is shooting 46% and averaging 13.2 points in the series.

And then there is Garnett’s intangibles.

He is the voice of Boston’s locker room. Rondo may be team’s best player and Pierce is the team captain, but Garnett is the team leader.

When KG talks, everyone listens. When KG leads, everyone follows.

Boston didn’t have its leader in last year’s playoffs, and it showed last May when the Orlando Magic eliminated the Celtics in seven games in the conference semifinals. Garnett painfully watched from the bench as the visiting Magic celebrated on Boston’s home floor in Game 7.

Fast forward to May, 2010, the Celtics are on the verge of returning to the conference finals and another date with the Magic. But this time, the Celtics have their old Big Ticket with them.

Popularity: 6% [?]