Lebron Speaks Out

Many experts are killing the Cavaliers this offseason. Me included, yet I'm no expert. They say GM Danny Ferry did nothing this offseason to improve the team. True. They say without Anderson Varajao and Sasha Pavlovic, the depth is non-existant. Also true. They say the Cavaliers got a gift draw to the NBA Finals. Uh, True again. They say to get ready for a step backwards. Again, I can't say that I disagree.

Lebron James has other ideas.

The King himself, fresh off a world tour playing basketball and attempting to become the "global icon" he intends to be, told the press yesterday that he doesn't intend to back down to all the negativity surrounding his teams 1-6 preseason. As told to the Akron Beacon-Journal's Brian Windhorst, Lebron wasn't bashful:

''I am a great leader and I believe our team is going to win games because of who I am,'' James said after practice Monday as the Cavs got ready for the season opener Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks. "I'm not going to allow our team not to play well. I won't let those guys not work hard in practice or not work hard in games. I want to win, that's the reason I'm here.''

"I am a great leader." Wow. That is a confident man right there. You gotta respect it, even though my respect level for Lebron has dropped significantly since he showed up at Jacobs Field for a Tribe playoff game wearing a Yankees hat. I have no doubt that his game will be even better this year. The problem is still the fact that his supporting cast is still very suspect. The team is full of question marks.

How many more years can Zydrunas Illgauskas stay injury free? Talk about someone who is so due for an injury list stint. Can Drew Gooden stay consistent instead of his a few good games, a few bad games routine? Can Larry Hughes' outside shot appear and can he actually play a full season? Was Boobie Gibson's postseason an aberration or was this the guy we will see all year? How much does Donyell Marshall have left? Can Damon Jones' defense hold up enough for him to stay on the floor? Is Shannon Brown going to contribute anything or is he a bust?

Meanwhile, after yesterday's report of the Cavs looking into signing Juwan Howard, my sources tell me he is going to end up with Dallas. It makes way more sense if you are Juwan to go to Dallas. They have a much better shot of winning a title and are always on the lookout for veteran frontcourt help. Once Varajao signs, where would his minutes come from? I hope i'm wrong.