Quick, But Thorough Thoughts

A Moose Track

Yes, this article is a Moose Track. Yes, the above picture is of a moose track. To customize to me it's gotta be 13", so that's wrong. 13 by 4, that's how the big feet go. And you know what big feet mean?

That's right. Stretchy socks.

So, first of all, I have found the undercover, intensely less muscular and tall clone of Mr. Dwight Howard.



You guys have probably heard Pleasure P's song, "Boyfriend #2" by now. Gotta say it's a guilty pleasure; nice stuff. But the dude looks like Howard. Anyways, on to the next quick but thorough thought. I gotta trademark that. This post is devoted to thoughts that don't take long to write about, but are actually of great (philosophical?) value.

US Soccer greatly surprised in the Confederation's Cup. Hursty, I see you. Our email conversation about this wasn't just bogus (Hurst thinks US soccer is still dunzo), but we are doing great to get back on the scene. Spain is the number one team in the world, and team USA...beat them? 2-0? Unprecedented. And, I know one thing. Jozy Altidore (19 years) is one the come-up. Future star here. Come to Aston Villa, Jozy!



Sorry about the soccer blab. I know you guys aren't huge fans of the most popular sport on earth, but this is coming from a soccer player here. I don't know much about global soccer, but I know a little bit; enough to follow it. Sorry if you're yelling at the computer in outrage. Fight me. Anyways, moving on...

The Cavaliers made a Shaquisition that can only hurt them if Shaq sucks this year, and if he does they're only losing money. Shaq says that his motto is, "A ring for the King." Let's say LeBron DOES win a ring this year with Shaq. All of the Kobe jockriders (I see you, Justin/DP) will say that LeBron can't win one without Shaq. I'm not saying that this is right of them, or I would do it if I liked Kobe, but I just think it's going to happen. Kobe fans are like that. Not you guys, Vontae or Mr. Walsh, but in general. So this is what the Cavaliers will be doing next season:



So many people are getting angry over Rubio skipping out of the NBA right now. I think he's doing it because he doesn't want to play for Minnesota. I think that he's cocky and ignorant because he doesn't know that in the draft, you're chosen by the team--you don't choose your team. That's what he's trying to do. But that's not the point I'm making here. The point is, in two years, he'll still be really young. A lot of people are forgetting that. Rubio probably looks like this a lot now.



You guys don't think I honestly look like him, do I?

Anyways, I saw Year One and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in theaters over the last couple of weeks. Year One was funny but a stupid movie, and Transformers was just sick. My recommendations: Wait until Year One is on DVD or Netflix or something, and go see Transformers. Will be worth it.

Rest in peace to Michael Jackson and Steve McNair. Crazy stuff has been going on lately, and my condolences go out to their respective families. In honor of MJ, let's take a time machine back...



--Moose

You Guys Aren't Gonna Like This...

...But this man deserves another post. 37, 15 and 12. This is uncanny. That is all.

--Moose

LEBRON JAMES IS KING

By Moose

Hedo's wasn't good enough. One second left. Hand in his face. Buzzer. BEATER. 96-95 Cleveland. LeBron is king. Be easy.

--Moose

Hey, Jerry West: AMEN

By Moose

Just saw this come across the ESPN wire. The man is speaking the truth. I don't want to spark another Bron-Kobe debate, but this is big for Kobe haters and LBJ lovers right here. Here is an excerpt, via ESPN. You can read the full post here.

"I look at Cleveland [and] say to myself, 'How many games could they win without LeBron James?'" West told Reuters in an interview. "That's how great he is.

"He has a chance to be arguably the greatest player ever to play the game."

West, the NBA's executive of the year with the Lakers in 1995 and the Memphis Grizzlies in 2004, said playing both ends of the floor was what made Jordan so great.

"Michael Jordan was the best defensive player in the league but he was also the best offensive player," said West. "It wasn't a one-year fluke, he proved it over time.

"LeBron James will do the same type of things because he's getting better. He's a much more effective shooter. When's he's making his shots from the outside, you can't play him.

"He's just too big, too strong, too quick. And he has incredible body control. But more than that, he's a great teammate. You can see his teammates love him."

And that last part is what sets Kobe and LeBron apart. I agree with every single word coming out of West's mouth right here. Keep preaching to the choir, Jerry.

--Moose

SKO Interview: AR/H to the Izzo

*****This is second in our series of interviews with Shawn Kemp's Offspring members, with our very own AR, also known as h to the Izzo, or just plain Izzo nowadays. On to the stuff. Questions by me are marked as HIBACHI, questions by BETCATS with no association to me whatsoever are marked as BETCATS. Enjoy . . .*****

HIBACHI: How did you discover basketball?
AR: Well,my father played at a semi pro level over here and played a few times for Ireland and a bunch of my uncles did the same,so I guess basketball has always been 'in my blood' I guess.My dad used to coach some teams when I was really young,like around 6 or 7 and I'd always go with him to the practices and whatnot but I never really got into basketball through that.I was playing other sports at the time like soccer and rugby,I wasn't much good at them,merely average but I was interested enough in them not to give basketball a second thought.Then a few years passed,my dad had quit coaching and wasn't involved in basketball in any capacity,one day,me and one of my best friends were hanging out doing nothing,went into the local community centre,saw that some club were training and the people were around our age.We decided to give it a go there and then-with no gear,no shoes.Nothing.We went in,it turned out it was a new club so there was no pre-existing cliques or anything like that,so it was easy to fit in.That and the coach was and still is the nicest person I've ever met.Well,that was the first time,I've picked up a basketball,I was around 12 at the time and I didn't suck.I was able to lay the ball up straight away and had pretty good fundamentals inbuilt in me.It was cool,because the guys that were there that first day are the people I've been playing with ever since.I kept practicing and got pretty good,I was playing 17 and under when I was 13.We did pretty well,won some 'chips,almost went unbeaten one season.I'll stop before I induce some nostalgia vomit.

HIBACHI: If you went to college, where did you go and what did you study?
AR: English and New Media-University of Limerick(not sure if that should be in)

HIBACHI: Age?
AR: Anywhere between 17 and 43.

HIBACHI: What is a cool thing about where you live that outsiders don't know about?
AR: I'm not sure how to answer this one,because I don't know what outsiders do know.I would assume that most would think that Ireland is very rural and picture a lot farms and wisecracking livestock that ultimately teach you life lessons ,but where I grew up was very urban and if you were to throw water balloon directly onto the floor,you'd splash at least five rappers.

HIBACHI: Favorite player as a kid growing up?
AR: Ray Allen

HIBACHI: When did you stop playing hoops, if ever? On what levels did you play?
AR: I still play.As has been mentioned before,I once got trial for the under 14 International team.

HIBACHI: Who is your favorite player now?
AR: Joel Przybillia

HIBACHI: Have you ever met an NBA players?
AR: Does Mario Ellie count?It shouldn't

HIBACHI: Which rookie from the class of '08 will have a better career?
AR: Derrick Rose.I don't think there's much more explanation needed here.

HIBACHI: If you could take any non-all-star in the NBA and place them on your team, who would it be?
AR: David Lee but that's because he's white and he tries really hard.Bless him.

HIBACHI: What music do you listen to?
AR: I pretty much only listen to Taylor Swift these days.

HIBACHI: Who wins the Finals this year?
AR: I have no idea why,but I like the Celtics for a repeat.

BETCATS: I say tomato you say.......
AR: I say,I wonder what John Mayer is doing on Twitter right now?Oh he's trying to holla at Demi Lovato?For realz.Yeah I don't know who that is either.I'd totally do Emma Stone,btw.

BETCATS: How would you react if i said you are the one dude on the internet who slightly 'scares' me?
AR: I respect your propensity for cautiousness,your instincts will serve you well,grasshopper.How would you react if I told you that you're one of the guys who makes me laugh pretty regularly and I'm not sure whether to recommend and increase or decrease in your meds?In what way do I scare you.Where am I on your terror colour chart?Red?Orange?Translucent?You know what scares me?The new line of Reggie Miller thesaurus' and dictionaries "Learn to English Good" coming out this fall.That shit keeps me up at night.

BETCATS: Lebron or Kobe? And a followup question: Lebron or Lebron?
AR: Well before I answer this,I want to point out something about these two guys and how they are treated by fans/followers or whatever.Both,in my opinion, are served pretty badly by lunatic fringes.I have no interest in the dichotomous rhetoric surrounding either of these players.In my opinion anyone who says Kobe isn't a good player is a fucking idiot,ditto for anyone who says the same about LeBron is also an idiot.The same goes for the fanboys with unhealthy obsessions with either,this is generally prevalent moreso in the Kobe camp.If you type any innocent comment criticizing Kobe fairly,or even consider Kobe's position in the game objectively,some half wit will inevitably chime in calling you a 'hater' or something stupid similar.These generally tend to be the same people who would consider dunking to be a measurable stat and consider it as criteria for choosing an MVP.I just base my opinion on evidence which will usually lead a sane person to a middling conclusion.From what I can see,LeBron is in the process of taking over the League for a good period of time.This will probably be the last year he even leaves the MVP award up for debate.I can appreciate Kobe is a excellent player and should be remember as so,but IMO LeBron is a one time deal. To answer your follow up question,Don Rickles.

BETCATS: Ihop or The Waffle House?
AR: I have no idea what either of these things are.

BETCATS: Burger King or McDonalds?
AR: This is a tough one,I mean I usually like to eat food that's gathered from animals,but if I were forced,it's Burger King everyday.

BETCATS: Do you accept human sacrifices? If so, what animal/commentor would most please the Izzo gods?
AR: I'd like to have James(Krayzie Bone(what happened to him?))'s brain sent to me on a platter made of the finest ceramic.Other than that I'd like all seasons of both 30 Rock and Gossip Girl on DVD.

Thanks for reading, everyone. Tariq up next! In line is Cheryl and TADOne!

Never Too Early For the MVP Race . . . Rankings!

My stream of consciousness about the MVP race at the moment. Bear with me. Oh yeah, and I wrote this a few days ago, so the stats might be a LITTLE bit off. I bothered to update the team records, just not the stats. Bit too lazy for that.


Winning the NBA Finals is usually the main goal for all NBA players. The ultimate thought of succeeding is coming out on top after a tough playoffs against other great teams is the best feeling for these players, at least hopefully. Everybody wants their team to win the Larry O'Brien. The NBA Finals is where everybody wants to be.

But, if you can't win a championship, why not win the MVP award? This is second to a chip, but it's a nice award nonetheless. And, it's never too early to say who's winning in the race. Yes, even now. So here're my top 10 MVP rankings.


1. LeBron James - Cleveland Cavaliers
Bron is doing his thing, man. As predicted, he's carrying his team, and they're winning. The Cavs are 10-3 and are second only to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference. He's still got his playmaking ability (big surprise) and he's leading the league in points, with 29.6 per game. He's also got 7.8 boards and 6.9 dimes per game, coming as damn close as you can to a triple double per game. Bron also has 2 steals per game, doing it on both ends. He's the obvious number one so far, and if his team keeps winning, that spot ain't going nowhere.

2. Dwyane Wade - Miami Heat
OK, I know that the MVP award has to be given to a guy who leads his team to victories while getting good numbers and all that, blah, blah, blah . . . but D-Wade is an exception. He is important to his team because he . . . well . . . he IS their team, so he's pretty valuable there. He's got ridiculous averages of 28.2 points, 7.8 assists, 5.1 boards, 2.5 steals and 2 blocks per game. I know his team kinda sucks, but that's insane. He's second in the league in points and steals, and he's just getting everything done except for winning, which the team needs to do (they also need a point guard and a center for that one).

3. Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers
Everyone on here knows I'm a Celtics fan. I hate Kobe Bryant, as you might have guessed. And I'm wicked scared of the Lakers. Kobe, Bynum, their bench (ain't nobody scared of Gasol) but they're scary. And they're led by Kobe. With great averages of 24.3 points, 5.1 boards, 3.9 dimes and 1.7 steals per game, which isn't exactly incredible for the Black Mamba. His numbers aren't exactly terrific compared to some other dudes on here, and he hasn't had a game where he exploded for 40+ points, but his team is 10-1 and has won all of their road games and nearly all of their home ones, and they're just incredible. As the leader on this great team, he deserves the spot. I hate to say it.

4. Dwight Howard - Orlando Magic
Dwight Howard is just a beast. There is no other way to put it. An incredible defensive player, leading the league in blocks per game so far with 4.0 (!) his Magic are a pretty good 9-4 and looking steadily good. With 21 points, 13.5 boards, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and, of course, the 4 blocks per game, Howard is cruising. Yes, he's better than Yao (Hursty and RV, don't get that started :) ). Occording to John Hollinger, the Magic are third in defensive efficiency. And Howard defines defense at this stage. He deserves this spot for the moment.

5. Chauncey Billups - Denver Nuggets
Now here's a guy who you weren't expecting to see here at the beginning of the season. But the Nuggets are 7-1 after the Iverson trade, and it looks like Chauncey has brought the "D" to Denver. It LOOKS like it. If it stays, then FINALLY! No more Enver! But Billups has shined for the Nugs, and bringing a win against the surging Celtics on the home court was totally unprecedented. With averages of 17.5 points, 6.2 boards, 3.5 dimes and 1.7 steals per game, he is pretty good numbers. But it's the team success that puts him here. If Chauncey keeps this up and brings Denver to the playoffs, he'll be seriously considered for the spot.

6. Chris Paul - New Orleans Hornets
Doing what he's supposed to do in N'Awlins. With averages of 20.7 points, 11.9 assists, 5 boards and 3.1 steals (!) Paul is back and better than ever. The Hornets are starting off slow at 7-5, but expect bigger things from the Hornets this year. Hopefully they can defend my preseason pick. If the Hornets were doing better, he'd be higher, but for now we'll keep him at 6. He had a record seven straight games with 20 or more points and 10 or more assists (passing, ahem, Oscar Robertson), and that was great. His supporting cast needs to pick it up, though! Hey, Tyson! Is 20 points, 15 assists and 4 steals from your point guard good enough for you? I guess not, because they lost at home to SACRAMENTO after this great Paul effort. But other than that, CP is doing his thing.

7. Chris Bosh - Toronto Raptors
Dude's producin'. With the dynamic duo of Bosh and Jose Calderon, the Raps should be doing better than 6-7. But they're not. But Bosh is doing great on the offensive side. With 25.5 points, 11 boards and 2.2 dimes per game, Bosh has been stellar on the offensive side. But on D, eh, he's been OK. He's averaging only .9 blocks per game, and he needs to step that up to get ahead of the guys above. But if that improves and his team improves, everything should work out for CB4, and he'll be top 5 soon. He's exploded a few games this year with nearly 50 points and 20 boards a few times. Do that nightly and he'll have it wrapped up. But he won't, so for the moment he's at number 7.

8. Paul Pierce - Boston Celtics
Pierce is the number one player on the number one team (at least in the EC). That alone gets him to this spot. But it doesn't because the dude is averaging 20.2 points, 7.2 boards, 3.7 dimes and 1.2 steals per game, deserving of some love in and of itself. He's hit many clutch shots for the surging 13-2 Boston Celtics, one being a game-winner. He's been getting to the charity strip an insane amount of times of late, and he's shooting .822 from there. That's nice stuff. Oh, and I forgot to say: The Celtics have DUPLICATED last year's season start. And, I believe we won the NBA Finals last year. Just pointing that out. But Pierce and the C's are cruisin'.

9. Joe Johnson - Atlanta Hawks
I see you, D.J. Law. Joe Johnson is doing more than expected for the 8-5 Atlanta Hawks. The young guns are led by Johnson, who at the moment is averaging 24 points, 5.2 assists, 4.8 boards and 1.5 steals per game, gaudy numbers. The undoubted leader for ATL, he's looking to take the Hawks far in the playoffs, and he's on the right track. Johnson's doing it on both ends of the floor, just an efficient player. Somewhat under-the-radar, Johnson is making a strong case here.

10. Amare Stoudemire - Phoenix Suns
STAT is strutting his stuff for the 9-5 Suns. With a stellar 23.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game, Black Jesus is definitely leading the 4th place (in the West) Phoenix Suns. And happy 26th birthday, Amare! Stoudemire will be flirting with the top 10 for the rest of the season, but if him and his team keep this performance up, he might even crack the top seven. Or six. Or five. Or four. I'm stopping there, but STAT is looking to be big for the rest of the year.

Runner-Ups (in no particular order): Carlos Boozer, Jose Calderon, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Brandon Roy, Danny Granger, Steve Nash, Derrick Rose (yes, he is), Pau Gasol

This is an intriguing story line, obviously. And who knows? Maybe we'll find Rajon Rondo at the top of this list in a few weeks. But this was just my take on it so far, just my stream of consciousness taking over, this wasn't my good writing. It's unedited, y'all. As always, if anyone has a request for my next piece, hit me up in the comments section. I'm out like the Raptors this afternoon. Peace!

--Moose

Pre-Hibachi's: Cleveland Cavaliers

Last year, the Cleveland Cavaliers racked up a respectable 45 wins while losing 37 times, having a slightly inconsistent year but good enough for 2nd place in the Central Divison (behind veteran powerhouse Detroit) and a 4th seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Led by their superstar swingman LeBron James, the Cavs matched up with the Washington Wizards in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight year, taking them down in six games. After defeating Washington, Cleveland found themselves face-to-face with the 66 win veteran-powered Boston Celtics, the favorite over the less-proven Cavaliers. In these semis, the Cavs surprisingly took the Celtics to game seven, which at the time was the second rubber match in Boston's playoffs after being pushed to the brink by the young Atlanta Hawks. Cleveland fell to the Celtics in a thrilling 97-92 finish, highlighted by a 41 point performance by future Finals MVP Paul Pierce, and by a 45 point showing by the Cavs' LeBron James. After coming so close to the ECF and falling, Cleveland is back and ready to show who's boss in the East.

(Probable) Starting Five

PG: Mo Williams

Acquired in the large three team deal involving Cleveland, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, a large part of the season rests on the shoulders of young court general Mo Williams. While all of the pressure was formerly put on the Cavs' (seemingly) superhuman swingman LeBron James, Williams should take some of the playmaking and ball handling duties off of Bron so that he doesn't have to bring the ball up and other things off that sort. Not a pure point guard by any means, the 6'1" 25 year old has improved every year, having one of his best seasons in the Bucks' 07-08 campaign, averaging 17.2 points, 6.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals a game, stellar with the NBA's lack of great point guards nowadays. A proven scorer, Williams can also shoot pretty well, with a .385 three point percentage last year. The good ball handler also has the ability to play good defense on the perimeter. Williams should help Lebron improve, and he is a great reason for the Cavs to have hope for this year.

SG: Wally Szczerbiak

Wally Szczerbiak, the 6'7" two guard, is definitely on the decline. Getting on the older side at 31 years of age, his numbers have decreased since his best days, from about 2001-2006. Still a good three point shooter with a .365 percentage last year, it still isn't enough to save the rest of his worsening game. Szczerbiak's gawd-awful defense is enough to let any player in the NBA beat him easily, making him possibly the worst defender in the league. An upside to Wally is that he is an outstanding free throw shooter, .878 last year, and he gets to the charity stripe a good amount of times. He is also a decent midrange shooter, making him a good option on the offensive side. But don't look for his 22.2 minutes per game in 07-08 to increase at all this year.

SF: LeBron James

LeBron James is arguably the best player in the Eastern Conference (best in the league? I'd argue yes, but there are many others who would argue against that. I'm not gonna get into a Kobe-LeBron debate on this post though, OK?). LeBron highlighted the potential all-star filled 2003 NBA draft among other hyped stars such as Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony. And since he was picked first overall out of St. Vincent - St. Mary HS (OH) he has taken the league by storm. During his five years in the NBA, James has averaged 27.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game, stellar statistics. LeBron has also improved his rebounds and assists per game every year, coming somewhat close to averaging a triple double in 2007-08, with 30.0 points, 7.9 boards and 7.2 dimes per game, and for his career he has had 17 of them, 14 in the regular season and 3 in the playoffs. Standing at 6'8", big for a man of his skill and position, he uses his freakish athleticism, quickness and unusually strong upper body to blow by his opponents on offense, and to stop them in their tracks on defense. An incredible player to have on your team, LeBron already has a Rookie of the Year award, a scoring title (2007-08), two Olympic medals and four all-star appearances (two of them for MVPs) under his belt. He also holds or shares 49 Cavaliers' records, and he is the Cavaliers' all time scoring leader. Watch out for LeBron James in 2008-09, y'all (MVP?). Oh yeah, and he's only 23 years old (!).

PF: Ben Wallace

Big Ben used to be an incredible defensive player. At his peak he won four Defensive Player of the Year Awards, in '02, '03, '05 and '06, and was undoubtedly the greatest defenseman in the league at the time. Now Wallace is still an effective four man, but he is merely a shadow of his former self, being 34 years of age. At an undersized 6'7" (well, he's listed at 6-9, but he's admitted to be 6-7), Big Ben is still an unusually good stopper, playing great outside D and inside D and he is still great at stopping the penetration. But, the biggest downside to Ben is that his hair is better than his work on the other side of the floor (or worse, whatever you think, but the hair overshadows it). A disaster when he makes trips to the charity stripe, Wallace has shot .418 from the line for his career, and he can't score very well, averaging 4.2 points per game in 07-08. Still able to clean the glass, averaging a respectable 7.4 boards last year, he isn't at the point where he was getting over twice that per game (2002-03), but that is what Cleveland is going to get from Ben. His minutes have also decreased every year; he averaged 26.3 per game last year. Without an offensive game and with him getting older, this is a weak spot in Cleveland's system, and hopefully for the Cavs he can stay healthy for the whole year.

C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a great asset for the Cavs. The 7'3" Lithuanian (very) big man is the second tallest player in the NBA behind mammoth Yao Ming. Unlike other centers (except for Yao) Ilgauskas is a great free throw shooter, shooting .802 from the line last year, and he frequently takes the technical foul shots. Able to score from the post easily on smaller centers and pretty well on the bigger guys, he uses a good turnaround J and hook shot down low to his advantage. Ilgauskas can also shoot the straight up 15 footer, and he averaged 14.1 points per game last year. Zydrunas is also great at tipping in missed shots, something that is often overlooked in someone's game. Exceptionally good on the offensive boards and adequate on the defensive ones, he averaged 9.3 rebounds per game last year, a career high. His shot blocking ability is mediocre for a man of his size, and he won't take a charge. He didn't draw one offensive foul last year, becoming the only player to play at least 1,000 minutes and not do so (he played 2,226). Ilgauskas is still a quality center, but at 33 years of age, gone are his all star days. But we haven't seen many signs of him slowing down; Ilgauskas's consistency is one of his great attributes.

Key Bench Players

• Daniel Gibson, G: Boobie is the best shooter on the Cavs, shooting .440 from long range last year, and there are only good things to come from the 6'2" 22 year old, including significant minutes; there is a good chance he will be the starting two man by the end of the season.
• J.J. Hickson, F: Drafted 19th overall from N.C. State in the 2008 selection, the 6'9" Hickson should be a good tool for Cleveland to use; a young forward, something that they are lacking in, even though his immediate impact probably won't be very big at all.
• Anderson Varejao, F-C: The 26 year old Brazilian flopmaster with the big hair is good on the boards, averaging 8.3 rebounds per game last year. The 6'10" backup is good to put in if you need some rebounds, but his scoring ability isn't great.
• Sasha Pavlovic, G-F: Pavlovic is an average utility man on the bench, able to play shooting guard or small forward, but his numbers are mediocre. The 6'7" 24 year old averaged 7.4 points, 2.5 boards and 1.6 dimes per game last year in 23.3 minutes.
• Delonte West, G: West could probably start on a good deal of NBA teams, but with such a great starting point for Cleveland, he is a great backup to have. The 6'3" 25 year old averaged 10.3 points, 4.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game last year in 30.1 minutes, pretty good numbers, while shooting .367 from long.

Bottom Line:

The Cavaliers have a great point guard in Williams, an extreme superstar in James, a solid center in Ilgauskas, strong D in Wallace and a good stroke in Szczerbiak, making the starting five above average in the NBA. While their interior players are not that great, their guards on the bench and starting are very good, and maybe a possible midseason trade could fortify the inside. I predict 48-55 wins this year for the Cavs and a 3rd or 4th seed in the East. LeBron gives them a chance to win each night, and if Williams can give what Cleveland thinks he can give them, the Cavaliers have a chance to make it to the ECF, or to the NBA Finals. They lost to the Spurs in the NBA Finals in the 2006-07 season and almost made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. Who's hungry?

--Moose