Since last season, I have always suggested that the Cavs would do well to acquire the services of Ron Artest. My thoughts on the subject were that he plays some of the toughest defense in the NBA this side of Bruce Bowen, and he has the ability to score and rebound better than probably anyone else on the Cleveland roster that doesn't have the first name of LeBron. My problem is that I never updated my opinion after the blockbuster trade that brought in Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and (wait for it) Ben Wallace.

I am as dumb as they come. Take a look at the two people involved in catalyzing the ugliest incident in NBA history.



Oh yeah! Ben Wallace and Ron Artest got into a fight. According to some sources when Artest was lying on the scorer's table right before he got the beer rained down on him he was yelling to Ben Wallace, "You can suck my balls!"

Uhh, yeah, so maybe the Cavs shouldn't try and mend that fence by bringing Ron Artest in to be a teammate of Ben Wallace.

My bad.

And because I have been such a bad boy with updating this site lately because of an impending move to the country, I should probably also comment on Daniel Gibson's resigning. I love this for a lot of reasons. First, Daniel Gibson has earned the right to earn his contract in the NBA. He has progressed from being a second-round draft pick to one of the better spot-up 3-point shooters in the NBA. He finished 5th in the league in percentage last season.

At the same time, he and his father (who helped handle negotiations with the Cavs) realize that he is like a BJ Armstrong, or Steve Kerr and didn't try and hold up the Cavs for every last penny, pretending that Daniel was some kind of superstar in training. They got him a really nice 4-year $21 million deal that can reportedly be worth more if Daniel reaches incentives. This is a really fair deal for both sides.

As an NBA fan, I wish I could feel this way about more deals that players sign in the NBA.

While the national media continues to focus on the fact that Cleveland is undoubtedly going to lose LeBron James, we here in Cleveland continue to think otherwise. Maybe it is delusion. Maybe it is desperation. I don't know for sure. The fact is that nobody really knows for sure. And now, I have a new take on the whole LeBron situation. I haven't read anyone else who put this argument together, but I am sure I will hear about it in the next few days if someone already has.

But before I get into my new take, just for the sake of completeness, here are the basic thoughts being tossed around already. First the camp that insists LeBron has to leave:

* LeBron has to leave because he is friends with Jay-Z who owns an infinitesimal piece of the New Jersey Nets

* The New Jersey Nets are moving to Brooklyn and LeBron has to go help kick off the new era of the franchise

* The Nets traded Richard Jefferson, meaning they are readying themselves for LeBron

* There are escalators in LeBron's Nike contract which pay him more if he is in a major market like NYC

Then the other side is basically:

* LeBron likes his hometown

* Nobody can give LeBron a bigger NBA contract than Cleveland

* LeBron reached the finals in Cleveland

* Terry Pluto's brilliant argument that says you never know where the talent is going to be centered a year from now let alone two years from now

* LeBron has stated that he wants to bring a parade to Cleveland because he knows we are suffering as sports fans (this interview answer is one that the national media NEVER mentions because it doesn't fit their pre-determined storyline that Cleveland doesn't deserve LeBron James)

Well, I have a new take. Everyone was so quick to point out that the Richard Jefferson trade on draft night was definitely designed at getting LeBron to the Nets in two years. Well, you know which team is gearing up to have a ton of cap space when LeBron's contract year comes around?

THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

As of this writing, the Cavaliers don't have a single player under contract for more than LeBron's two year deal. When next season starts the Cavs might have two players under contract for longer than LeBron and those will probably amount to somewhere in the $10-12 million dollar range COMBINED with Daniel Gibson and Delonte West. That's it. Maybe some draft picks will end up with deals that range longer than LeBron's two years remaining.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas and his nearly $11 million comes off. Ben Wallace's almost $15 million comes off. In addition, LeBron's salary comes off. And guess what else. Because LeBron is such an influential guy, the market is going to be flooded with free agents. Dwyane Wade followed LeBron's lead and only signed a five year deal when he was up for his first free agent contract. Chris Bosh also followed LeBron's lead in that department.

You will also remember that LeBron really did lead the charge on the 5-year deals at that time. This means that LeBron has influence. Who's to say that LeBron wouldn't be able to recruit some guys to come in and play with him in two years? Could you imagine Dwyane Wade and/or Chris Bosh playing alongside LeBron? The bottom line is that these types of situations can only occur where tons of cap space exists.

As long as Cleveland doesn't screw this up and load up the roster with too much salary, the Cavs will have $40 million dropping off the cap in order to pull in top talent along with LeBron in his contract year. Think about what the Clippers just did to try and keep Elton Brand in LA.

I am not guaranteeing that this will happen, but it is JUST as likely as all the presumed OBVIOUS scenarios that get bandied about by the national press when they are looking to pull the greatest sports figure in Cleveland history out of this town.

Now that the season is officially over for the Tribe, how should they proceed to next year?

I don't know how many volumes we will have to run out here before someone gets their head out of their turd-cutter and cuts this turd from the roster of writers at ESPN. Forde lambasted Ohio State after losing their second straight National Championship game in a ridiculous, taunting manner. I couldn't figure out why the acidity was so necessary then. And now, I can't figure out why he needs to be so nasty about Big Brown and his owner.

I would get it if he was a contributor for Deadspin where I go to read acidic, funny commentary. Forde is just nasty without the funny, and I don't think that we need to have the conversation reduced to attacks on the more well-established media websites like ESPN. After the Ohio State article, I emailed the ESPN ombudsman, Le Anne Schreiber, but she didn't get enough response to make it a priority.

I assume Forde will eventually piss off a critical mass of people and get fired. I can't wait.

Mike Brown can't be trusted with LeBron James' last two guaranteed seasons in Cleveland. He is a one-dimensional coach who has maxed out on his potential. No matter what happens in the Boston series, the experiment is over and the Cavs need to move in a different direction.

The reason that I feel like writing about this at all is that as the media cycle has come around on this Cavs vs. Wizards first-round matchup, and the prevailing opinion that Darius Songaila should not have been suspended for game 6 has now become an unarguable fact in the media. I heard Steve Czaban talk about it this morning on Fox Sports Radio. I heard commentators talk about it during the Cavs' game 6. I heard commentators talk about it during the Celtics vs. Hawks game 6. It seems that everyone talking about this suspension is now referring to it as a great travesty - an injustice of epic proportions - the proof that the NBA is at worst fixed, and at best in favor of protecting their meal-ticket LeBron James to whatever lengths to ensure that he succeeds.

I have heard quite enough of this.

Dan Gilbert misjudges the city that buys tickets and watches his team on television. Dan Gilbert should at least try to explain why he would vote in favor of having the Sonics ripped out from under the fanbase in Seattle. When a bunch of Browns fans pay his bills, he should probably vote based on their sentiment.

DeShawn Stevenson better enjoy his time in the papers, because it won't last long. DeShawn Stevenson can't even enter into a conversation, but it makes a lot of sense that Stevenson would be jealous of The King.

This is what hockey is all about. Without fights and debauchery, hockey is just like soccer. Check out one of the greatest fights in hockey history.



The Worst Fight In Hockey History - Watch more free videos

Ricky Davis would appear to be a good player in the NBA. He is capable of putting up between 15 and 20 points per game. He can add 3 to 5 rebounds per game. He can jump right out of the gym to deliver thunderous dunks and alley-oops. He is an all-around athletic player who seemingly would be a good addition to any team. Seemingly.

Not surprising because of this video.

I am writing this as a result of the apparent move by the new owner of the Seattle Supersonics to hijack that team and move it to Oklahoma City. I am amazed that I don't hear more outrage from Cleveland fans regarding this situation. I know we are all very happy here right now in the NBA with LeBron James and the blockbuster deal that Danny Ferry just pulled off to rid this town of Larry Hughes. I know that our noses are buried deep in the newspaper watching the moves that Phil Savage pulls off to rebuild the defense and rise above a surprising 10-win season. But Cleveland fans should be screaming almost as loudly as Seattle fans as cross-country advocates for a city that appears to be about to lose its team.

Hank Steinbrenner is turning into Mr. McMahon from the WWE. You see when Vince McMahon decides he has to play a "heel*" in the WWE, he goes by the name Mr. McMahon. When he is playing a good guy, he plays Vince.

Well Hank Steinbrenner is slowly turning heel on the nation. He is walking into the arena somewhere in the midwest and he is calling everyone fat, lazy and stupid. I am convinced that Hank Steinbrenner is just trying to get boos now. He had this to say about "Red Sox Nation."

According the the Plain Dealer, Corey Williams is the newest member of the Cleveland Browns. Williams will be joining the Browns in exchange for a second round draft choice, contingent on the Browns' signing of Williams to a multi-year deal.

Michael Redd nailed a long three-point shot to skip overtime last night in Milwaukee versus the Cavaliers. Normally, I wouldn't be upset about a Cavaliers loss like that, because Michael Redd is just that good to be able to pull out a huge win on a last second shot. But today, I am upset about the game because Michael Redd's shot isn't the story for me. The story comes down to three names; Mike Callahan, Pat Fraher, and Brian Forte. Those were the officials for last night's game in Milwaukee and they cost the Cavs a game.