Dwight Howard, left, will flex his muscle in State Farm Arena when Orlando plays Houston in an NBA preseason game Oct. 5. The 2010 D-League champs, Rio Grande Valley, play there.

The Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets play a preseason game Oct. 5 at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, TX.

That’s where the defending D-League champions, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, play their home games.

It’s a $20-million facility, folks, so the game isn’t being played in a hole-in-the wall.

This will be Houston’s first preseason game heading into the 2010-11 season.

Hidalgo is 371 miles from Houston. Wonder how the Rockets are going to get there? I suggest taking a caravan and stop at every small town en route and do surprise appearances.

The nearest airport to Hidalgo is McAllen International Airport.

The town has between 100,000 and 200,000 people so you know the airport is rather small, but it actually has a direct flight to and from Orlando.

The airport does take private jets, but if the Magic want to fly commercial and save some coins, it’s $160 round trip. . Just throwing it out there Orlando. And the airport offers a round trip flight for Las Vegas $100 for those who want to pull a Dennis Rodman.

Wonder the Cleveland Cavaliers will play a preseason game at Tullio Arena?

Until it’s renovated, I seriously doubt it.

Remember Dee Brown? Classic leaner blind dunk from back in the day. Still one of the best ever in an NBA Dunk Contest.

In looking over the Erie BayHawks 2010-11 schedule, I’ve tried to figure out what are their must-see games.

The one thing that caught my eye was training camp starts Nov. 7 and ends Nov. 17. Two days later, they open the season at home against the Springfield Armor, who is coached by former NBA Slam Dunk champion, Dee Brown.

However, it’s hard to really pinpoint any of the regular-season games other than the season opener because you’ve got to see the rosters to know who’s coming to town.

Even then, by the time that team plays here, the player you wanted to see might not even be on the team. He may be in the NBA or overseas.

So I’ll try to look past that and let you know the must-see games on Erie’s schedule this season.

Nov. 19 – Season opener against Springfield. First time the three-year franchise will open its schedule at home.

Nov. 26 – First road game of the season. Erie will travel to Fort Wayne to take on the rival Mad Ants.

Dec. 27 – Two days after Christmas, Erie plays the Dakota Wizards at home.

Jan. 12 – The BayHawks square off against the defending D-League champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the D-League Showcase in South Padre Island, TX. The game will likely be televised on NBATV.

Feb. 6 – First game against the expansion Texas Legends. It’s on the road.

Feb. 27 – First home game against an Eastern Conference power, the Iowa Energy.

March 24 – Erie closes out the regular season on a five-game homestand that begins against Fort Wayne.

April 2 – Regular-season finale against the Maine Red Claws.

Didn’t need multiple cameras or an hour show, but you need to see this.

166,171 people already have on YouTube.

Anthony Tolliver, who has bounced back and forth from the D-League to the NBA, signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves last week.

To make it official, Tolliver had his own ‘Decision‘ show like LeBron James when he told the world his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and take his talents to Miami and play for the Heat.

Sweeeet.

When you're standing next to NBA commissioner David Stern (center), you're going to smile no matter what.

The Erie BayHawks made history this week.

They became the second D-League team to have the logo of a sponsor on its jerseys. The WNBA has had teams do so before Erie and Rio Grande Valley did so heading into this upcoming season.

LECOM has been the major sponsor of the BayHawks since they came to Erie before the 2008-09 season. LECOM provides the team quite a bit like a state-of-the-art training facility.

Now I’m from the old school of not having that kind of stuff on jerseys or uniforms. Remember in Rocky when Rocky Balboa sported the rob from the meat packing plant?

That’s the first thing I thought when all this came about, but at the end of the day, Erie has done a landmark thing so to speak to you got to give it credit for that.

1. With the NBA releasing its schedule today, then D-League is sure to follow soon. So look for that to come out by the end of the weekend to see where the BayHawks play this season. The D-League plays 50 games with two being in the D-League Showcase on a neutral site.

Well, not necessarily because it’s where a D-League is located, but all the D-League teams play games there so you get the point.

Just looking at that NBA schedule, though. Wow.

Dec. 2. I’ll be in Cleveland to see LeBron James return to his home area wearing a Heat uniform. It’s going to be crazy. I predicted last month James will score 42 points in the game because he’s wearing No. 6 and spent seven years in Cleveland playing for the Cavaliers.

But I must take to time to say I told ya’ll last month on July 14 that Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers were going at each other in L.A. on Christmas Day.

3. The Cavaliers announced earlier today that scout Wes Wilcox has been promoted to director of player personnel.

This is significant because when Danny Ferry was Cleveland’s general manager, he had Wilcox in essence scout, advise and help Erie coach John Treloar pick players for the BayHawks’ training camp the past two years.

Wilcox’s main job was to scout colleges and pros prior to the promotion. So it’s going to be interesting to see if Wilcox continues to help Erie in the fashion he has in the past. If not, will new Cleveland general manager Chris Grant have another scout fill the role Wilcox had with the BayHawks?

The Cleveland Cavaliers have traded the tough, but troubled Delonte West.

Very interesting trade here.

In their attempt to rebuild after losing LeBron James in free agency, the Cleveland Cavaliers have traded gritty, but troubled combo guard Delonte West and young  journeyman guard Sebastian Telfair to the Minnesota Timberwolves for guard Ramon Sessions, center Ryan Hollins and Minnesota’s second round pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

The Cavaliers officially announced the trade about a hour ago.

First off, big ups to my man Marc Spears at Yahoo! Sports for getting that out there to the masses. He just tweeted a few minutes ago the Timberwolves will waive West and trade Telfair.

Hmmm. If true, that’s sad, particularly for West.

For Cleveland, it’s all good on a variety of levels. The Cavaliers rid themselves of West, who for all his toughness on the court, was shaky off it. He just plead guilty to weapons charges dating back to last summer when he got caught with those guns. He isn’t going to jail, but will be on house detention.

So for the Cavaliers to get that burden off their neck can only help them. I interviewed West several times and he was always open and honest with me. You hope he does get it together.

As for Telfair, he wasn’t going to ever play major minutes for Cleveland so why keep the guy? Unfortunately, he’s never lived up the expectations placed upon him coming out of high school.

As for the Cavaliers got in return? Ramon Sessions is a solid player. He spent some time in the D-League in 2007-08 and put up some darn good number (21.1 ppg., 7.6 assists, 6.5 rebounds) in just 24 games (17 starts).

This past season, Sessions played all 82 games for the Timberwolves and averaged 8.2 points. Plus he and Cleveland guard Mo Williams were at Milwaukee together in 07-08  before the Cavaliers got Mo in a trade.

Sessions is young (24 years old), 6-3, and can play. As for Hollins, at 7-foot, he can block shots and be a presence around the rim. Could be what Tyson Chandler was in New Orleans when new Cleveland coach Byron Scott was leading the Hornets.

Upside is there, but to say Hollins will come in and average a double-double for the Cavaliers? Maybe, but I doubt it.

A 2010 D-League All-Star, Aminu played both NBA summer leagues in Orlando and Vegas.

Here’s how players who was with the Erie BayHawks at some point last season fared in the two NBA summer leagues in Orlando and Las Vegas.

Players are listed in alphabetical order.

Combo guard Blake Ahearn (Finished with BayHawks after being traded from Bakersfield to Erie for Alade Aminu) played four games for the Houston Rockets in Las Vegas and scored 11 total points. Shot 14.3 percent from the field, was 2-of-11 from 3-point range and have seven assists to five turnovers.

Power forward Alade Aminu (Finished with Bakersfield after Erie traded him there for Blake Ahearn) played five games for the Atlanta Hawks in Las Vegas and four for the Charlotte Bobcats in Orlando. Aminu averaged 10 points and 4.4 rebounds for the Hawks, 5.5 points and four boards for the Bobcats. He had 14 points, five rebounds and two blocks against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday in his last game in Las Vegas.

Center John Bryant (Started and finished season with BayHawks) played two games for the Milwaukee Bucks in Las Vegas and scored two total points in 12 minutes. He attempted two shots total, made one.

Guard Oliver Lafayette (Cut by BayHawks in training camp, finished with Fort Wayne) averaged 8.4 points for the Boston Celtics in Orlando. Lafayette scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting in his first game with Boston. In his final four games, Lafayette shot 9-of-30 from the field.

Guard Donell Taylor (Started with BayHawks before being traded to Idaho for Mike Gansey) averaged 11 points in four games with Orlando in Orlando. After scoring a summer-league best 18 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Taylor followed up that performance by with two points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field against Charlotte.

Also center Darian Townes, who played for the BayHawks last season, saw action in five games for the Utah Jazz in Orlando. Townes scored seven total points in the five games. He shot 2-0f-10 from the field. Townes played for the Iowa Energy in the D-League this past season.

Mike Gansey averaged 15.6 points in his last three games with the D-League Select team in NBA Summer League play in Las Vegas.

Erie BayHawks guard Mike Gansey reached double figures in his last three games with the D-League Select team in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, NV.

Playing 38 minutes, Gansey had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the D-League Select’s 79-78 win Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers. Mark Tyndale of the Iowa Energy hit a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The D-League Select team finished 1-4 in its games against NBA teams using their summer league rosters.

Gansey averaged 12.8 points and shot 55 percent (11-of-20) from 3-point range in the five games. He scored a summer-league high 17 points in a 101-85 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies after scoring a summer-league low two points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Gansey is from the Cleveland area.

As for the Cavaliers, who are an NBA affiliate of the BayHawks along with the Toronto Raptors, their second-year forward, Danny Green, averaged 12.8 points in his four summer-league games with Cleveland. Green had a summer-league best 17 points against the Miami Heat.

Green is eligible to play for the BayHawks this season as NBA teams can send down their first or second-year players down to play for the D-League team they’re affiliated with.

The Cavaliers 2009 first-round pick, forward Christian Eyenga of the Congo, is also listed on the roster. The 6-foot-5 Eyenga didn’t play last season after deciding to remain overseas and play. 

The team also has some familiar names like Rashard McCants, who starred on the 2004 national championship for North Carolina and rookies Jerome Dyson of Connecticut and Manny Harris of Michigan.

Erie BayHawks coach John Treloar is also working as an assistant for the Cavaliers, who are an NBA affiliate of the BayHawks along with the Toronto Raptors.

 Two things to notice about the schedule is the Cavaliers play against the Miami Heat, who LeBron James chose to sign with instead of the Cavaliers earlier this week, and the Milwaukee Bucks, who have Darnell Jackson, a player Cleveland let go this past season. Jackson is scheduled to play for the Bucks this summer.

Their schedule is as follows: Tuesday vs. NBA D-League*,  6 p.m. EST (COX Pavilion); Wednesday -vs.  Phoenix , 8:30 p.m. (Thomas & Mack); Friday  vs. Chicago, 8:30 p.m. (Thomas & Mack); Saturday vs. Miami*, 6 p.m. * (COX Pavilion); Sunday, July 18 vs. Milwaukee*, 4 (COX Pavilion). *denotes game will air live on NBA TV.

Roster (As of July 11, 2010)
12 Jerome Dyson (6-4, 190, G) Connecticut (R)
15 Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210, G/F) Congo (R)
36 Marquis Gilstrap (6-7, 215, F) Iowa State (R)
14 Danny Green (6-6, 210, G/F) North Carolina
16 Manny Harris (6-5, 185, G) Michigan (R)
21 J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242, F) North Carolina State
9 Aaron Jackson (6-4, 185, G) Duquesne (R)
48 Nathan Jawai (6-10, 282, C) South Carolina
8 Pooh Jeter (5-11, 175, G) Portland (R)
50 Maciej Lampe (6-11, 275, F) Poland
10 Rashad McCants (6-4, 215, G) North Carolina
30 Tasmin Mitchell (6-7, 240, F) LSU (R)
24 David Monds (6-8, 240, F) Oklahoma State (R)
40 Jared Reiner (6-11, 255, C) Iowa

Head coach: Paul Pressey             
Assistants: Kornel David, Melvin Hunt, Chris Jent, Neal Meyer, Joe Prunty, John Treloar
Assistant coach/strength and conditioning coordinator: Stan Kellers

Grant said Gilbert is entitled to his opinion in regards to what Gilbert said about James. Scott described Gilbert as being “passionate” and he’s still excited about coaching the current Cavaliers.