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.

Without the drama. Without ESPN. With much humor, though.

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?

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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.

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Here’s the 15-minute interview my girl, Rachel Nichols of ESPN, did with LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade after James and Bosh decided to join Wade in Miami to play for the Heat.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will their summer league roster began playing in the Las Vegas Summer League beginning Tuesday. Going into his third season with Cleveland, power forward J.J. Hickson is scheduled to play as is forward Danny Green, who just finished his rookie season with the Cavaliers. 

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.

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New head coach Byron Scott and new general manager Chris Grant addressed the media Friday afternoon about LeBron James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, majority owner Dan Gilbet’s comments about James and the future of the Cavaliers.

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.

The Erie BayHawks have four players from the 2009-10 season who will play in NBA Summer League games in Las Vegas starting today.

Shooting guard Mike Gansey (D-League Select team), point guard Blake Ahearn (Houston Rockets) and centers John Bryant (Milwaukee Bucks) and Mike Sweetney (Washington Wizards) will look to impress NBA teams to give them a chance to make an NBA team in training camp this fall.

Former BayHawk power forward  Alade Aminu will play for the Atlanta Hawks. Danny Green, who played two games for Erie last season, will see action this summer with his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Darnell Jackson, who has played for the BayHawks while with their NBA affiliate, the Cavaliers, is with the Bucks.

BayHawks coach John Treloar is expected to work as an assistant for the Cavaliers.

“I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE. You can take that to the bank.”  – Cleveland majority owner Dan Gilbert in reaction to LeBron James’ decision to leave Cleveland for the Miami Heat.

As Flavor Flav would say, ‘Wooooooooooooooooow!!!” 

Check out this letter Cleveland majority owner Dan Gilbert sent out through Cleveland’s official website in regards to LeBron James announcing Thursday night he’s leaving the Cavaliers to play in Miami with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade with the Heat.

“Wooooooooow!!!”

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On the eve of two-time NBA MVP LeBron James being able to declare himself a free agent July 1, I asked basketball fans in Erie one simple question Tuesday.

Should James stay in Cleveland with the Cavaliers or go elsewhere?

Here’s what they said.