Here’s what LeBron James had to say before tonight’s game between the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.
This is the second time James has played in Cleveland for the Heat since he decided to leave the Cavaliers last summer to play in Miami. The Heat beat the Cavaliers, 118-90, Dec. 2 and James had 38 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
All of President Barack Obama's 2011 Final Four picks are done.
I only have one Final Four team left in my bracket – the Connecticut Huskies.
But hey, that’s one more than President Barack Obama has. He picked all the No. 1 seeds and the final one, Kansas, fell Sunday against Virginia Commonwealth in the regional final.
My other Final Four picks – Florida, Ohio State and Louisville – fell by the wayside, but at least two of them lost to teams that made it to the Final Four.
Butler upset the Gators in the regional final while Kentucky stunned the Buckeyes, who were the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament, in the regional semifinals.
As for the Cardinals, never again Rick Pitino. Never again. Losing to Morehead State right off the bat?
Come on, man.
So we got Connecticut, a third seed, and Kentucky, a fourth seed facing each other to take on the Butler-VCU winner.
Butler is an eighth seed, while VCU is an 11th seed who had to play in the play-in game to get into the field of 64.
No one was more fun to watch in college basketball last season than Kentucky freshman point guard John Wall.
Let’s take a look at the first five picks of Thursday’s 2010 NBA Draft and see what they bring to the table.
1. Washington Wizards – John Wall (6-4, PG, Kentucky).
Strengths: Gifted athete, playmaker and brings size to PG position. Weaknesses: Needs to improve FT (Shot 75.4 percent at Kentucky), inexperience.
Impact on Wizards: Not only will he bring fans to the arena, Wall gives Washington a player they can immediately build around and put past troubles with the franchise.
2. Philadelphia 76ers – Evan Turner (6-7, SG/SF, Ohio State).
Strengths: Clutch, seasoned (played three years in college) and shoots a high percentage (shot 51.9 percent from the field last season). Weaknesses: Turnover prone and not as explosive around the rim in terms of finishing in traffic.
Impact on 76ers: Will have to play small forward, but teaming up with Andre Iguodala will give the 76ers two very good perimeter defenders. Has a very competitive edge, which Philadelphia has lacked in recent years.
Evan Turner lead Ohio State to the 2010 Big Ten Tournament title last week.
I like that guy Evan Turner.
Yep. That guy who hit that 37-footer to beat Michigan in the Big Ten Tournamet Ohio State eventually won last week. The Chicago native is fun to watch and can flat out ball.
Erie BayHawks forward Ivan Harris agrees.
The Ohio State graduate and I talk about him all the time before practice. There was a time people were debating if Turner was even the best player in the Big Ten after he came back from injuring his back.
Now he’s considered one of the best players in the country.
“He is the best player,” said Harris about Turner, who is averaging 20.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists this season. “There’s no debate about that. Six-foot-seven. Playing point. He’s got an overall game. I just feel like he’s the man right now.”
OK. Ivan. I agree.
Forward Ivan Harris has shaved his head since last season with Erie and no longer rocks the braids.
The Erie BayHawks have to make their final two cuts by Wednesday at 5 p.m. to get their roster down to 10 players for the season opener Friday at Fort Wayne.
On Monday night, the BayHawks had a controlled scrimmage at East High School that revealed quite a bit about each of the remaining 12 players. The White team consisted of guards Cedric Jackson, Oliver Lafayette, Rod Wilmont, forwards Ivan Harris, Kyle Goldcamp and center John Bryant.
That team beat the Black team, 34-32. The black team consistead of first-round pick, guard Donell Taylor, guards Zach Sowers and forwards Jackie Manuel, Martin Zeno, Alade Aminu and Jarvis Gunter.
Very competitive game, but here’s what I noticed about each player in the scrimmage.
Here’s who the Erie BayHawks will likely start in Thursday’s 7 p.m. D-League preseason game against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and Meadville Area Senior High School.
PG – Donell Taylor (6-6, 185, Alabama-Birmingham)
SG – Oliver Lafayette (6-2, 190, Houston)
SF – Jackie Manuel (6-5, 189, North Carolina)
PF – Ivan Harris (6-7, 215, Ohio State)
C – Jarvis Gunter (6-10, 210, Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
Now Lafayette, Manuel, Harris and Gunter all played for Erie in its expansion year last season. Taylor is the only new starter. The Bayhawks picked him with the second overall pick in this year’s draft Nov. 5.
When looking at this starting line up, two things jump out.
If you followed the Erie BayHawks last season, you know Ivan Harris, Jackie Manuel, Jarvis Gunter and Oliver Lafayette.
If you followed them really closely, you know Raheem Moss from training camp. He was the last player cut before the regular season opener.
If you follow area college basketball, you know Gannon center Kyle Goldcamp and Edinboro guard Joe Jones, who is from Erie.
So those seven guys need no major introduction.
The remaining 10 in training camp for the BayHawks?
They’re a different story. Let’s a take a look at them.
