On the back-end of a 10-city worldwide promotional tour for the MTAG movie, LeBron James found time to sit down earlier today with Good Morning America in promotion of his new book: Shooting Stars.   A different kinda busy than he was last offseason to be sure, but at least nobody can accuse this guy of just laying around.  The interview is below:

via YouTube

While on the topic of the Shooting Stars book, I would like to issue an apology to the co-author - Buzz Bissinger - for the following comments I made yesterday in regards to not being offered a preview copy of the book:

"...while the good people over at Gray and Company sent me a complimentary copy of the Franchise...Buzz Bissinger's people didn't get a chance to mail out a preview copy to some hack blogger.  Probably thinks I can't read. So in the meantime, the excerpts below are from people who can, and have"

I probably should have just assumed that the book only came out yesterday, and really why would they send me a copy any sooner?  Anyways, I felt kinda bad when the good people over at Penguin Press contacted me today, and offered to send me a review copy of the book.  I appreciate it, and look forward to reading it.  And as I did also say yesterday, I will reserve judgement on it until I do. 

I plan to reserve judgement on the book Shooting Stars - co-written by Buzz Bissinger and LeBron James - (which hit bookstores today) until I have saved the $26.95 necessary to purchase the book.  Because while the good people over at Gray and Company sent me a complimentary copy of the Franchise - which is a must read and I find it hard to imagine that this book (SS) will come close to it - Buzz Bissinger's people didn't get a chance to mail out a preview copy to some hack blogger.  Probably thinks I can't read.  So in the meantime, the excerpts below are from people can, and have:

'Shooting Stars,' LBJ takes control of the narrative - Karen R. Long, PD:

"No one in high school deserves to be compared to Michael Jordan," James writes, "and no one in high school could be expected to withstand the pressure of such comparisons. We had become bigheaded jerks, me in particular, and we are to blame for that, but so are adults who treated us that way and then sat back and smugly watched the self-destruction."

LeBron's Unnecessary Biography - Henry Abbot, Truehoop:

"A press release says it's "a story of friendship, perseverance, humility, the transcendent power of teamwork, and the realization of almost-impossible dreams."  It may or may not be that, but it's certainly a bold assertion of James' right to gloss up his own early life, and to charge you $26.95 to have him tell you stories that have for the most part already been told elsewhere."

Book Review: Shooting Stars by LeBron James and Buzz Bissinger - Hoopinion:

"Shooting Stars, the LeBron James autobiography co-authored by Buzz Bissinger, is a consistently alienating read--the story of a 24-year-old African-American midwestern product of the Akron public school system and the basketball industrial complex told in the first-person by a 54-year-old white northeasterner who spent his formative years at Phillips Academy and the University of Pennsylvania."

My fantasy football draft was last night, so my primary focus of the evening was preparing team Stepien Rules for a title run in the Big Time Game Boards league, and I am a little light in the posts department for this Friday before Labor Day.  However, I did have two quick things for you, and neither of which are a reference to LeBron James' contract talk with Tom Withers.  We have about twelve more months to cover that breaking news. What I did want to do was both preview the posts for next week -breaking down a few other Cavs rotation questions: the role of Jamario Moon, along with the playing time battles between D-Block and JJ, as well as Boobie Gibson and Danny Green - and review the rotation question posts from this week:  

Question 4 - Going Big or Going Small

Question 3 - How To Manage Shaquille O'Neal's Minutes

Question 2 -  Who Makes Active Roster 

Question 1 - Cavaliers Game One Starting Five

Tuesday:  Question 2 - Who's On Active Roster?

The only topic that irritates me more than this one is the Brady Quinn v. Derek Anderson debate - which consumes every second of local sports talk radio in this town - but nevertheless, here is more pure speculation on the LBJ Summer of 2010:

Where Will LBJ Land - Royce Webb, ESPN:

"Clevelanders can't exhale yet, but perhaps they can take some comfort in our forecast, as 73.1 percent of our panel members now see LeBron staying in Ohio. That's a switch from last year, when less than half the panel saw King James wearing the wine and gold past 2010... "

Now I am not really sure what it means if 73% of this panel thinks LeBron will re-up with the Cavaliers, but I hope it means ESPNwill talk about this topic at least 73% less than they did a year ago.  I mean after-all, Brett Farve did re-sign with the Vikings.  Further down in the piece though, Webb does lay out a critical aspect of this equation that is worth noting.  

"But the Cavs caught a break, it appears, at least in terms of their LeBron retention plan, when the league crunched the numbers and projected a drop in revenues and the salary cap for the coming year. That means, as things currently stand, the Knicks could not sign both LBJ and a friend like Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade to max contracts. Presumably that would dampen LeBron's interest in making the leap to the Big Apple."

The recent restructuring of the salary cap certainly does benefit the Cavaliers.  And for a NY to lure LBJ, you have to think that he's right, its gonna take signing 'LBJ and a friend,' something the Knicks frankly can't do.  That is, unless James and Chris Duhon become facebook pals in the coming months.

Throughout the week, we will post a series of questions about the Cavaliers Rotation for the 2009-10 season that we imagine Mike Brown to be sitting at his desk with a number two pencil and some filler paper trying to work out answers to in light of an off-season that saw the Cavaliers as a very active player.

Question 1 - Cavaliers Game One Starting Five...

For the first time in the LeBron James era this is a question that involves six, arguably seven, players that could actually start.  The most legitimate debate is at the SG position.  Its my opinion that Anthony Parkergets that job.  I know he was brought in for depth in the back-court, but I have to think that at 6'6" Mike Brown is going to like the size that Parkercan add to a back-court that was undersized a year ago.  Can he defend?  I don't think he'll be as good as West,but I think he can be serviceable.  Additionally, with Williams and Parker starting, I think Delonte West can do more for you coming off the bench as the sixth man.  In this scenario, Delonte could be a very realistic Sixth Man of the Year candidate next season.  His ability to spell time at the one and two, along with providing an instant spark at both ends of the floor upon entering the game, could prove to be invaluable.

The lesser of the starting line-up debate involves the bigs.  If Leon Powe was healthy right now, this would interesting, but he's not, and its definetely not as close a contest as with the SG's.  There is no way you can bring in Shaq, with his personality, and his $20 million a year contract, and be the first team in his career to ask him to come off the bench.  I don't want that experiment blowing up during the last year of LBJ's contract.  Just don't have time for that.  So Shaq starts at the C position, and Andy at the PF spot.  Will those two guys mesh offensively?  Maybe not, but you can't have Z or Shaq stepping out to cover an opposing teams four...it'd be ugly.  After the All Star break, if Powe's healthy, who knows, but for now it has to be Andy over Z for defensive purposes. 

What I'd love to hear and see is that JJ Hickson just comes on and emerges into the type of player that his talent should one day allow him to be this season.  Of the players on the Cavaliers' current roster, I think Hickson's skill set would best suit playing alongside Shaq, but I just don't see that development as happening.  Not this season at least.

All that said, the StepienRules starting five looks like this to open the season: 

PG: Mo Williams
SG: Anthony Parker
SF: LBJ
PF: Anderson Varejao
C:  Shaquille O'Neal

Assuming nothing comes of Stephen Jackson's mumblings, the recent signing of Danny Green seemingly completes what was a very busy summer for Danny Ferry and the Cavaliers.  But with the five new faces, and the resigning of  Varejao, there will be a lot of questions dropped into Mike Brown's suggestion box in the coming months about how he plans to structure the new rotation.  We'll have more on that throughout the week, but for now, a look at the 2009-2010 roster as it stands today, and links to our postings on each free agent signing, is found below:

 Cavaliers 2009-2010 Current Roster:

In responding publicly to a question at an event in NY yesterday about whether or not the Warriors would make the playoffs next season, Stephen Jackson offered the following comment - via Dime Magazine:

"Um…I don’t think I’ll be a Warrior next year. I’m looking to leave.”

Dime Magazine later sat down with Jackson, and posted the following exchange late yesterday:

"Dime: Is there anywhere specifically you want to go?
SJ: Either Cleveland, anywhere in Texas or out here with Al in New York."

If nothing else this is another interesting twist in what has become a very entertaining post season for Cavaliers' fans.  Is the interest mutual though?  I would guess not for a number of reasons, shear talent not withstanding.  Jackson is under contract through 2012 - 2013, and on his 35th birthday he is scheduled to make $10 million.  From an on-the-court-next season standpoint, Jackson would be a nice piece to add.  A true two-guardso to speak when compared with Delonte West and Anthony Parker (combo guards)...but he (SJ) comes with a number of question marks both on and off the court - will he pass, will he bum rush Cleveland fans in the stands, etc, etc - and I expect the Stephen Jackson to the Cavs fire to burn out before it ever really sets ablaze.  Interesting thought though.