The Cavaliers play in New Jersey tonight, meaning LeBron James will not only have to be ready for what the Nets throw at him on the court, but for what the media hits him with off it.
The 23-year-old, however, is already a seasoned veteran when it comes to dealing with the New York City/New Jersey media.
James often seems to revel in teasing reporters with a small hint of his love for the Big Apple, his admiration for the Yankees or his friendship with music mogul and Nets part-owner Jay-Z. Sensationalistic journalists then take those comments and run with them, writing numerous stories about his impending future with the Nets or Knicks.
Tonight will likely be no different, but with the 8-2 Cavaliers riding a seven-game winning streak, James is concerned only with taking care of business on the court.
“We have a good winning streak going,” he said Monday following practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts. “We have to continue the success we’ve had at home (where the Cavaliers are 6-0). We have to take the same energy we’ve had at home and bring it to an environment that sometimes can be very difficult.”
James, who Monday was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the second week in a row and 15th time in his six-year career, is also likely to face questions about his future when the Cavaliers play in Detroit on Wednesday.
By trading Chauncey Billups, the Pistons have positioned themselves to be able to offer James a maximum contract if, as expected, he opts to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2009-10 season.
More than half the teams in the league may also be in position to do the same thing, but the Cavaliers will be able to offer one more year and significantly more money than any other club.
Exact figures won’t be known until the 2010-11 salary cap is established, but Cleveland will be able to offer something in the neighborhood of a six-year deal for $130 million, while other teams will be able to counter with five years for slightly more than $100 million.
As he demonstrated when he signed his current contract, which includes a player option for 2010-11 that James will almost certainly not exercise, the 6-foot-8, 250-pounder is willing to sign for less than the maximum years allowed in order to negotiate yet another new deal at an earlier time.
James, an Akron native, has said repeatedly that he loves playing in Cleveland and is happy with the Cavaliers organization, which makes New York, New Jersey (the Nets are scheduled to move to Brooklyn in 2010-11) and Detroit talk way too premature.
If the Cavaliers continue to keep their superstar happy on and off the court, there’s really no reason to believe James will leave Northeast Ohio, especially since he’s already making megamillions in endorsements.
That could change if things start to go poorly for the Cavaliers, but right now the situation is about as good as it could be. The Cavaliers are winning and look like legitimate title contenders, James has a great relationship with coach Mike Brown and new point guard Mo Williams has blended in perfectly.
James is also playing phenomenal basketball, as proven by the league-best 33.7 points, 8.7 assists (third in league) and 2.7 steals (third) he put up in leading the Cavaliers to a 3-0 week. The small forward also shot .600 from the field and is now knocking down jumpers he was missing early in the season.
Most importantly, Cleveland is winning, which will make all the speculation that is likely to occur in the next few days about James’ future just that — speculation.
James, who may even feed into that speculation in some small way, knows it’s not going to stop, but right now he’s concentrating on matters at hand.
“We’re a good basketball team,” he said. “If you’re a good team, you should go out and win basketball games.
“We have bigger challenges, bigger goals. It’s more than just a six- or seven-game winning streak.”
Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rickn@ohio.net. 

LeBron named player of the week … again

Cleveland’s All-Star forward LeBron James again has been named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
James averaged an NBA-high 33.7 points, 8.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds in three wins with the Cavaliers last week.
He has won the player of the week award 15 times in his career, including twice this month for leading the Cavaliers (8-2) to seven consecutive wins.
James scored 41 points for the third time this season against Milwaukee last Tuesday and became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1991 to reach the 40-point mark at least three times in the first eight games of a season.
Denver Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups was named the Western Conference’s player of the Week.
—The Associated Press

TONIGHT

WHO: Cleveland at New Jersey
TIME: 7:30
WHERE: Izod Center, East Rutherford, N.J.
TV/RADIO: FSN Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

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