So who IS Manny Harris? And will 'Manny being Manny' be a GOOD thing for Cleveland this time?

From my perch in Pennsylvania, I may be in the dark a bit about Manny Harris, surely much more in the dark than most of you, who I assume live in Ohio, are.

Harris has burst on the scene in the last two pre-season games, first leading a charge back from a deficit in the win over Houston and then going off for 14 points -- on 4-of-5 shooting, including two three-pointer's -- and grabbing four rebounds and dishing four assists in 24 minutes against Dallas.

So who exactly is Manny Harris? Will be stick with the Cavs (he had better, I am thinking)? Will this Manny be better for Cleveland in the long run than that other Manny was? (You know the one I mean, the one with the dreadlocks.)

Frankly, I have had to glean my information on Manny from other sources, and I feel a need to refer you to a couple of those sources, so you can read and see for yourself where this comet came from. "Comet?", you ask? Yes, for while a meteor shines brightly for a brief time and then burns out, a comet comes back over and over again, even if Comet Harris will hopefully not wait 86 years to have another good game, like Halley's would. Surely the way Harris has burst into Cavs' fans consciousness in the past few days reminded me of a comet's sudden appearance in the night sky of LeBron James's departure.

Then I referred to a fine column by Mary Schmitt Boyer on Cleveland.com which elaborates on the impact Harris is already having on the Cavaliers.

I do recommend that you check out both links.

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So here are a couple of stats from the 6' 5", 185-pound guard's college career, showing that -- while he may seem to have come from nowhere -- he is not likely to be a flash in the pan:

In 90 games for Michigan, Harris averaged a solid 17 points a game, along with 5.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Although he did not shoot all that well -- less than 41% from the field -- he did connect on almost 83% of his free throws over his career.

And now, if you really like raw numbers...here is one more link for you, to a very detailed breakdown of the Detroit native's college numbers.

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It would be more than just nice if Manny Harris could carry some of the Texas Lightning he showed against Houston and Dallas through the rest of training camp and into the season.

I wish I could be "there" with you Ohioans to see the kid up close in live game action, but alas...he will have to (hopefully) shine like a new-found comet from afar.