LeBron James loves the Big Apple.  We all know that.  We all know that New York loves him too - especially if he decides to call MSG his home 10 months from now.  With the Cavaliers in New York to face the Knicks at The Garden tonight, LeBron decided to give back a bit to NYC - 

Dear New York,

Thank you for welcoming me back to New York City, one of my favorite places to play in the world. The Big Apple has always been good to me so I wanted to do something special to show my appreciation.

With this in mind, on November 7, 2009, I'm going to open seven gyms around NYC to host free open runs for high-school aged players. I remember being in high school and just wanting to play ball as the seasons changed from fall to winter. The Ohio winter made it tough to play outside so I always saw the opportunity to play in a nice gym as a gift.

It is in giving that I've found the most strength, whether it's on the court with my teammates or at home with my family. In giving this gift of the game to New York City, I want to share that strength with people who love the game as much as I do.

Peace,

LeBron James

A nice touch by James to open some local gyms in and around New York City.  TO me, he can do all the charity work he wants to do in New York.  He can wear a Yankees cap - which he certainly will be sporting tonight, I'm sure.   All that is fine with me, as long as he wears the Wine and Gold on the court. 

After missing all of Training Camp, the Pre-Season and the first 3 games of the season while dealing with personal issues, Delonte West returned to the Cavaliers tonight for their game against Charlotte.

West played his first minutes coming off the bench in the 1st Quarter.  

West has a court date on November 20th to answer misdemeanor gun possession charges relating to an arrest in Maryland in September.

With a 3-pointer midway through the 1st Quarter, LeBron James became the youngest player to score 13,000 points.  James accomplished the feat at 24 years and 301 days, besting the previous mark set by Kobe Bryant of 26 years, 132 days.

It never gets old with LeBron, and he is going to be the youngest player in history to do a lot of things.  Congrats to the King!

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

23 days ago: Cleveland Cavaliers' J.J. Hickson (21) loses the ball under pressure from Washington Wizards' Randy Foye (15) and Nick Young in the fourth quarter of a preseason NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009, in Cleveland. The Wizards won 109-104. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have exercised the third-year contract option on forward J.J. Hickson, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today.

Hickson's extension keeps him under contract with the Cavaliers through the 2010-11 season.  In 62 games played as a rookie during the 2008-09 season, he averaged 4.0 points on .515 shooting and 2.7 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game. In six games (one start) during the 2009 preseason, Hickson posted averages of 9.8 points on .522 shooting and 3.5 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game.

"J.J. is a young, talented player who continues to work hard and still has a great deal of upside," Ferry said. "We are excited to keep him in our program and help him fulfill his potential."

The 6-foot-9 forward was selected with the 19^th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft by Cleveland. The 21-year old played one season at North Carolina State, earning ACC All-Freshmen Team honors after averaging 14.8 points on a conference-best .591 shooting and 8.5 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game in 31 games.    

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced today that they have waived guards Andre Barrett and Russell Robinson and center Darryl Watkins. Barrett played in four games during the preseason, averaging 5.8 points and 4.3 assists  in 17.5 minutes per game while Robinson played in five games (one start) and averaged 6.4 points and 2.4 assists in 20.0 minutes per game. Watkins appeared in four games and totaled two points, eight rebounds and one block in 28 minutes played.

The Cavaliers roster now stands at 15 -

NO           PLAYER                         POS       HGT      WGT 

1               Daniel Gibson                  G             6-2          200

14             Danny Green                   G/F          6-6          210                               

21             J.J. Hickson                       F            6-9          242

11             Zydrunas Ilgauskas        C            7-3          260

00             Darnell Jackson                F            6-9          253

23             LeBron James                   F            6-8          250

5               Coby Karl                         G             6-5          215

15             Jamario Moon                  F             6-8          205 

33             Shaquille O’Neal             C             7-1          325                

18             Anthony Parker               G/F         6-6          210

44             Leon Powe                        F             6-8          240                                                                             

17             Anderson Varejao           F/C         6-11        260

13             Delonte West                  G             6-3          190

31             Jawad Williams               F              6-9          220

2               Mo Williams                   G              6-1          195

LeBron_Shaq_SICover

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LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal graced the cover of Sports Illustrated Annual NBA Preview Issue, though it didn't help the Wine and Gold when it came time for Sr. Writer Ian Thomson to make his selection for NBA Champion.  Thomson, who also did the Cavaliers preview, has the Boston Celtics beating the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals before knocking off the defending champion Lakers in the NBA Finals.

According to Thompson, the Celtics will be bolstered by the additions of Marquis Daniels and Rasheed Wallace, adding to, what he calls, the best starting five in the NBA.

Thomson's Cavaliers preview has all the standard fare, focusing on the acquisition of Anthony Parker and the questions swirling around Delonte West. 

Mike Brown heaped heavy praise on Parker in the article as well - 

Anthony is the best guy we've had shootingthe ball coming off screens sinceI've been here.  I haven't been around anybody like that except when I wasin Indiana with Reggie Miller.

I will be sendng some questions on to Thomson to get some more details as to what he feels the Celtics have, and the Cavaliers do not.

More photos » by Mike Fuentes - AP

20 days ago: Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James smiles during the first quarter of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. James did not play in the game. The Mavericks won 93-82. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

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Many of us knew that LeBron James had surgery just after the season ended to remove a growth in his jaw.  What we didn't know is that doctors found the growth in January and tested the growth to see if it could possibly be cancerous.

James talked to Brian Windhorst about those nervous few days in January -

"It was a nerve-racking experience but I knew at that point I had to get it done," James said. "I was on edge for those few days, I was lucky the season was going on and we were playing really well so I could concentrate on basketball. My family was nervous."

Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic found a growth on James' parotid gland, which produces saliva. Those sorts of tumors are somewhat rare, on average there's usually around 2,500 cases each year. It represents only about three percent of all discovered tumors and just six percent of tumors found in the head and neck area, according to several medical reference Web sites.

The better news for James was that between 70 and 80 percent of such tumors are benign. That is what the doctors told him, trying to set him at ease.

"I was working with some good professionals," James said. "They were telling me they didn't think it was cancer, but we had to be sure, of course."

You can read more about the procedure in Windhort's column - a must read for anyone that thought LeBron was trying to milk calls from referees during the playoffs.

Cavaliers F Anderson Varejao left Wednesday Night's game against the Washington Wizards with a wrist injury sustained in the 3rd Quarter.  X-Rays were negative and Varejao is has been diagnosed with a Left Wrist Contusion.

Also leaving the game and heading to the locker room was G Daniel Gibson. Gibson was diagnosed with a bruised tailbone and will sit out the rest of the night as well.....