The Sports Monitor

Cleveland is at the center of the sports universe. Can it really be? When you're talking Johnny Manziel and LeBron James, two of the biggest things going in sports, and they're both with Cleveland teams, then, yes, it is really happening. LeBron is the face of the NBA, and his Decision II, which Cleveland into a state of joy, is worthy of all the hype surrounding him. Say what you want about his leadership traits or the ability to win championships, he's the best player in the NBA. So when the best player in the league leaves the team he helped win two titles, it's big news. When it's LeBron, it's the story of the year -- at least if ESPN is concerned. LeBron makes the Cavs a legitimate title contender again, just like when he played for them. The genius of James' move is he rebuilds his image and still gets a shot to win a title. The NBA's Eastern Conference is a joke, so it's a lot easier for LeBron to make it back to the Finals than if...

Can LeBron James take the heat? I'm not a James fan. Haven't been since he ditched Cleveland. The hour-long program and the way he left was too classless. But that was years ago. Since then, I've been happy when the Heat -- and James -- and faltered. But I won't dump on James for Thursday's Game 1 loss to the Spurs in the NBA Finals. James left the game with cramps -- and has been taking, well, heat for it. Fans quickly pointed out that Michael Jordan played in the Finals with the flu. He also left with stomach cramps, too. A player can gut it out with the flu. If the leg cramps up, you can't will it to work. You're at the mercy of the muscle. I'm rooting for the Spurs, but I can't fault James for this. If you want to point fingers, look at Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. He didn't adjust to the conditions and should have used a deeper bench.

With the NBA season over, the wall-to-wall coverage of LeBron James has subsided. Now, Derek Jeter is the talk of the sports world, pushing Yasiel Puig off the highlight reels for the time being. I'm sorry, if Jeter played in a market other than New York, there would be little mention of him. Instead, since he's a Yankee, his triumphant return will be bellowed all day today. And tomorrow. And probably after that. It's too bad that the rest of the media doesn't recognize him as an aging veteran.

The NBA needs a villain. LeBron James and the Miami Heat fit that perfectly. People root for James to lose. They'll be rooting for the Pacers to win in Game 6 Saturday. If the Heat win, fans will be rooting for the Spurs in the NBA Finals. Me? I'm a Pacers fan. I became hooked when I lived west of Indianapolis in the mid-90s. It's probably too much to ask for the Pacers to win Game 6 and 7 to advance to the NBA Finals. Either way, I'll be cheering them on. I'll be rooting against LeBron and the Heat in the Finals, however. Sometimes, it's nice to fit in.

First, Kobe Bryant claimed this year's U.S men's basketball team would beat the 1992 Dream Team. Now, LeBron James said the same thing . It's nice to talk, but James and Bryant must be dreaming. This year's team would not beat the 1992 team. No way. This year's team would not beat the 1996 team. And I'm not sure this year's team is a lock to win gold in London, either. The 1992 team was stacked with Hall of Famers in Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. But the list doesn't stop there. There were 11 Hall of Famers on that team. Other than Kobe and LeBron, I'm not sure anyone else from this year's team makes that 1992 squad. And you can say the London team is more athletic, but tell me who on that team would stop David Robinson, Patrick Ewing or Karl Malone in the post? No one. That's this team's biggest weakness, no big men. But it looks like dreaming could become a bigger shortcoming. They should focus on...

I woke up Thanksgiving Day to find out the NBA will be back in time for Christmas. I never asked for hoops as a Christmas gift. Can I get a do-over, please? Cash, maybe? Anything? I could use a season without greedy owners and greedy players. Now I can just go back to rooting against LeBron James.

I want to give a sincere thanks to LeBron James. He single-handedly made me interested in the NBA Finals. I used to be a big NBA fan. My all-time favorite player was Hakeem Olajuwon. But I soon started to drift away from the NBA. There were many reasons, I guess, but I'll spare you the details today. I would check in from time to time, but it wasn't like it used to be. Then came The Decision. I didn't mind seeing Cleveland lose a dynamic player. I just didn't like the way James went about selecting his new NBA home. From then on, the Heat were at the top of my list of teams to dislike. When the Finals came around, I had to watch. I had to root against LeBron. The series against the Mavs, however, has turned into something more. Yes, it's great to see LeBron disappear. And it's even better to see the Heat one game away from losing. But this series has been fantastic to watch. I wouldn't have noticed too much without James' decision n...

I've had a few days now to take in all the hype and hysteria over LeBron James' decision to play basketball  for the Miami Heat. Like nearly everyone else -- unless you are a Miami Heat fan -- I was disgusted with the whole process. A one-hour show on ESPN? Having potential suitors visit him? Spare me. Three things really stood out during the past two weeks: James is a narcissist, James can't win by himself and James doesn't like Cleveland. The first doesn't need much explanation. The second? Well, it was pretty evident James couldn't win by himself when he begged the Cleveland Cavaliers to get him better players. He made a mad dash to win a title. It doesn't always work that way. Karl Malone and Gary Payton tried to take the easy way out and win a title with the L.A. Lakers in 2004. They lost easily to the Detroit Pistons in the finals. If something similar happens in Miami, James is a failure. If he does win a title, James accomplishes that w...

LeBron James is a great basketball player. He has an MVP award, numerous endorsements and millions of fans everywhere. But he's also a poor loser. We witnessed his actions after the Cavaliers lost to the Magic on Saturday, eliminating them from the playoffs. And what he did speaks louder than any commercial. James walked off the court, didn't shake anyone's hand from the Magic, let along congratulate them, and blew off the press. The NBA doesn't need to have a line form at the end of the series and have the players shake hands like they do in hockey. I will admit, though, that hockey has the best tradition around. But what James didn't do, was something that goes all the way back to Little League. You shake a person's hand after a game. Here's what James had to say Sunday, a day after his Cavs lost, trying to explain his actions: "It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them. I'm a winner. It's not being a poor sport...