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...

Sometimes, perception doesn't equal reality. That's the case with the Miami Heat's victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day. My guess is you have seen or will see headlines saying "Heat get revenge," or something along those lines. The Heat really can't get revenge for their loss to the Mavericks in last season's NBA Finals on opening day. They can't. They could beat the Mavs in the Finals this year. That would be revenge. We have a while to go to see if that can happen.

At first blush, it's easy to agree with NBA commissioner David Stern's decision to squash a three-team trade that would have sent Chris Paul from New Orleans to the Los Angeles Lakers. Hey, why let a large-market team get another elite player, right? Well, it's not the NBA's place to make such a call. Paul, a top-10 player in the league, will bolt New Orleans at the end of the season when he becomes a free agent, so the Hornets should be allowed to get something before Paul leaves. Second, while it arguably makes the Lakers better, it makes the Hornets better, too. The Hornets would have received Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic and a draft pick.The Lakers would have sent Pau Gasol to the Hoston Rockets to complete the deal. Problem was, the small-market owners complained. Loudly. They were tired of the big bullies getting all the players. So Stern listened. I, like most people outside Miami, shuddered at the display LeBron James sh...

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'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...