Cleveland Cavaliers Blog – Page 98 – NBA Blog

LeBron James signs multiyear agreement with McDonald’s

The AP reports:

LeBron James is now shooting with a Golden Arch.

The NBA superstar has agreed to a multiyear partnership with McDonald’s Corp., adding the global fast-food giant to his list of corporate sponsors.

Financial terms were not immediately known.

James will support several McDonald’s programs and promotions as well as Ronald McDonald House Charities, which provides housing to the families of seriously ill children. He has already filmed his first commercial with McDonald’s. It will debut during the Super Bowl on Feb. 7.

James, a six-time All-Star with the Cleveland Cavaliers and reigning league MVP, has other partnerships with Nike, State Farm and Coca-Cola.

Cavaliers sign Cedric Jackson to 10-day contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Cedric Jackson from the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today. The signing of Jackson marks the ninth Call-Up of the 2009-10 D-League season. Jackson will wear No. 9 for the Cavaliers.

During 10 games during the month of January with Erie, he increased his averages to 21.5 points on .407 shooting, 4.7 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.4 steals in 35.0 minutes per game and led the BayHawks to a 6-4 record, including a four-game winning streak from Jan. 10-17. The point guard posted game highs of 34 points on 9-21 (.429) shooting and 13 assists in his most recent game with the BayHawks on Jan. 19th versus the Austin Toros. In his 14 starts this season, he is averaging 16.5 points on .369 shooting, 4.7 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.8 steals in 35.4 minutes per game and in 23 games (14 starts) overall, Jackson has averaged 14.7 points on .397 shooting, 4.6 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.9 steals in 31.3 minutes per game.

As a senior at Cleveland State in 2009, the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder was named 2009 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-Horizon League Second Team for the second consecutive season. In two seasons with the Vikings, he had career averages of 12.3 points on .405 shooting, 5.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.8 steals in 32.2 minutes per game. He is only the second Cleveland State alumnus (Darren Tillis, 1982-83) to ever play for the Cavaliers.

Mo Williams out 4-6 weeks with shoulder sprain

George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal reports:

The reality is sinking in. The Cavaliers must adjust to playing without point guard Mo Williams, who is out from four to six weeks with a shoulder sprain.

”It’s huge. The last two years, a lot of the success we’ve had as a team has been because Mo has been our point guard,” Cavs forward LeBron James said Thursday.

Williams injured his shoulder Tuesday night while playing the Toronto Raptors, but eventually returned to the game to help lead the Cavaliers to a 108-100 victory.

”He’s our second-leading scorer, but I like the guys in that locker room,” Cavs coach Mike Brown said.

”I’m confident we’ll have other guys step up.”

NBA denies Hawks protest of Dec. 30 loss to Cavaliers

The National Basketball Association announced today that Commissioner David Stern has denied the Atlanta Hawks’ protest of their 106-101 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 30, 2009.

In the protest, the Hawks argued that the failure of the shot clock operator to reset the shot clock following a defensive rebound by Atlanta with 1:57 remaining in the game warranted a replay of the game from that point forward.

Commissioner Stern determined that the shot clock error did not have a clear impact on the game’s outcome and therefore did not justify the extraordinary remedy of granting the protest and overturning the game’s result.

LeBron unleashes monster 41-point game on Trail Blazers

George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal reports:

After Friday night’s Denver folly, LeBron James looked like he wanted to set the tone against the Portland Trail Blazers by himself.

The Cavaliers star scored 31 points in the first half Sunday and went on to lead all scorers with 41 points, adding 10 rebounds and eight assists at the Rose Garden. Shaquille O’Neal had 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Mo Williams added 16.

Portland shooting guard Brandon Roy made his presence felt with 19 second half points on the way to finishing with 34.

Trail Blazers forward Martell Webster added some timely 3-pointers. Toward the end of the third quarter, Webster hit on two key 3-pointers to make it a four-point game after the Cavs had led by as much as 17.

LeBron unleashes 48-point massacre on Hawks

Wednesday in Cleveland the Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Hawks, 106-101. In the win, Cavs forward LeBron James, who turned 25 years old today, shot 15-of-23 (4-of-6 three-pointers) and hit 14-of-16 free throws for 48 points. He also had 10 rebounds, six assists (three turnovers), two steals and two blocks in 43 minutes.

The AP reports:

With the score tied at 101 and the shot clock down to its final tick, Mo Williams passed the ball to Anderson Varejao on the left wing. The 6-foot-11 forward, who missed his first 18 career 3-pointers, stepped up and drilled his long shot just before the horn sounded.

When he ran to the other end of the floor, James rushed into his arms.

“I saw that Mo got kind of tied up and I just tried to get open,” Varejao said. “I just shot it.”

A birthday swish for James.

“That’s what I told him,” Varejao said. “Happy birthday.”

After a not-so-impressive start to the season, Cleveland has steadily come along and winning nonstop lately.

China investor finalizes deal to buy part of Cleveland Cavaliers

Reuters reports:

A Michigan investment firm has finalized a deal to sell its 15 percent stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers to a group led by Kenny Huang, bringing LeBron James’ team a step closer to adding the National Basketball Association’s first big Chinese investor.

A Cavaliers spokesman declined to comment, but Cavaliers Vice Chairman David Katzman, whose Camelot Venture Group owns the stake being sold, said an all-cash deal was reached and should be approved by year’s end. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Carmelo Anthony scores 50

Friday night in Denver the Nuggets edged the New York Knicks 128-125 in a wild shootout that featured one member of the losing squad, Al Harrington, come off the bench to shoot 14-of-24 with four three pointers and 9-of-13 free throws for 41 points and 10 rebounds.

While Harrington’s individual scoring output would normally be the best in the league on any given NBA basketball night, it was second best in this game as Nuggets small forward Carmelo Anthony erupted for 50.

Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post reports:

As if turkey wasn’t enough, [Carmelo] Anthony gorged himself on a diet of open shots provided by New York. And he made them count. The Nuggets forward knocked down 17-of-28 shots to finish with a career-high 50 points.

“It feels good,” said Anthony, whose previous career high was 49 at Washington in 2008. “I have not been (to 50 points) a lot of times, and never got over that hump (in the NBA).”

Anthony had 10 in the first quarter, 14 in the second, 15 in the third and 11 in the fourth.

And a shot chart full of filled-in circles.

Anthony, so far, is having the best season of his career. MVP chants are becoming common in the Pepsi Center, and they revved up again in the fourth quarter when Anthony stepped to the free-throw line.

The AP reports:

With the game in the balance, the crowd chanting “MVP! MVP!” and Anthony’s sights set on an offensive milestone, the Nuggets forward sank a pair of free throws with 16 seconds remaining to finish off a career-high, 50-point performance and help Denver beat the New York Knicks 128-125 Friday night.

“They might have been the two toughest free throws I’ve shot in a while,” Anthony said. “We’ve got the game on the line, 50, you’re right there and you want to get it. If I didn’t say I wanted to get it, I’d be lying to you. I’m right there. But most importantly they were two big free throws.”

Matt Gagne of the New York Daily News reports:

“He’s got the total package right now,” Al Harrington said after the Knicks finished 0-3 on their West Coast swing and dropped to 3-13. “He’s hitting threes, he’s got a mid-range jumper, he can get to the free throw line whenever he wants to. Whenever you’re playing a guy like that, there’s nothing you can do. “I think our guys did a pretty good job, because if we didn’t, he would’ve had 70.”

Including Friday’s games, Melo leads the entire NBA in scoring with 30.9 points per game. Kevin Martin (Sacramento Kings), who is injured and has played in just five games this season, is at 30.6 ppg. Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) is at 30.1 ppg, followed by LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) with 29.4 ppg and Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) with 27.5 ppg.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

League-wide retirement of no. 23 jersey is unlikely

The AP reports:

LeBron James may persuade NBA players to give up their No. 23s, but a leaguewide retirement of Michael Jordan’s number seems unlikely.

James said on Thursday that he is considering switching his number next season and wants other players to do the same in honor of Jordan, the Hall of Famer who is often regarded as the league’s best player ever.

Major League Baseball retired Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 and the NHL did the same with Wayne Gretzky’s No. 99, but that hasn’t been done in the NBA. Spokesman Tim Frank said on Saturday that ”retiring a player’s number is a decision that has been made by the teams” and not the league.

LeBron James may change jersey number

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

Basking in the glow of a victory over the Heat, Cavs superstar LeBron James looked over at his idol sitting in the stands at AmericanAirlines Arena on Thursday night and made a command decision.

Out of respect to Michael Jordan, who sat courtside and watched James score 34 points, James said he is planning on switching his number after this season from No. 23 to No. 6. It just sort of came out, but it was obvious he’s been thinking about it for a while.

And James wants to lead a movement to get every player who wears No. 23 in the league to give it up as a tribute to Jordan.

It sounds like LeBron is still merely thinking of doing it, so it isn’t guaranteed to happen. And as for the move, I’m not sure how I feel about it. I’m as big a Jordan fan as anyone else, and I definitely think of Jordan when I hear “23,” but years more of LeBron would also make me think of him, too. And I’m not sure that would diminish any aspect of Michael Jordan. It would just diminish the number.

Thing is, I’ve never been a big jersey number guy. Others care about it more. So to me it’s no huge deal.

And, of course, LeBron switching numbers would also result in a lot more new jersey sales. But let’s not think about that right now.