LeBron James THE GAME LeBron James' play thus far has done nothing to dissuade anyone that he won't be the No. 1 pick in the next NBA draft -- unless, of course, he surprises the entire nation and doesn't go pro. But the most impressive thing about his play this season is that his focus really has been on his team winning. If he wanted to, he could clearly be scoring 50 points a game, but as LeBron has said all along, that's not what he's about. And with a supporting cast that obviously is better because of what LeBron can do on a basketball court (read: pass like Magic Johnson, see the game like Larry Bird, control the boards when he needs to), James and his St. Vincent-St. Mary teammates from Akron, Ohio, finally rose to the top of the USA Today Super 25 High School Boys Basketball rankings on Jan. 6. St. V. climbed from the No. 9 spot after beating then-No. 6 Columbus (Ohio) Brookhaven and then-No. 4 Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Calif., the latter a team featuring Darryl Strawberry's son and at least two Division 1 college recruits. That's not to say, though, that LeBron's game has been flawless. In the game against Brookhaven, with the game tied in the waning seconds, a Brookhaven player stole the ball from LeBron but missed two free throws after being fouled with less then three seconds left on a breakaway attempt. The team, which kept the ball because of the intentional foul, then missed a shot at the buzzer and St. V. won in overtime. Against Mater Dei, LeBron didn't go inside nearly enough in the second half until the game got close. He was unstoppable when he got the ball on the block, but was 0-9 from three-point range in the game. The fans in L.A. were disappointed they didn't see any of the high-flying dunks that were included in the ESPN2 game against Oak Hill Academy, but his line still read 21 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three blocked shots. But once he got back home to Akron on Tuesday, against a team below .500, James was back to his high-flying ways with 40 points and a spectacular dunk where he took the ball between his legs with his left hand and slammed it home with the right. Of course, when it comes down to LeBron's game, all questions eventually come to how his game will translate into the NBA. The scouts point out his passing ability, his NBA-ready body and his court smarts, while noting that his jump shot can be worked on and defense will be more intense in the pros. But most everybody has an opinion of some sort. Amare Stoudemire was the only high school player drafted by the NBA this year, and his game has translated well to the pro level. A 6-10 power forward weighing 245, the Phoenix Suns rookie has averaged about 12 points and more than eight rebounds a game. Stoudemire said he adjusts pretty quickly on everything, but playing just two years of high school ball made it tough on him. "You have to come to the game with a business aspect, that is your job and you have to work hard everyday," he said after a recent game in which he was dominating against the Cavs with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Stoudemire saw LeBron play on ESPN2 and thought he looked pretty good, but the decision about going pro is all up to him. "It's his decision. If he feels he's ready, he should go ahead and make the jump. But if not, then go ahead and go to college." The Cavs have two players -Darius Miles and DeSagana Diop- who skipped college and went right to the pros. Diop has struggled, with injuries basically wiping out his rookie year. Just recently has he started to show signs of promise. Diop played against LeBron in high school on an Oak Hill Academy team that defeated James and St. V. and said LeBron can do whatever he wants to do. "I think he's got game, but it will be tougher than LeBron imagines it," Diop said. Cavs rookie Carlos Boozer, who played three years at Duke, thinks LeBron has enough people advising him, so he wouldn't throw his two-cents in. Boozer has seen him play a couple of times and thinks he's a very talented player. But for himself, Boozer wouldn't trade his college experience. "I enjoyed college, I had a blast in my three years, a lot of fun. College is a great time and I enjoyed it. For me, if I had it to do over again, I'd still go to college." THE HYPE If the hype for LeBron seemed strong before, his performances over the Christmas holidays did nothing to ease up the media crunch. Since St. Vincent beat then-No. 1 Oak Hill Academy in a nationally televised game that brought ESPN2 its largest audience in two years, James and his team have: Played in Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, with several Pittsburgh Steelers, including Jerome Bettis, coming to see LeBron play after the Steelers had played a game earlier in the afternoon. Won before a sold-out audience at the Palestra in Philadelphia that included Allen Iverson and Larry Brown in attendance. Beaten national Top 10 teams Columbus Brookhaven in front of more than 18,000 at Ohio State's arena and Los Angeles' Mater Dei before a sold-out Pauley Pavilion crowd. The game at Pauley Pavilion was the second LeBron contest on ESPN2 and, while the audience was lower than the earlier contest, the sports television network said it is looking for another St. V game to air. At least with only Bill Walton and not Dick Vitale on the broadcast, there was more concentration on the game itself and not which of the star broadcasters got to pontificate the most. With some of the celebrities expected to attend not showing up -including legendary UCLA Coach John Wooden- the star quality in attendance wasn't what it could have been. But the game still attracted Nike Chairman Phil Knight, who was in the front row along with George Raveling and the usually large lineup of coaches, scouts and reps from Nike and adidas. And if anyone thinks the hype will ease up, just consider that LeBron and his team still have on their schedule the "Fast Break to the Lake" on Jan. 12 in Cleveland against national No. 18 Detroit Radford; the "Prime Time Shoot Out" on Feb. 8 in Trenton, N.J., that will be televised by George Steinbrenner's YES cable network; and games Jan. 20 at the Dean Dome at the University of North Carolina and Feb. 16 at the University of Dayton that are part of the four-game "Scholastic Fantastic Hoops Tour featuring LeBron James." All of this, of course, does nothing but fuel debate over whether it's right how everyone else seems to be making money off LeBron except LeBron. That, however, is a mistake that should be rectified come "King James" graduation day. It's not yet known whether or not Nike's Phil Knight and adidas' Sonny Vaccaro have reserved front-row seats to see LeBron get his diploma.
*1. *Cleveland Lebron James 6-7 240 SG Akron OH HSSr. *2. Toronto x-Darko Milicic 7-0 245 SF/PF (Yugoslavia) 1985 *3. Denver Carmelo Anthony 6-8 220 SF Syracuse Fr. 4. *Memphis Chris Bosh 6-10 220 PF Georgia Tech Fr. 5. *Atlanta Jarvis Hayes 6-7 220 SG/SF Georgia Jr. 6. Miami Anderson Varej?o 6-10 230 PF (Brazil) 1982 7. *Chicago Reece Gaines 6-6 185 PG/SG Louisville Sr. 8. *LA Clippers x-Sofoklis Schortsianitis 6-9 253 PF (Greece) 1985 9. New York Kirk Hinrich 6-3 185 PG Kansas Sr. 10. Golden State Luke Ridnour 6-2 165 PG Oregon Jr. picks that stand out to me 15. Washington Kendrick Perkins 6-10 260 PF/C Ozen HSSr. in the summer he was like a guarenteed top 5 what happened? 17. Philadalphia Rickey Paulding 6-5 200 SG Missouri Jr. this guy's got sum game top15 at least 18. Minnesota Darius Rice 6-10 205 SF Miami Jr. no way Darius can be this low. he's great. he should be top15 32. *Denver Luke Walton 6-8 228 SF Arizona Sr. You'd think Bill Walton's son was better than that 36. Chicago Chris Marcus 7-1 285 C Western Kentucky Sr. last year this guy was projected #13 until he took his name out. he kept falling but this is bizzerk 52. Utah Bernard King 6-5 195 PG/SG Texas A&M Sr. the great Bernard King's son #52? and where the heck is T.J. Ford?
Source: 'LeBron will never play for the Cavs' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ESPN.com news services The Cleveland Cavaliers might have opened up a bigger can of worms after the firing of head coach John Lucas. Monday's move might have damaged relations with high school phenom LeBron James, the 6-8 senior from St. Vincent-St. Mary who is the projected No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Citing a source close to the SVSM team, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Thursday that the firing did not go over well with James. "I tell you what, LeBron will never play for the Cavs after this," the source told the newspaper. "LeBron really likes coach Lucas. He was mad when he heard about it." James and Lucas' connection goes back to last summer, when James attended a private workout with some of the Cavaliers. The NBA suspended Lucas for two games at this season's start and fined the team $150,000 for a violation of league rules. Lucas apparently also heard about James' reported feelings about his dismissal. "I appreciate what LeBron said, but now I want my money back," Lucas told the newspaper, laughing. James has no control over which team drafts him in June, but if he did not want to play for that team, he has some choices. A team that drafts a player in the first round owns that player's rights until next year's draft if the team makes the player an offer by July 15. If the player does not sign, he can re-enter the draft and can be selected by any team. James could sit out a year, or according to the report, use the "threat" of not playing as trade leverage. "Kobe (Bryant) and a lot of other guys have had a say about which franchises they wanted to play for, and this might make LeBron cross the Cavs off his list," the source told the Plain Dealer. Cavs spokesman Ed Markey said neither he nor team general manager Jim Paxson could comment because NBA rules prohibit discussing players who have not declared for the draft. The 49-year-old Lucas, who was in his second season with the Cavs and had another year remaining on his contract, was replaced by assistant Keith Smart. He sad he wants to be a Laker,now that would be awesome but we would need trade to get him. Anyway he can come Hey Mr Lucas you wanna be our assistant coach?
Devil's advocate Coach Knight said LeBron will be good, but not great. He's uncoachable and doesn't have the maturity to handle the NBA. The only weakness I see in his game is a consistent mid-range jumper. T-Mac, Jordan, and Kobe became unstoppable once they perfected the pull-up jumper. LeBron will need to develop this skill to be a Superstar in the league.
Thats Right ^^^^^^ Still they put where memphis will end up. After the lottery then they say who owns picks.
Detroit is gonna get better now with that pick. Warriors are going to have to draft a big man. If Kedrick Perkins is still there then we will most likely take him. Maybe TJ ford.... or I would love Anthony over here :-D.
LeBron James ruled ineligible, plans to appeal decision <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">CLEVELAND -- High school basketball star LeBron James was ruled ineligible to play for the rest of the season because he accepted free clothes. The decision Friday by the Ohio High School Athletic Association comes four days after James, a senior at St. Vincent-St. Mary, was cleared for accepting a $50,000 sport utility vehicle as a gift from his mother. A source close to James told ESPN.com that James would appeal the decision, though it is not clear yet upon what basis the appeal will be made. Last Saturday, James was given two retro sports jerseys from a clothing store. The jerseys, honoring former Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers and former Washington Bullets center Wes Unseld, cost a combined $845. James' school must forfeit Sunday's game, the association said in a news release. The 6-foot-8 James is considered the best high school player in the country and is expected to be the top player selected in June's NBA draft. Ohio High School Athletic Association bylaws state that an athlete forfeits his or her amateur status by "capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value." More specifically, the OHSAA 2002-03 Athletic Eligibility Information Bulletin states in part that, "You may receive an award or merchandise as a result of your participation in school or non-school competition from any source, provided the value does not exceed $100 per award." As for what lies ahead beyond high school, nothing really has changed for James. Under NBA rules, he cannot become a free agent and start his pro career early. In order to become a free agent, an athlete must have been eligible for one NBA draft. James has not been eligible for an NBA draft and does not become eligible for the upcoming June 25 draft until his high school senior class graduates in early June. While James was not planning on playing college basketball, an NCAA official said Friday that James was not eligible even before the jersey infraction. Citing extra benefits the NCAA says James received regarding lodging and transportation at Nike's summer camp as well as other infractions, an NCAA official said, "LeBron James would not have been certified at any institution in the NCAA. He would have been initially ineligible." James refused to comment about the jerseys Thursday night at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards; he was honored as the area's top high school athlete for the second straight year. He did allude to "all the controversy that's going on with me'' during his acceptance speech. "I'd like to thank my teammates for helping me through all this,'' he said. "It will be in the paper, but remember, I'm on the honor roll with a 3.5 grade-point average.'' Earlier this month, James drew attention in Akron by driving around a new custom-made Hummer H2, which he received as a present for his 18th birthday. His mother, Gloria James, provided loan information to prove she had purchased the vehicle. On Monday, OHSAA commissioner Clair Muscaro ruled that James would not lose his eligibility for accepting the vehicle. Muscaro said he asked school administrators at St. Vincent-St. Mary on Friday for a chance to speak with James. "But LeBron did not want to speak with me,'' Muscaro said, adding that James is the first athlete he has declared ineligible in his 14 years as commissioner. "I think this sends a message that we are all about fairness,'' Muscaro said. "LeBron is being treated like any one of the thousands of student-athletes in Ohio.'' Muscaro said his ruling addressed only the issue of James receiving the two jerseys. "Naturally, LeBron is talented and he's noted nationally and internationally, but as far as this association is concerned, we will treat him the same as all our other athletes.'' The Sayers jersey costs $395; the Unseld jersey, $450. Store manager Derrick Craig said the store's owner gave the jerseys to James for free. "We get celebrities in here all the time," said Craig, who would not identify the owner. "They spend a lot of money and sometimes you just got to give them some love." </div>
T.J. Ford took his name out i think Kendrick will still be there in the top10 he shouldv be higher though
T. J. Ford would be a definite lottery pick if he was a couple inches taller, but even at his height he will probably go sometime in the early first round. Nick Collison in my opinion could be a steal if he isn't drafted in the lottery. He has very good skills already, and he is a hard working player that will only get better. Another guy to think about is Reece Gaines, who in my opinion could turn out just as Caron Butler and Paul Pierce did, later draft picks who ended up making huge impacts on their teams, (although Butler still has the second part cut out for him, but i'm sure will live up to his expectations).
Cleveland should get Darko, they need a PF, they would have a real good team then, and carlos boozer would do well of the bench. Denver needs LeBron badly, they have a shit roster.
I can't wait til the 2004 draft, when my man Rashad will be in the draft. Plus, i really don't think that nbadraft.net is the most accurate place to find out what's goin' on. I really think that alot of the shit on that site is out of whack, to tell you the truth.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting "jdub":</div><div class="quote_post">minnesota aint gettin a pick that high</div> tru n denver would get the 2nd pick.
