ESPN.com's Andy Katz has an interesting story about LeBron James and what he has meant to the University of Akron basketball program. One paragraph caught my attention and it had nothing to do with LeBron.

Dambrot is entering his fifth season as head coach after serving as an assistant for three seasons under Dan Hipsher. Scheduling became a bit easier within the past year, when the administration gave him $160,000 to buy three guaranteed games, something that a number of MAC teams can't afford. Teams at this level usually have to do only home-and-home series and can't afford to buy a team for a home game without a return.

That money could be a big benefit for UA.

The other interesting note is that Darius Miles is trying to come back from microfracture surgery. Should the Cavs be interested?

– The Cavs and Wizards continue their war of words; good thing for the Cavs, the Wizards have shown little bite on the court.

– The Browns received passing grades from most sites around the sporting world for their draft.

– Kyle Busch nearly wrecked like he usually has at Talladega, but he kept his car clean enough to end his day in Victory Lane. If continues his hot runs, folks at Joe Gibbs Racing will be asking, "Tony, who?"

– The Indians seem to be rounding into shape, thanks to slow starts throughout the division. C.C. definitely is rounding into form, too bad he ran into the Yankees ace Sunday.

– We are continuing are move into the Internet waters more each day. We are attempting to add more standings items to the teams pages and video from our reporters. The first one of note is Marla Ridenour's take on the NFL Draft. You can find that here.

– Patrick McManamon's blog is back, offering a lot of insight into the area pro teams. He has been with the Cavs since the playoffs began; take a look here.

Not sure where the Cavs season will end, although it is likely next series against the Boston Celtics, but I think coach Mike Brown deserves some credit for getting this team in position to advance in the playoffs.

He obviously has had trouble getting any type of consistent offense going in his three seasons with the Cavs, but with LeBron James, I think most coaches would follow his plan: Play defense and let LeBron win the game at the other end.

It worked well with the San Antonio Spurs and Tim Duncan.

Brown has done a nice job working the officials in the media the past few days, as well.

All things that should give the Cavs a solid foundation for the future.

If the Cavs don't win a title this season, and they likely won't, it won't be Brown's fault.

– The TV talk this weekend will center around Tiger Woods and The Masters. This usually signals the beginning of golf season in NE Ohio. With temperatures in the 40s this weekend, maybe the Browns minicamp in May would be a better starting point.

– Is C.C. Sabathia struggling with expectations? Many thought that he turned the corner last season. But the playoffs. The contract talks. The slow start this season. Maybe it is all starting to add up.

– The NHL has to pleased with Alexander Ovechkin being in the playoffs. We get to take a look tonight on Versus and Sunday on NBC.

– I have seen a couple of folks saying Brady Quinn would be the No. 1 pick in this draft. Then how does he not beat out a player who was cut from his first NFL team and another player who becomes the backup with the Seahawks. I think Quinn still needs a lot of work, and obviously the Browns agree.

– Red Sox and Tigers coming to town early next week. We'll get an early indication of what to expect this year in the American League.

– Coming on Ohio.com on Saturday and Sunday, is Patrick McManamon writing about Fausto Carmona, free throw shooting and other random thoughts. Also we'll have coverage of the Masters, the Cavs finish of the season, the Tribe-A's series and a wrapup of the Zips spring football camp.

Here are some things that I find interesting:

– Why does Memphis coach John Calipari get no credit for being a good basketball coach? I know that he can recruit, that he took UMass to the Final Four and that his teams have never gone on probabtion. I know that he struggled in the NBA, but he knows what he is doing on the college level. He outcoached Ben Howland of UCLA, and I expect the same thing tonight against Bill Self and Kansas.

– We received our shipment of MLB media guides this morning, what team do you think produced the thickest book? Try the Tampa Bay Rays. 576 pages; it works out to nearly a page per all-time victories. Very strange.

– If the Cavs end up fifth and then lose in the first round of the playoffs to the Washington Wizards, we all know the calls will be loud for coach Mike Brown to be fired. My guess is that won't happen. I think it is more likely that GM Danny Ferry gets bounced, but even writing that, don't look for a cleaning out of the Cavs by Dan Gilbert.

– Browns GM Phil Savage says he isn't going to trade up in this year's draft. And that is the correct choice. First, I don't think he has anything to trade beside next year's No. 1 or Brady Quinn, and Quinn isn't going anywhere this year. Check back on that this time next season if Derek Anderson goes to the Pro Bowl again. Lastly, Savage has built this team to win now, so he should give it a shot and see what happens this season.

– The first week was choppy for the Tribe, but a heck of a lot better than the Detroit Tigers'. Talk about flaming out.

– Brett Favre got preferential treatment from the national media during his career but there is no doubt that the NFL is losing a unique athlete with his retirement. His gunslinger mentality was fun to watch, and his joy in playing was infectious. He will be taking his place in Canton in five years.

– Akron and Kent State are locked into the MAC Tournament slots but the game Sunday at Rhodes Arena should give a good feel for how the tournament will turn out next week. Don't count out the Zips, yet.

– The Browns have spent a lot of money and enjoyed a mostly positive view on the national stage for their moves in the free-agent market. The odd thing is with the schedule the teams in the AFC North face. The Browns could go 9-7 and win the division.

– LeBron James' pregame dunk was off the charts Wednesday night in New York. Take a look here at Yahoo! Sports.

– I don't know what is happening more often, snowy weather in Akron or another Penn State football player getting arrested in State College. I just don't know.

– Terrell Pryor, do you have an opinion on JoePa's control of his Nittany Lions program? I guess we will find out that answer is the next few weeks.

The Cavs gained two things, at least, from their mega trade.

1. Playoff experience in Ben Wallace. He has won a championship as a role player. He also can be an enforcer if any team takes liberties with LeBron.

2. Confidence. GM Danny Ferry showed the team that winning a title now, not in a year or two, is a priority. And despite these guys getting paid millions to play, a show of commitment from the front office does motivate pro players in any sport. Want a good example, look at last night's game. Only having two starters and eight total players, they beat the Wizards.

I think this trade should be judged in the playoffs, but at first blush, this was a good one.

– It has been quite a change for LeBron James.

Last season, at this time, his play late in games was questioned. This season, he only seems to play in the fourth quarter, scoring at will at that, leading the league in scoring.

He won't win MVP this season, but I do think he has taken his place as the best player in the league.

– The rest of the Cavs still leave a lot to be desired. But with LeBron, anything will be possible in the playoffs.

– I can't argue with the contract extension for Mike Brown.

– The quiet offseason seems to have spooked Indians fans. I get any number of e-mails worried that last season will be a one-shot wonder. I don't think that will be the case. The foundation is in place for the Indians to be like the Twins have been recently. Always in contention.

– Any worries about the new defensive coordinator having little experience should be put to rest with Romeo Crennel in charge of the Browns. That is where he made his career, coaching defenses. Now does that mean the defense will suddenly be better? NO. Just ask Marvin Lewis of the Bengals. Another supposed defensive wiz whose defense can't play. It takes players to win on defense.

– Terelle Pryor seems to add more schools to his wish list each week. Now the No. 1 prep star in the country is said to be considering LSU. He added Oregon about a month ago, Michigan three weeks ago and Duke after that. At this rate, he will end up a Akron. Actually, I think he ends up at Michigan (he has had a long relationship with RichRod) with OSU a close second.

– Selena Roberts wrote her first back page column for Sports Illustarted this week. She is the best female sportswriter in the business and it shows. She recently left the New York Times to go to SI.

Ohio State did lose to Illinois but the Buckeyes still should win Saturday against Michigan and then go to the Rose Bowl.

The Browns did lose to the Steelers on Sunday but their schedule sets up for a playoff run.

The Cavaliers don't look like they will return to the NBA Finals but they have played fairly well on the West Coast trip and LeBron James still is one of the best, if not the best, players in the NBA. Barring any major injuries, the Cavs are still a playoff team that plays strong defense.

The weekend didn't go as hoped for many but not all is lost for these teams.

At least that is something the folks in Baltimore can't say. Brian Billick and his Ravens are D-O-N-E. Just like the Orioles.

The Cavaliers have morphed into the Los Angeles Lakers.

They have come to rely on LeBron James to score more than 30 points per game much like Kobe Bryant needs to score for the Lakers to win.

They probably will make the playoffs but not go as far as last season.

Why is this?

Bad contracts. The deals for Larry Hughes and Zydrunas Ilgauskas really didn't allow for much movement this offseason. And those deals make any trades tough to pull off.

Who is responsible? One, GM Danny Ferry. Now he can be credited for getting the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals but these deals that he facilitated also probably will cost him his job at some point. I don't think that will happen this season unless the Cavs really get derailed.

I, for one, thought the Z deal was too much at the time and that the Hughes deal was a good one. I have come to think the opposite. The Z deal is more on target for his production and position, and Hughes is out of whack, particularly when you factor in his injury problems.

But that is how the NBA works. Depending on the market, at the time, and your needs, good deals aren't always sitting there for the taking. Neither Z's nor Hughes' deal was out of whack for the market at the time.

To get out of this situation will take some maneuvering. Something that Ferry has not demonstrated, yet, in his career.