Things shaking out like LeBron will remain a Cav

LeBron James wore his Yan?

? ? ? kees hat again Sunday. It

? ? ? was a much lighter shade

of blue than his mood when he

left the court in Orlando on Sat?

urday night without congratulat?

ing the Magic.

? He didn't even wave to his

buddy, Dwight Howard. He

didn't talk to the media, his

mother, his friends or - as far as

we know - update his Facebook

status or write on Spike Lee's

wall, "When I'm a Knick, how

about 'LeBron Doin' Work'??"

? The only sound was the music

in his headphones. Just a guess

here, but I think it's safe to say

that it probably wasn't "New

York, New York."

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? Howard told ESPN he was a

little surprised James didn't

shake his hand at series end. But

after the past 45 years of Cleve?

land sports seasons ending short

of a title, nobody's going to find

much fault around here with the

face of the city identifying him?

self as a sore loser. It's an up?

grade over just plain loser.

? "That's not being a poor sport,"

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James argued. "If somebody

beats you up, you are not going

to congratulate them [for] beat?

ing you up."

? Since silence leaves much to

interpretation, it's easy to jump

to the conclusion that James was

too upset with the absence of a

championship supporting cast to

talk about it Saturday night. A

year ago he did just that. After

losing to Boston in the confer?

ence finals, he used the postgame

news conference as a cry for help.

? Orlando exposed a talent gap.

The three best players on the

court after James all wore the

other uniform. But organiza?

tional resentment was not the

burden James carried with him

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on the flight home.

? He truly believed the Cavs

could rebound from being down

3-1. No doubt that belief sprung

from his confidence in himself to

swing in on a chandelier and

save the day. But it also stemmed

from believing the Cavs were

good enough to win it all this

season.

? There's some delusion in that,

but it's a delusion that works in the

favor of Cleveland. Nobody can say

for sure what James will do when

his free agency comes around, but

the impression he created Sunday

in calling the season "unbeliev?

able" is that he's likely to spend a

lot more time recruiting Chris

Bosh from Toronto than planning

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his own escape.

? If anything, James' strong feel?

ings for his teammates and about

what the Cavaliers accomplished

in going 66-16 this season was

behind his wordless departure in

Orlando.

? Every so often, reminders

come that he's still 24 years old.

One was the way he handled the

loss. Another came Sunday when

he directed a remote-control car

around the weight room to the

delight of teammates before they

said their final goodbyes.

? "I'm great. I feel great about

this situation that's going on,"

James said when asked whether

being a year closer to free agency

and still without a title has

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changed how he views the long

term in Cleveland. "I've always

expressed the simple fact that I

love playing here."

? The Cavs set a franchise record

in wins. Was it a great season or

only a good one that obscured a

fatal flaw - the Cavs' vulnerabil?

ity against the top NBA teams?

? Whatever. It's semantics. If it

turns out to be a step toward

keeping James in Cleveland after

2010, it was good enough.

? Because if he leaves, the funk

around town will make his

Game?6 departure look like a

smiley face.

To reach Bud Shaw:

bshaw@plaind.com, 216-999-5639

Cavaliers INSIDER

Cleveland Cavaliers' Ben Wallace makes surprise announcement he's contemplating retirement

Cavaliers INSIDER

Injuries exact a toll: Big Ben might retire

Brian Windhorst

Plain Dealer Reporter

? Ben Wallace is hurting - and

mixed with the end-of-season

blues, he's wondering if he's

played his last NBA game.

? The Cavaliers forward said

Sunday he is considering retir?

ing even though there's one sea?

son and $14?million left on his

contract that he seems surpris?

ingly willing to walk away from.

He is planning to sit down and

discuss the issue with his family

in the coming weeks.

? The emotion stems from an

injury-plagued season. Wallace

was sidelined by a gash on his

arm, which happened when he

put it through a car window

playing football during the All-

Star break, then suffered a bro?

ken leg, then developed tendini?

tis in his knee that required

painful shock-wave therapy.

? "I've got to sit down and talk

with my family and see what I

feel," Wallace said. "It isn't get?

ting any easier for me, it is

tough going out there every

night with something hurting

and not being able to give the

effort you want to give. I love

the game and respect the game

too much to be going out there

half-hearted."

? Being downtrodden about

how the leg injuries slowed his

athleticism, the most important

part of the four-time Defensive

Player of the Year's game, is un?

derstandable. But his insistence

that he would be willing to walk

away from the last year of his

four-year, $60?million deal that

he originally signed with the

Chicago Bulls in 2006 is some?

what shocking.

? Wallace is guaranteed the

money and has every right to

come back and accept the checks

under terms of the deal. More

likely if he couldn't play, the

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Cavs would look to perhaps get

insurance to cover some of the

salary and look to trade him.

He'd be a valuable commodity

because of the expiring contract

and teams looking to dump sala?

ries covet them.

? Actually, Wallace is perhaps

the team's biggest trade asset in

the coming season. So not only

would refusing to take the

checks be revolutionary, it

would completely change the

team's salary situation.

? There's even a chance that

such an unexpected move -

Cavs management had no idea

this was coming from Wallace -

could put them below the salary-

cap line for this summer because

guards Wally Szczerbiak's and

Eric Snow's contracts (about

$21?million) come off the books

as well, and several players have

just partially guaranteed con?

tracts.

? It doesn't seem possible, but

Wallace sounded like he was

feeling serious about it Sunday.

? "I tried to tell everybody be?

fore I signed this deal that for

me it wasn't about the money,"

Wallace said. "I was never into it

for the money, and if it comes

down to it to where I feel I can't

be productive on the floor, I'm

not going to come back and try

to hold this team hostage be?

cause I have another year on this

contract. That isn't me, I'm big?

ger than that."

? There also is a possibility

that Wallace could negotiate a

buyout of his deal and take a

percentage of what he's owed,

but even in that case it would

potentially make him a huge

trade asset because a team

could trade for him at the

value of his contract ($14?mil?

lion) and then save money by

buying him out.

? But all that is to be de?

termined only if Wallace de?

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cides to retire.

? The 34-year-old veteran of 14

years in the league, Wallace

didn't start for the second half of

the season, played his fewest

games (56) in 10 years, averaged

his fewest points (2.9) since he

was a rookie in 1996-97, and av?

eraged his fewest rebounds (6.5)

since '97-98.

? "Nothing is final for me,"

Wallace said. "In this series

[with Orlando] I felt pretty

good, I had some pep in my

step. But how long will that

last? Sometimes I wake up and

my body is hurting so bad I

don't know how I'm going to

get through the day. Some?

times I wake up and feel just

fine.

? "It's tough, without trying to

point the finger at anybody,

when I see my team struggling

and I'm on the sideline watch?

ing, that is a tough pill for me to

swallow. Over the last couple of

years some of the passion has

been lost."

?

Varejao opting out:Forward

Anderson Varejao did not meet

with the media Sunday, but a

league source said he intends to

opt out of the final year of his

contract and become an unre?

stricted free agent July?1. This

option was part of a three-year

offer sheet Varejao signed with

the Charlotte Bobcats that the

Cavs matched in 2007.

? So Varejao likely will leave

$6.2?million on the table coming

off a season in which he set ca?

reer highs in starts (42), points

(8.6) per game and field-goal

percentage (53.6).

? The Cavs retain his rights, so

they can exceed the salary cap to

sign him, but unlike in 2007

they will not be able to automat?

ically match an offer like the

Bobcats extended. Varejao has

said he wants to remain with the

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team and the Cavs are believed

to be interested in bringing him

back if they can come to terms

this time around.

Other matters:Staying with

his plan from before the season,

center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said

he does not plan on opting out

of his contract and will play out

the final season at $11.5?million

next year. "There are no greener

pastures for me," he said. "I've

been a Cavalier and I'll always

be a Cavalier." .?.?. Szczerbiak

will be an unrestricted free

agent for the first time in his ca?

reer as he's now completed a six-

year, $63?million extension he

signed in 2002 in Minnesota. .?.?.

Forward Joe Smith also is an

unrestricted free agent and said

he'd like to come back to the

Cavs next season if things work

out. .?.?. Guard Tarence Kinsey

($855,000) and forwards Dar?

nell Jackson ($736,000) and Ja?

wad Williams ($736,000) are all

signed for next season, but their

deals are not guaranteed.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

bwindhorst@plaind.com,

216-999-5166