Cleveland, Ohio – Welcome to today’s edition of Starting Blocks TV, hosted by Branson Wright.

Which team do you think will win the 2012 NBA title. That’s the question in today’s Starting Blocks poll.

Today’s guest on SBTV is Plain Dealer Cavaliers beat writer Tom Reed, who is predicting the Oklahoma City Thunder to prevail over the Miami Heat.

Tom is checking in from this afternoon’s Cavs practice in Berea, and he says the Cavaliers are trying to build a foundation with rookies Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson. He says Irving will need to keep working on his defense, and Thompson on his offensive moves. Reed also says the Cavs realize they are going to have to run to get easy baskets until the half-court offense comes around.

He also talks about whether he thinks veteran forward Antawn Jamison will be with the Cavs at season’s end.

By Sean McClelland,

Staff Writer

Updated 8:19 PM Friday, December 9, 2011

I’ve heard people try to equate the pain felt by St. Louis Cardinals fans over losing Albert Pujols to what Cleveland Cavaliers fans went through in losing LeBron James.

Stop it right now.

Sure, if I’m a St. Louis Cardinals fan, no question I’m disappointed over watching Pujols opt for the free-spending Los Angeles Angels in free agency, but I’m willing to bet it’s nothing like the hurt a Cavaliers fan felt in losing LeBron to the Miami Heat.

The difference, simply, is this:

The Cardinals are World Series champions — twice in the past six years.

Pujols, unlike LeBron, actually got it done before he left. LeBron promised fans he wouldn’t rest until delivering a championship. Then, when it didn’t happen, he washed his hands of the situation and walked away, complete with an ill-advised TV special he now regrets.

Worse, LeBron strung Cavs fans along, leading them to believe ending Cleveland’s championship drought was as important to him as it was to them. Little did anyone know that LeBron actually grew up hating Cleveland and that only his birthplace, Akron, held any relevance in his life.

When LeBron left, with him went any chance for the Cavaliers even to think about contending for a championship — probably for a decade, if not longer.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals are no doubt relieved over not having to pay Pujols into his 40s, and they’ll probably find a way to compete because they will spend their savings wisely.

So, in the debate as to who is more devastated, Cleveland sports fans win hands down and yet again. Somebody give them a trophy.

Contact this reporter at 
(937) 225-2408 or smcclelland
@DaytonDailyNews.com

Scott Raab, the author of The Whore of Akron: One Man’s Search for the Soul of LeBron James and a writer for Esquire Magazine, joined Toucher & Rich to discuss stories involving Delonte West, the way the media covered the Cleveland Cavaliers and of course, LeBron James.

Raab covered the 2009-2010 Cavs team that included West, who moved on to play with the Celtics last season.

“Late that summer, he’d been arrested outside of D.C. strapped with three weapons including I think a shotgun and a guitar case. Just an awful series of events, a marriage that was falling apart and he was off his meds and it profoundly affected that team,” Raab said.

Several stories came out of Cleveland to try to make excuses as to why LeBron blew big games. Were they fabricated by people close to LeBron?

Raab also revealed that the Cavaliers partied the night before a 2010 playoff game and then fell to the Celtics in dramatic fashion.

Also, why does LeBron say it’s so easy to win when he never has?

Raab also discussed getting hate mail from LeBron’s die-hard fans and how LeBron has become one of the most hated athletes in sports.

Listen to the segment:

Toucher & Rich: Scott Raab On Delonte West & LeBron James

Baron Davis(notes) is currently employed by the Cleveland Cavaliers but may become a free agent due to the so-called amnesty clause that may be in the next collective bargaining agreement and allows teams to take a big contract off the books when a player is let loose. If that happens, ESPN reports that folks in Cleveland are thinking that the 32-year-old three-time All-Star would be let go and head to Florida to play with LeBron James(notes) and the Miami Heat.

However, sources tell ESPN that there are at least two other teams that are higher on the list for Davis, a native of L.A.: the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks.

He also could end up with the Charlotte Bobcats, ESPN reports. “Davis … still has a good relationship with the Charlotte community, Bobcats coach Paul Silas and Bobcats assistant coach Stephen Silas, all of which would likewise make the Bobcats an option if Michael Jordan is interested,” ESPN reports. Davis started his career with the Charlotte Hornets, which have since moved to New Orleans.

Find out before your friends. Follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.

Source: ESPN

Related: LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks

The Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will play together and host  “The South Florida All-Star Classic,” writes Chris Broussard of ESPN.

The game will be held on Oct. 8 at Florida International University, where Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas is coach. All proceeds will go toward a charity supporting the educational community of South Florida.

Broussard writes that a number of NBA players are slated to join the Miami trio on the court. There’s a also the possibility that Cleveland Cavaliers first-round picks Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson will also play.

Irving and Thompson are waiting to see if a spot opens up, a source told ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst. Other rookies, the source said, were interested but there’s no room in the game for other first-year players. There’s no interest in 15-player rosters because players want to be able to play in the game and not sit on the bench.