Cavs are who we thought they were, so get used to it

That's all James can do right now. Anderson Varejao can posture for more money, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Gooden can join LeBron among the ranks of the over-worked, Daniel Gibson can continue to learn on the fly and Sasha Pavlovic can continue to work himself into shape after missing training camp due to his holdout. And the Cavs' success will all still ride on James' shoulders.

Can he really do more than express to Ferry that he'd like Varejao on board without completely usurping the general manager's authority and need to be fiscally responsible? Impossible, because in order for the Cavs to change their stance, they'll have to pay the Brazilian power forward more than Gooden, who he would be backing up.

Besides, is Varejao going to get his own shot? Would he have prevented the beating Cleveland took in Auburn Hills once James went down? The answer to that is also no.

Hughes wasn't going to beat the Pistons on his own, or with help from Donyell Marshall, who is also injured. They might have kept it closer than the final outcome, but it's time to stop pretending that the Cavs are anything more than what they are, a team completely reliant on a 22-year-old who roughly five months ago scored 25 consecutive points to help dispatch the same Detroit team that just made his supporting cast look so inferior.

James has proven that there's enough around him to get a team to the promised land. Without Varejao, the team is neither as gritty or defense-oriented, so it's winning with better execution and a faster pace. James already led a team nobody believed in to its first Finals appearance and is capable of doing it again. He's also smart enough to know that there's only so much Ferry can do to get him additional help.

Hughes, Marshall and Damon Jones are the reinforcements Ferry paid for, with James' blessing. Ilgauskas, Gooden and Pavlovic were all re-signed, with James' blessing. He has won with this cast.

If this Varejao situation remains at a stalemate, the point will come where he'll be utilized as one of the few tradable commodities the Cavs have at their disposal, getting head coach Mike Brown an additional pawn to place around his King.

Where's LeBron James?

As long as the Cavs know the answer to that question, and it's not on the bench wearing an ugly turtleneck, they look to have as good a shot at anyone in the Eastern Conference.

If we didn't learn that last season, James' point is again being hammered home.