LeBron's Cavs closer to desperate than title bound

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The last time LeBron James was here, his championship dreams ended with a crushing loss to the Magic, after which he famously left the court without shaking hands and left the arena without sharing his wisdom with the media. There was a different result this time, with none of the same significance or finality.

Shaquille O'Neal handles Dwight Howard on Wednesday, but can he do it consistently come April? (Getty Images)

This time, the game ended with James dribbling the ball at halfcourt, right on the Magic logo, which in these football-crazy parts is akin to kicking a man when he's down. And the defending conference champion Magic were down, all right, after a 102-93 loss to Cleveland Wednesday night. Down, but not in any meaningful or lasting way.

The Cavaliers added Shaquille O'Neal so they'd have the original Superman to combat the one Shaq calls his "impostor." Someone else, though, is impersonating Shaq these days, because he's not only larger than life but also much larger than the role he's playing with the LeBronaliers.

He did his job on this night, I guess, by drawing two quick first-quarter fouls against Howard, sending Superman II to the bench. It was nothing that Marcin Gortat couldn't have done for a lot less than $20 million. But Shaq is Shaq, and his mere Shaqness is valuable enough, LeBron was insisting after the game.

"His presence alone, offensively and defensively, is a plus," James said, "because you have to account for him."

In a regular-season game before Thanksgiving, sure. If and when these teams meet again in the playoffs, the lumbering shell of a franchise center who is wearing No. 33 for the Cavs won't be enough to keep Howard from piercing the hearts of Cleveland fans again.

Shaq and Howard battled to a 5-5 stalemate in the personal foul department. Beyond that, their impact on this much-hyped, re-imagined rematch was minimal. Shaq had 10 points, four rebounds, and two blocks in 19:36. Howard logged 31:33 and managed only three field-goal attempts; he was 3 for 3 with 11 points, seven rebounds, and one block. Some showdown. Clark Kent tangling with Lois Lane would've been far more entertaining.

We'll never know what Shaq made of all this; he was already showered, fully dressed, and making his way out of the visiting locker room by the time the media gained entry, thus putting himself in jeopardy for a fine to match the $25,000 penalty LeBron received for walking out on reporters last May. Based on the displeasure he expressed after logging only 29 minutes in the Cavs' season-opening loss to Boston, my guess is that he wouldn't have been too pleased with his coach's pregame comments if he'd given anyone the chance to relay them.

Standing outside the locker room, Mike Brown estimated Shaq's ideal regular-season playing time at 28 minutes per game. "Maybe [up] to 32," Brown said. "But in the same breath, he's a veteran, so I'm making sure our lines of communication are open. If he asks or he wants to play more, I'll have to think about it. If I don't feel it's right, then I'm going to have to say, 'No.' There's no other answer, no other way."

The five personal fouls spoke Wednesday night, so Brown didn't have to. That's just one more issue the Cavs will have to put off for another day. In the meantime, Boston is off to an 8-1 start and Orlando is playing short-handed without Rashard Lewis and Ryan Anderson. At some point, these issues for the Cavs are going to have to be handled.

I don't want to put words in his mouth, but he left me no choice: Shaq clearly doesn't view himself as a 28-minute player. I suspect Dan Gilbert doesn't, either, because that's almost $1 million per nightly minute. After the opener against Boston, Shaq said, "I could go forever. I had six months off. I'm ready to go." When asked about Brown limiting his minutes, Shaq said, "He's the coach. You know, whatever the coach says, we always just have to deal with it."

What must be worrisome to the Cavs is that this whole Shaq situation is the least of their problems. Yes, they've steadied themselves after plodding aimlessly to an 0-2 start. Yes, they came out aggressively with a 35-point first quarter Wednesday night, catching an Orlando team playing the second night of a back-to-back on its heels. But every time they plug one hole, the Cavs spring another leak.

LeBron tried to turn off the 2010 geyser before the game, when he finally fielded one too many free-agency questions and spontaneously proclaimed that he won't talk about it again until after the season. In other news, Congress announced it would not add another dime to the national debt, the Yankees vowed not to win another World Series, Jay-Z said no more platinum albums, and Britney Spears promised never to lip-sync again. James' vice-like grip on the organization that currently employs him can't be so easily loosened.

Then there is the matter of Delonte West, who sadly and unfortunately is battling bipolar disorder -- a condition that demands empathy, a strong support system, and all the time and professional care that the patient can possibly receive. These are all things that the Cavs are trying to provide, but when West reportedly missed the team charter to Orlando on Tuesday, it was no coincidence that he was deactivated for the Magic game. A professional basketball franchise, it turns out, is no place for a person dealing with very real and serious mental disorders.

Enter Stephen Jackson, and I'm not trying to be funny here. The Cavs are looking long and hard at spending more of Gilbert's money in an attempt to get LeBron the championship he wants without the messy divorce that could accompany the alternative. Jackson's length, transition game, shooting range, and playoff experience could be enough to turn Don Nelson's trash into Cleveland's salvation. The Cavs and anyone else interested in Jackson -- it's a short list -- have Nelson right where they want him. They have Nelson right where he's put himself, actually. Even Nellie admitted the other day, "It's harder than hell to trade that guy." Ah, but that is the beauty of NBA trades, which happen when one desperate situation collides with another.

No team is more desperate to trade a disgruntled player than the Warriors with Jackson. At some point, I submit, no team will be more desperate to acquire him than the Cavs. They've already begun rationalizing it. Brown coached him successfully as an assistant in San Antonio and Indiana. GM Danny Ferry played with him in San Antonio. Assistant GM Chris Grant was in Atlanta's front office when Jackson was there.

After the game, I asked LeBron not about 2010 -- that's a no-no -- but about whether there will come a time when he'll need to know whether he can count on West or not. A clear-minded, effective West would be a far better option than another chemistry experiment with Jackson as the key ingredient, but that does not appear possible.

"At that point, it's none of my business, honestly," James said. "His people will take care of what's going on legal-wise. It's not for us to get involved in. But at the same time, from the outside looking in, we're going to support him. We wish him the best, of course. He's here with us, he's a brother of ours, and we wish him the best."

One of many topics that isn't going away.