AGRI Biz

Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched the best record in the NBA for the second consecutive season, there is a bit of a lull before the playoffs get underway. What better time to consider the potential impact of LeBron James’ pending free agency this summer? James stopped answering questions about free agency earlier this year. He has offered no concrete evidence that he will leave Cleveland, and none that he won’t. ...

Maybe the sky hasn’t fallen in Cleveland, after all. The object of an ongoing love-hate relationship with Cavaliers fans and critics around the NBA, Mo Williams is on the hot seat as the playoffs approach. His less-than-stellar performance in last year’s Eastern Conference finals against Orlando left a bad taste in the mouths of Cavaliers fans and a monkey on Williams’ back entering this season. Critics haven't been any kinder since Williams’ return ...

You could have made a case in 2007. Many insist it was still the case in 2009. The Cleveland Cavaliers were nothing but LeBron James, and everybody else. Some people aren’t even that kind. To them, it’s more like, “LeBron James and a bunch of stiffs.” Nothing like giving credit where credit is due. Granted, the Cavaliers of 2007 weren’t exactly a who’s who of basketball talent. Despite making it to the NBA Finals, ...

Coming out of high school a year ago, John Wall was already being touted by some observers as the top prospect for the 2010 NBA Draft. After a year at Kentucky, he has done nothing to dispel that notion. Although he and the Wildcats came up short in the NCAA tournament, Wall had a superb freshman season, averaging 16.6 points and 6.5 assists a game. Providing they both leave school as expected, ...

As the Cleveland Cavaliers continue their quest for a first-ever NBA championship, they would do well to learn from history. There was a time when the “close, but no cigar” shoe was on another foot—that of the Los Angeles Lakers, now one of the league’s most storied franchises. Having won five titles while playing in Minneapolis, the Lakers joined the growing sports landscape in L.A. prior to the 1960 season. Their excellence ...

Comments made by LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers are drawing media attention across the country. Brian Windhorst, Cavaliers beat writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, posted a story early Friday in which he noted James’ razor-thin lead in the NBA scoring race. He and Oklahoma’s Kevin Durant are separated by just one-tenth of a point (29.8 to 29.7 ppg) with just three weeks remaining in the regular season. James was unconcerned, ...

Zydrunas Ilgauskas is back with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Shaquille O’Neal soon will be as well. Is that a good problem for Mike Brown to have, or just a problem? On Wednesday, I wrote an article praising Leon Powe and the example he has been setting for the Cleveland Cavaliers since joining the roster in February. Naturally, Mike Brown did not play him later that night against New Orleans. So goes the wild ride ...

Two weeks ago, it appeared that Leon Powe would be an odd man out in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ postseason rotation. Powe had returned to action in late February, nine months after surgery to repair a torn meniscus and ACL in his left knee. However—after four brief but promising performances—he played just four minutes against Detroit on March 5, and then not at all in subsequent games against Milwaukee and San Antonio. Cavs ...

Every team has one—a player whose improvement has made a significant impact on the season. Even the weaker teams in the league can usually boast of at least one player on the roster whose game has made major strides over the previous year. In fact, it's often the players on teams ranked in the middle of the standings, or at the bottom, who gain the most notoriety. The league's elite teams typically ...

There was once a time in America when professional sports teams rarely, if ever, changed the look of their uniforms. It wasn't just the Yankees, Celtics, Packers or Bruins who kept the same look year after year, decade after decade. Most teams did. That began to change in the 1960s, and then the practice became common during the '70s and beyond. So it has been for the Cleveland Cavaliers. As they celebrate ...