PA Season Ticket Holder
06-21-2003, 09:46 PM
CLEVELAND -- LeBron James passed his final, ahem, audition for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"We're still taking him No. 1, I'll tell you that,'' general manager Jim Paxson joked after watching James work out for more than 30 minutes Friday.
There was never any doubt.
Under the attentive eye of Paxson, Cleveland coach Paul Silas and a huge media throng, James showcased his awesome skills to the Cavaliers one final time before they select the 18-year-old with the top overall pick in Thursday's NBA draft.
Wearing a gray Cavaliers T-shirt, black shorts and a pair of Nikes (What else?) James shot jumpers, 3-pointers and fine tuned his free-throw shooting on the club's fourth-floor practice court in Gund Arena.
The 6-foot-8 high school star from Akron was admittedly tired from a three-day trip for interviews, TV appearances and parties in New York. But he did everything the Cavaliers asked.
And Silas, who had never seen James play in person, came away impressed.
"I liked everything about his demeanor,'' said Silas, hired earlier this month. "I talked to him about the game. He understands how to play. He shoots the ball. He can handle it, and as we get into this thing, he'll get better and better.''
http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0620/1571003.html
"We're still taking him No. 1, I'll tell you that,'' general manager Jim Paxson joked after watching James work out for more than 30 minutes Friday.
There was never any doubt.
Under the attentive eye of Paxson, Cleveland coach Paul Silas and a huge media throng, James showcased his awesome skills to the Cavaliers one final time before they select the 18-year-old with the top overall pick in Thursday's NBA draft.
Wearing a gray Cavaliers T-shirt, black shorts and a pair of Nikes (What else?) James shot jumpers, 3-pointers and fine tuned his free-throw shooting on the club's fourth-floor practice court in Gund Arena.
The 6-foot-8 high school star from Akron was admittedly tired from a three-day trip for interviews, TV appearances and parties in New York. But he did everything the Cavaliers asked.
And Silas, who had never seen James play in person, came away impressed.
"I liked everything about his demeanor,'' said Silas, hired earlier this month. "I talked to him about the game. He understands how to play. He shoots the ball. He can handle it, and as we get into this thing, he'll get better and better.''
http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0620/1571003.html