Cleveland Cavaliers Team Report

Cavaliers forward LeBron James is eligible to sign an extension on July 18 the three-year anniversary of when he signed his last contract. He probably won't take that option. He would get the most bang for his buck by opting out of the final year of his deal it's called an early termination option in the summer of 2010. It would allow him to become a free agent for the first time in his career. He'd get to experience that euphoria, get courted by a few teams and make the Cavs sweat bullets. Then, he's expected to re-sign with the Cavs. Even though he's eligible to extend his deal this summer and next summer, he'll want to sit back and see how Cavs general manager Danny Ferry reshapes the team. The Cavs are going to have many options this summer. James will want to see if the Cavs can re-sign forward/center Anderson Varejao, who will also opt out of the final year of his deal and become an unrestricted free agent this summer. One source said a four-year, $32 million deal might be about what Varejao will collect. James will want to see if the Cavs extend center Zydrunas Ilgauskas' contract in September. He has one more year on his deal after this season. They could add one more year but his agent will probably ask for two. They also have some valuable trade chips. Forward/center Ben Wallace could be used in a trade this summer. A $14 million expiring contract might look appealing to one of the struggling teams. Also, guard/forward Sasha Pavlovic, who could really use a change of scenery, has a contract worth $4.9 million, but only $1.5 million is guaranteed. James will want to sit back and see what's up. The only thing he probably won't do is play out the final two years on his deal. Then, he'd be dealing with the new rules of the collecting bargaining agreement and that's an unknown. The CBA runs out at the end of 2010-11 season. CAVALIERS 84, HAWKS 74: Cavaliers guard Delonte West threw down a show-stopping baseline dunk, which highlighted their victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. It wrapped up a four-game sweep by the Cavs. The Cavs will await the winner of the other East semifinal between Orlando and Boston. That series is tied, 2-2. There's a possibility Game 1 of the East finals might not start until May 20. The Cavs are now 8-0 in the postseason and have won every game by 10 or more points. They are the first team to sweep the first two rounds of the playoffs since Miami in 2005. However, they weren't ready to rejoice just yet. "Why celebrate?" Cavs forward LeBron James said. "We're a team gunning for a championship. We're happy that we're playing great basketball. We're not taking anything for granted. We aren't satisfied." They had to be satisfied with the way they defended, however. They limited the Hawks to 31.5 percent shooting from the field, the lowest for a Cavs playoff opponent ever. They forced the Hawks to miss 50 shots on the night (they were 23 of 73). "Defense wins championships," West said. "That's what I want to do. I want to put a ring on my finger. I have 15 guys in that locker room who want to do the same thing." James led all scorers with 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. But perhaps the grittiest performance belonged to West, who added a playoff-high 21 points, four rebounds and six assists. Early in the fourth quarter, he took his defender off the dribble and threw down a baseline dunk over 6-foot-9 Marvin Williams. "That almost brought me out of my shoes," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. Speaking of shoes, West was wearing James' signature Nikes for the first time. After the way he played on Monday, he'll likely wear them again. "I had the LeBrons on," he said. "Actually, it was the shoes. That (dunk) was uncharacteristic for me. You have to go strong or go home."NOTES, QUOTESFormer Cavaliers coach Chuck Daly, 78, died on Saturday of pancreatic cancer. He coached the Cavs to a 9-32 record in 1981-82 before getting fired by owner Ted Stepien. Daly went on to fame and fortune with the Detroit Pistons, winning two NBA championships. However, he never was named Coach of the Year. "Jerry Sloan has never won, either," Cavs forward LeBron James said. "That doesn't take away what they've done." James said he got an opportunity to meet Daly when he came to a Team USA practice in Las Vegas. "It's a sad day for our league," he said. "He was one of the pioneers of our league. He's done a lot of great things for our league. It's sad to see someone pass away before his time. All the prayers and best wishes to his family."G Daniel Gibson is shooting 26.9 percent from the field in eight postseason games (seven of 26). In the first three games of the Hawks' series, it's even lower 20 percent (two of 10).QUOTE TO NOTE: "We're still trying to figure it out. The only ring on my finger is my wedding ring." Cavs coach Mike Brown, when asked when his team started getting "it."ROSTER REPORT ROTATION: Starters Point guard Mo Williams, Shooting guard Delonte West, Small forward LeBron James, Power forward Anderson Varejao, Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Bench Forward/Center Joe Smith, Guard Daniel Gibson, Center Ben Wallace, Guard/Forward Wally Szczerbiak. PLAYER NOTES:F LeBron James was afraid Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was going to tackle him in Thursday's game in Cleveland. Urlacher was sitting near the Cavs' bench. While going for a loose ball, James jumped right over Urlacher. "Did you see him?" James said. "He didn't even move. Thank God he didn't tackle me and think I was a running back going over the pile." James gave Urlacher a pair of autographed shoes after the game. "It was the first time I've met him," he said. "For him to come and support us, that's the least I can do."Cavs coach Mike Brown called F LeBron James the quarterback of his top-ranked defense. "That's always been our staple," James said. "Coach Brown won't let us take the court if we're not ready to take on that challenge. Me being the leader, I make sure guys are in the right place at the right time on that end of the floor." James liked the quarterback comparison. "I'm like Peyton Manning out there," he said.F LeBron James' 28-point career scoring average in the postseason is highest among players still competing in the playoffs and fifth best all-time. F-C Joe Smith had seven points and eight rebounds in Game 3. He was the only player to score off the bench for the Cavs, who were outscored by the Hawks, 24-7. MEDICAL WATCH: The Cavs have no significant injuries.