CLEVELAND: LeBron James likes to follow his own path.

He surprised many when he was not bothered that a fan sprinted into the Cavs' huddle last week at Madison Square Garden. In fact, James embraced the moment by shaking hands with the young man.

It probably didn't thrill the NBA, which has taken steps to fortify security around team benches since the brawl in Detroit in 2004.

Neither probably will this: A source said Anthony Erskine, 17, who ran across the floor and past several guards in a James replica jersey, is about to get even closer to his idol.

Erskine has been in touch with James' representatives, and there are plans for him to be James' guest Wednesday when the Cavaliers visit the New Jersey Nets. There might be a private meeting between the two.

''He had something he wanted to say to me and he got it out before they took him away,'' James said. ''I respect him and his pride.''

In the locker room

• After being out since Jan. 23 with a left midfoot sprain, Sasha Pavlovic has been cleared to return to contact practice. The Cavs are not yet saying when they plan to activate him, but it could be as early as this weekend. When it happens, there figures to be a minute crunch among Devin Brown, Damon Jones, Wally Szczerbiak and Pavlovic on the wing. Then it could get even tighter when Daniel Gibson comes back in about two weeks.

''Is there going to be competition? Yes, sir. Somebody is probably not going to happy,'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. ''It comes down to doing the right thing for the team.''

• During an interview last week, James said he was 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds, which caught some off guard since he is listed at 6-8 and 250. When he came into the NBA, his official size at the predraft workouts was 6-8, 240. The Cavs added 10 pounds to the roster last season. But James jokingly backed down Monday, saying: ''I'm 6-7, 240.'' The 6-9, 260 figure is probably close to accurate. Not that rosters mean much, Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been listed at 7-3 for years, but he says he is 7-2.

• Devin Brown said he has been bothered recently by a sore left knee and has been wearing a protective sleeve during games. It has been improving, he said.

• The snowstorm Saturday did wonders for the Cavs' television ratings on FSN-Ohio. The victory over the Indiana Pacers got an 8.3 rating, which is about 130,000 households in the Cleveland/Akron market, the highest-rated FSN-Ohio telecast of the season. It surpassed the 7.1 rating on Feb. 24 in the Cavs' first game with the new players from the big trade.

• Monday was the 60th birthday of Cavs great Austin Carr, now FSN-Ohio color commentator.