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Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
No City of Akron basketball tonight
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Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
Akron Zips:
Zips favored on road against MAC West leader
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Five local gridders to play in Big33
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Law, Love and Chocolate
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
OFCCP Report
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
Defensive stalwart decides he can still play at highest level. Shaq sits again
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Thursday, Nov 26, 2009
DETROIT: When the Cavs last saw forward Ben Wallace they had traded him to the Phoenix Suns along with Sasha Pavlovic in the deal that brought Shaquille O'Neal to town.
Wallace said more than once after the team's disappointing loss in the Eastern Conference Finals that it was quite possible that he'd be retiring. Giving the Suns a contract that would ultimately provide the team some cap relief for a possible piece to the championship puzzle seemed like a no-brainer.
The Suns ultimately bought Wallace's contract out and when given the chance the 6-foot-9, 13-year veteran re-signed with the Detroit Pistons when John Kuester came aboard as coach.
''I've been knowing Kue for a long time. He was here when we won a championship together,'' Wallace said.
Cavs coach Mike Brown believes Wallace returned to the hardwood simply because Kuester and Big Ben built that trust in their past dealings — including close to a season and a half in Cleveland.
''Ben and Kue have a good relationship. It did not surprise me at all [that he didn't retire],'' Brown said.
Former teammate LeBron James agreed. ''He was talking. None of us was saying that. We didn't want him to retire but he kept saying that and I think he still felt like he had something left, which he still does, of course.''
Plagued by back problems for the past few seasons, Wallace said that his back felt the best it had in four years after playing with the Cavaliers, which led him back to the court. Now Wallace finds himself in a different position this year in that he is the team's elder statesman with guard Richard Hamilton and forward Tayshaun Prince out with injuries.
''It's tough. I try to explain to the guys. Right now what we're trying to do is steal some wins. We have our best offensive player out [Hamilton] and probably our best defensive player out [Prince],'' he said. ''They're not just good players, they're like having another coach out on the floor.''
Shaq held out
Center Shaquille O'Neal missed his sixth consecutive game Wednesday night, after having participated in practice the prior two days, although it was on a limited basis Tuesday. Brown thought it was the right move.
''We're taking him day to day. We just decided to hold him out,'' Brown said. ''He had a contact practice on Monday. I pulled him out of practice yesterday.''
Brown said Shaq wants to play and may get a chance Friday against the Charlotte Bobcats. Brown said he wasn't sure how many minutes he'd get in when he returns.
LeBron on A.I.
Former Philadelphia 76ers great Allen Iverson said Wednesday that he was considering retirement, according to reports. Iverson has struggled to find a role — having bounced from the Sixers to Denver, Detroit and Memphis — in recent seasons. James said that is not the way he should go out of the league.
''He's one of the best guys 6-foot and under who has ever played basketball. What he has done individually — he played injured, he played hard every single night,'' he said. ''I don't think it should end this way if he's done, but at the same time, if it does, he's left some great things behind.''
LeBron movie on DVD
More Than a Game, the acclaimed documentary about Akron's ''Fab Five'' basketball team at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, will be released on DVD and for digital download on Feb. 2 by Lionsgate.
Made by former local resident Kris Belman, the film looks closely at the early years of LeBron James, his teammates and coaches.
The DVD promises ''a locker room full of exciting bonus materials including a film festival Q&A with the team, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the documentary, a featurette that examines the psychology of team sports [and] the original pitch trailer for the film,'' according to an announcement from the distributor.
Retail price for the movie will be $27.98.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/thomas. Follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/CavsABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CavsABJ
DETROIT: When the Cavs last saw forward Ben Wallace they had traded him to the Phoenix Suns along with Sasha Pavlovic in the deal that brought Shaquille O'Neal to town.
Get the full article here.
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