INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- More random observations and notes from Cavaliers training camp:
1. LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Mike Miller and James Jones each took turns firing away at the same basket after practice Tuesday, with LeBron and Jones wearing mostly serious looks, and Irving and Miller smiling and slapping hands. The point? Actually, there isn't one. I just figured it'd be cool for fans to know.
2. I can tell you it is cool to see how LeBron is leading this new group of Cavs -- the impact he's making on young holdovers like Irving and Dion Waiters. Remember last season, when Kyrie and Dion supposedly couldn't play together, or when everyone insisted Waiters just HAD TO come off the bench? Well, forget all that noise, James said Tuesday.
3. In the event you haven't yet read what LeBron said about the dynamic between Irving and Waiters, here you go: "You've got two guys who love to play the game of basketball. They're gym rats and they love to compete. It's not hard for them to mesh."
4. Waiters admitted he has asked LeBron to "take me under his wing," and that makes sense. "He's the best player in the world," Waiters said. "Why not learn from a guy like that? I'm like a sponge out there."
5. For the record, Waiters heard the recent comments by Wizards guard Bradley Beal, who claimed he and John Wall formed the league's best backcourt. And Waiters smirked. "He's supposed to say that," he said. "But I know deep down he's not messing with me and (Irving)."
6. Anyway, back to LeBron's influence. Again, in case you missed it, here's more of what he had to say on Waiters: "The only way to rewrite the notion of, 'Can Dion fit in this?' is to play the right way and dominate his opposition every single night. That's all he should worry about."
7. James added, and accurately so, that Waiters was sort of a fall guy when things went wrong last season. But James indicated that's all changed. "I'm saying stuff that's already been said about Dion and I know that," he said. "For me as the leader of the team ... he has to understand not to worry what everyone is saying about him. It's about us. It's not about what everyone else thinks."
8. Following practice, LeBron and Kyrie stayed on the court a little longer to compete in a shooting drill. It entailed making two consecutive 3-pointers from the same spot before moving on. It was so cool to see the two stars hanging out together that I took a picture and posted it to my Instagram account. Perhaps so everyone has some evidence that, yes, these guys really are teammates and working out together. I know it's still hard for even me to grasp sometimes. But they're here, and it's real.
LeBron and Kyrie on the court together (for legitimate documentation purposes).
9. Not sure why or who is behind it, but a number of college and high school coaches have been hanging out at practice the past few days. This isn't uncommon. The Cavs have done this under previous regimes and with previous head coaches. Tuesday notables included Bruce Pearl (Auburn), Fred Hoiberg (Iowa State) and Bobby Hurley (Buffalo).
10. Oh, by the way, guess what? You'll get to see LeBron play with Irving, Waiters and Kevin Love (or perhaps against them) for the first time Wednesday in the team's annual Wine & Gold Scrimmage on Wednesday at The Q. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the scrimmage will be streamed live on cavs.com. No tickets remain.
11. Before you ask, no, Cavs coach David Blatt has not yet revealed the lineups for the scrimmage. And just remember that's exactly what it is -- a practice. But it still should be tons of fun for fans to see all these guys on the Cavs' floor at the same time.
12. I guess that's it for now. I'll have plenty more in the days to come, I'm sure. Heck, I've barely even written about Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson, Shawn Marion or some of the others. It's easy to get caught up in All LeBron, All The Time. But hey, there are worse things in the NBA, right? The bottom line is the best player in the world is here, and the Cavs and their fans shouldn't feel badly about celebrating it.
13. P.S. Not sure why, but felt it necessary to add this: No truth to any rumors (and they are out there) about the Cavs trying to trade for Pacers center Roy Hibbert or Rockets center Dwight Howard. Merely Internet sensationalism.
14. P.S.S. In case you missed my tweet, I asked LeBron whether he likes Cleveland media or Miami media better, and he just smiled. "I like all media," he said, and that was the best possible answer.
