CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund has never been so excited about the start of an NBA season. Or so fearful. Gund is afraid expectations for 18-year-old rookie LeBron James have reached dangerous levels. "It's concerning to me that people will expect more out of him than is physically possible for anybody," Gund said. "He hasn't gone through what it takes to play at this level. It's going to take time. I think he'll come along fine, but I don't think he'll start out at the level many people are expecting." The NBA is featuring James in TV promos and on schedules, and Gund has spoken with commissioner David Stern about restraining the hype. The surge of interest began in May when the Cavaliers won the draft lottery and the rights to pick the Akron superstar. Gund didn't elaborate on his discussions with the commissioner but said Stern was sensitive to the matter. "This thing has a mind of its own," he said. "Have you ever seen anything like it? And in that sense it's a little scary for him (James) and the team right now. We're all sensitive to that." The Cavaliers are enjoying more national attention than ever. They'll appear on network TV 13 times this season. Locally, they're enjoying unprecedented sales of tickets and merchandise and No. 23 jerseys featuring James. There is a buzz in Cleveland unlike anything Gund has seen in his 20 years as the Cavaliers' owner. "It's amazing. What a change," he said. "The positive, new attitude not just among the players but among the fans is dramatic. I have a lot of friends I haven't heard from in 10 years." The Cavaliers, who open Wednesday night in Sacramento, haven't made the playoffs since 1998. And coming off a 17-65 season, it's unlikely they'll get back this year. Some of Cleveland's players, however, think the playoffs are within reach, as does Gund. But he's more focused on another "P" word: patience. "It's going to take awhile for a new coaching staff and a lot of new team members to gel and to start really becoming a team," he said. "There are going to be ups and downs." Gund is counting on first-year coach Paul Silas to keep them to a minimum. Silas took the Hornets to the playoffs four times, and Gund thinks the 60-year-old coach is a perfect fit for his young team. "I feel we're going to play some really good basketball, but it won't be consistent for a while," he said. "That's up to the coaching staff to develop so it's going to take some time. They've done it before so I'm confident we'll do it again."
Didn't the "surge" start when he got throw backs, and his mom bought him an H2? And isn't this "fear" a part of the territory? A little late for that now. He'll bust anyway...
