In the September 2010 issue of GQ magazine, which hit the newsstands about a month after his infamous “Decision,” LeBron James was asked if he would ever come back to Cleveland and play for the Cavs. “That would be a great story,” the Chosen One responded before going on to pepper the rest of the interview with third person references, most of which either extolled LeBron’s own humility or emphasized how LeBron had spoiled everyone with LeBron’s superlative performances both on and off the court.

And now, after a tumultuous season in which James failed miserably in the NBA Finals and became the most hated player in the league, rumors are bubbling to the surface that LeBron – upset with Miami GM Pat Riley’s heavy-handed tactics in, among other things, exiling James’ knuckle-headed entourage from the Heat locker room – will sign with the Cavaliers after opting out of his contract in the summer of 2014. And what a story that will be! The Prodigal Son returning and being welcomed by tens of thousands of forgetting, forgiving and fixing-to-be-forever spoiled fans. A dry eye will be impossible to find in the ESPN studios.

The NBA and players have reached a tentative agreement that would put an end to the second-longest lockout in league history, and allow a 66-game season to kick-off on Christmas Day.

The deal favors owners on nearly all counts. The players made significant concessions, including a reduction of up to $300 million per year in salaries, which will work out to $3 billion over the life of the agreement. It also has provisions for shorter contracts, smaller raises, and a more punitive tax system designed to rein in top spending teams.

The agreement is expected to be in place for 10 years, making it the longest contract in the history of the National Basketball Association. There will also be an option for either side to terminate it after six years.

The players and owners reached the agreement during a final 15-hour bargaining session at the law offices of Weil, Gotshal & Magnes in Midtown Manhattan at 3am on Saturday, the 149th day of the lockout.

NBA Commissioner David Stern said:

“We’ve reached a tentative understanding that is subject to a variety of approvals and very complex machinations, but we’re optimistic that that will all come to pass, and that the N.B.A. season will begin on Dec. 25, Christmas Day, with a tripleheader.”

During a recent interview with the British newspaper, The Guardian, LeBron James says that he would not rule out a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the future and regrets the way he handled announcing his decision to leave for the Miami Heat.

The interviewer asked James: “You’ve been quoted as saying it’s not impossible you could play for Cleveland again?", to which he replied: "It’s not impossible." The interviewer followed up with, "But unlikely?", and James explained: "It’s not impossible. I still love the city. I have so many great memories of all those fans – so it’s not impossible.”

James also said that he apologizes to those that were hurt by the way he chose to announce he was leaving Cleveland to join Miami during the summer of 2010:

“There is definitely a better way I could have handled it, as far as the whole TV thing is concerned, and the same goes for the build-up to the announcement. A lot of people were hurt by it – and I definitely apologize to them. At the same time, you should never be afraid to do what you believe in.”

NBA players and adminsistrators once again failed to reach an agreement on their labor contract and now the season is in peril.

NBA Commissioner David Stern has issued the following statement:

"At a bargaining session in February 2010, Jeffrey Kessler, counsel for the union, threatened that the players would abandon the collective bargaining process and start an antitrust lawsuit against our teams if they did not get a bargaining resolution that was acceptable to them.
"In anticipation of this day, the NBA filed an unfair labor practice charge before the National Labor Relations Board asserting that, by virtue of its continued threats, the union was not bargaining in good faith. We also began a litigation in federal court in anticipation of this same bargaining tactic.
"The NBA has negotiated in good faith throughout the collective bargaining process, but -- because our revised bargaining proposal was not to its liking -- the union has decided to make good on Mr. Kessler's threat.
"There will ultimately be a new collective bargaining agreement, but the 2011-12 season is now in jeopardy."

The NBA Players Union will now go to court seeking to say the NBA has violated antitrust laws.

The Cleveland State Vikings had a special visitor to their Midnight Madness festivities on Saturday night. Their star point guard Norris Cole, who graduated last spring and was drafted by the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA Draft, was on hand to watch the proceedings.

Cole was nice enough to answer some questions for us. The Dayton native says the biggest adjustment playing with the NBA players he has worked out with so far is the speed of the game and attention to detail. He added that he is just trying to stay in shape during the NBA lockout and has worked out a little a bit with his new teammate LeBron James during the past few months.

Here is the entire interview.

NBA commissioner David Stern announced on Monday that he has canceled the first two weeks of the regular season after owners and players have been unable to reach a new labor agreement and end the lockout.

Negotiators for both sides met on Monday for more than seven hours after having ended talks on Sunday that lasted more than 14 hours. Stern said that the two sides are "very far apart on virtually all issues..we just have a gulf that separates us."

The cancellation includes all games that are scheduled to be played through November 14.

NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement:

"Despite extensive efforts, we have not been able to reach a new agreement with the players' union that allows all 30 teams to be able to compete for a championship while fairly compensating our players."

Owners locked out players on July 1 when they could not reach a deal prior to the expiration of the old collective bargaining agreement. The 2011-12 season was scheduled to open on November 1.

Virtus Bologna, an Italian basketball team, has made numerous contract offers to Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant. As far-fetched as it sounds, Bryant may actually soon be playing basketball in Italy. He recently stated that it was "very possible" that he will play in Italy during the NBA lockout, adding that Italy is like home because he spent part of his childhood there.

According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Kobe said of the Virtus Bologna contract offer:

"It's very possible. It would be a dream for me. There's an opportunity that we've been discussing over the last few days. It's very possible and that's good news for me."

Virtus said that the latest discussions are centered around a $2.5 million deal for 10 game over 40 days from Oct. 9 to Nov. 16. The deal would also allow Bryant to return to the Lakers immediately if the lockout were to end.

Bryant, 33, spent a few years in Italy when his father, Joe Bryant, played on five teams from 1984-91. His father also once owned a small part of Olimpia Milano.

Bryant said:

LeBron James has struck a deal for his Nike brand to sponsor three universities - the University of Miami, Ohio State University, and the University of Kentucky. The Florida Sun-Sentinel first reported that the schools' basketball teams will be sporting James-branded Nike gear this coming season under a new sponsorship deal, according to sources.

James' publicist, Keith Estabrook, declined to comment on the subject, directing all questions to Nike. Nike did not immediately respond.

The sponsorship deals are a big thing for James, who is attempting to build up his personal brand.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the City of Canton are set to announce today that a Development League franchise will play at Memorial Civic Center beginning next season. The announcement is scheduled to be made at a press conference to be held at noon today at the Civic Center.

Canton City Service Director Warren Price said he has given verbal approval to terms of a license agreement for a D-League franchise to SMG, the company that manages the Civic Center. Price also said he will formally sign the agreement Thursday morning, making the deal official.

Founded in 2001, the D-League had 16 teams in the 2010-11 season. Teams align themselves with NBA teams, similar to how Major League Baseball does it. Some D-League teams, however, are aligned with more than one NBA team.

The NBA is hoping to develop the D-League into a full-fledged minor league farm system. D-League teams play a 50-game schedule which runs from November to April.

The D-League team to play in Canton will be owned and operated by the Cavs. It is not known if it will be an expansion team or a relocated franchise.

Former Cleveland State guard Norris Cole, who will be taking his talents to South Beach this fall, was officially introduced to the Miami Heat this afternoon in a press conference. NBA legend Pat Riley presented their new point guard with his new Heat jersey while Cole met with the Miami media.