Several teams, including possibly the Cavs, have been lining up wanting to get their hands on Hornets point guard Chris Paul. Hornets owner George Shinn wanted to quiet the speculation.

“The resolve that my partner Gary Chouest and I have will always remain the same – to continue to build our legacy in New Orleans, and to develop a path and plan to win an NBA championship for New Orleans and all of Louisiana,” Shinn said in a statement. “We are about building and sustaining a winning tradition. Chris Paul is the cornerstone of our franchise and brings us unequaled support on and off the court.

“We will continue to build around Chris Paul, and we want to see him in a Hornets uniform for the remainder of his career. We have an exciting future, and with the leadership of our new head coach and players like Chris Paul, we know the best is yet to come. We plan to take advantage of any opportunities to improve our team.”

Paul told ESPN.com that he wants to stay with the Hornets unless they are ready to go through a rebuilding process.

Like many of the fans, this reporter was on his way out of InfoCision Stadium on the campus of the University of Akron on Saturday. Some of the invited guests had already left, along with a few media members.

Then some guy said, "LeBron's coming."

Huh?

Just then, there were screams at the gate. Sure enough, James walked in at about 1 p.m. Even organizers were surprised. They had no idea whether he was coming.

Many of the fans, estimated at 3,500, had already started walking out of the stadium. But they flocked back in to see the man of the hour. After all, it was "LeBron Appreciation Day."

He said he loved the city of Akron and always would. He didn't take questions and didn't address the question of the day: "Are you staying?"

But at least he showed up because many thought he wasn't going to be there.

Tom Izzo is touring the Cavaliers' facilities on Thursday. Some think he'll not leave the building without accepting the job.

The Michigan State coach has been going back and forth in his mind about the Cavs' offer to become their next coach.

Once he visits Cleveland Clinic Courts, he'll never want to leave. The Cavs will likely do something corny like put a "COACH IZZO" plaque on the coach's office, once occupied by Mike Brown.

They'll find out what his favorite dish is, and have the guys in the cafeteria just happen to prepare it.

Little things like that. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert isn't the kind of guy that strikes out in his pursuit of someone he wants. Obviously, he'll spend the money needed to get the job done.

Expect Izzo to accept their offer by the end of the day.