Analysis: Cavs not worried about Iverson-Billups trade

DALLAS -- An Eastern Conference contender decided to shake things up Monday and ripples were felt all the way down in Texas. When your rival makes a move, you notice.

When that move is Allen Iverson, you stand at attention. Unless you take a Cavalier attitude that you don't really give a cornrow.

That was Cleveland's stance.

LeBron James didn't offer much of an opinion on AI shacking up next door in the Central Division, claiming his head was "in the clouds" all day. Mum was the word for his teammates, too. Gag order?

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown had the only usable thoughts on the Detroit-Denver deal.

"It's good for both teams," he offered. "AI obviously is more of a scoring point guard than Chauncey [Billups]. How it changes? I don't know. I'm just like a fan. It will be interesting to see."

"They both got what they wanted. Chauncey is going home and Detroit has someone they think can put some points on the board."

The Cavs kept their concerns on the home front going into Game No. 4. And when Cleveland manhandled the Mavericks 100-81 at American Airlines Center, it offered further proof that the status of LeBron challenging for the East throne has little to do with what's going on in Motown or Beantown.

Cleveland evened its record at 2-2 by spreading the wealth on the floor. James still gets his, with a little more help from his friends. Point guard Mo Williams is the sidekick James has coveted. Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas do much of the heavy lifting down low, even if James slides down to the "4" for stretches. Daniel "Boobie" Gibson lets it fly without a conscious.

"We've have some very nice pieces, some veteran guys like Mo Williams and Ben Wallace," James explained. "And we've got some depth."

James, who scored 29, is averaging just 22 points after four games. His ideal line: 20-10-10.

"With more options on your team, you're not going to score as much," he added. "Going out and scoring 30, I don't have to do that."

The Cavs bottled up Dirk Nowitzki by throwing body after body at the Mavs' top gun and jumping every pick-and-roll. With no room to operate, Nowitzki backfired his way to two points in the first half. Wallace and Z both stuffed Dirk -- hands on top of the ball before the shot even left his hands -- late in the second quarter.

"They obviously made him a major point of emphasis defensively," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said after Nowitzki's eight-point outing.

Dallas (1-2) trailed by double digits for much of the first before closing the gap in the third behind Jason Kidd and Nowitzki. It didn't last. Williams sparked a 13-0 run to open the fourth with Dallas' bench on the floor.

The Cavs bench fared considerably better. Cleveland was no worse than a plus-18 with Gibson, Anderson Varejao or Wally Szczerbiak out there.

Another stat detailing Cleveland's domination was a 52-35 rebounding edge. Carlisle noted four offensive boards by the Cavs in the opening minutes.

"I'm as much at fault as anybody," he said. "I didn't have these guys ready to play."

Unlike the happenings in Detroit, James didn't bite his lip when asked about Dallas' chances to get in the LeBron Sweepstakes in 2010.

"Everyone who's been there says it's a good franchise to be a part of," he said. "It's very loose, very competitive. They want to win around here. That's Dallas in general, from the Cowboys to the Mavericks to the Stars.

"They're always about winning, allow you to be a professional about it. Mark Cuban does a great job. They put a team on the floor every night to win a championship and that's all you can ask."

The Mavs hardly looked title worthy on this night. And if that's what James is asking for, is there reason to leave Cleveland?

Or look elsewhere.