By Sam Amico

WHAT'S NEXT FOR JAMES?

I've been staring at the Sports Illustrated cover featuring LeBron James for nearly two weeks, and I still don't know what to think.

James is a high school junior, a 17-year old basketball star at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio. And when I see James posing as the cover boy for SI .... well, I'm not sure how I should feel.

I'm a native of Akron, so part of me feels very proud. Part of me believes James is not just a spectacular athlete, but a young man who can lift the spirit of an entire community -- as Akron has struggled for an identity since the rubber industry went south nearly 20 years ago.

After reading SI's story, I also feel good about James because he is level-headed and is handling the overwhelming attention like a real pro. He certainly doesn't appear to be missing out on the important things that help teenage boys become young men (video games, fast cars, girls -- probably in that order), and he is clearly surrounded by good people and smart parents. On top of all that, James is a B student.

In case you haven't been following basketball lately, James is 6-foot-7, 225 pounds, and would be the No. 1 pick if he entered the NBA draft this summer. But league rules prohibit it, forcing players to at least graduate with their high school class. James seems to have accepted the idea, and says he's content to return to high school for, yes, his senior year.

In the SI article, former NBA guard and coach Danny Ainge says there are only four or five players in the league that he wouldn't trade for James -- right now! And remember, Ainge spent his career playing next to the likes of Larry Bird and Charles Barkley.

If all of this isn't enough, James is already pals with Michael Jordan, and is a standout wide receiver on the football team. Some experts say he's good enough to play for any Division I football program in the country.

The bottom line: This young man is good. Not just for a high schooler, but supposedly for anyone, anywhere. Having said that ...

Most of you know how I feel about kids going straight from high school to the NBA. Most of you know I don't particularly like it, simply because it waters down the quality of play at both the college and pro levels. Basically, I don't like it because I'm a huge fan of the game, and to me, it's not fun watching teenagers trying to play in the NBA. In fact, it stinks.

But I've also learned to live with it -- especially when those teenagers become men like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Tracy McGrady. Heck, I'm even impressed with Jermaine O'Neal and Al Harrington, two guys who I was certain would be flops.

So if James wants to play in the NBA, why not let him? With all the attention he's receiving, he would probably be better off. At least he would be in the presence of other players with similar talent, not to mention people whose job it is to protect those players. And why make the kid wait another year to get started with his career, especially when he's evidently the best there is now?

You probably cringed as you read that (goodness knows, I did as I wrote it), but part of me really feels that way. Part of me says that James has the skills, so pay him accordingly. Part of me sees an athlete who could be very good for the NBA, a high schooler who could change the thinking of old guys like me. I know this because the thought of James rescuing the Cleveland Cavaliers is something I find extremely appealing.

And don't think for a second that he couldn't do it, seeing as how James' high school games draw almost as big a crowd as the Cavs do on the average weeknight.

But part of me wonders ... what if?

What if James isn't everything he's supposed to be? I remember how many of these same experts once called Felipe Lopez, "The Greatest High School Player Ever." Well, Lopez turned into a pretty good collegian at St. John's, but is now just another player in the NBA. He currently comes off the bench for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and most casual fans outside of Minneapolis have no idea who Lopez is or that he's even in the league.

And what if James really does need that final year of education? The value of high school goes beyond the classroom -- no matter how fat the contract, you can never buy the kind of knowledge and understanding of the world that comes with a diploma.

Finally, what if James lives up to the hype? What if he truly does develop into the best player of his time, outplaying Bryant, McGrady and others along the way? Will the NBA become strictly a kids league? Will college basketball go under? Will other, less-composed teenagers try to enter the draft at 13? Nine? Or should we just start signing youngsters to shoe deals the minute they're lifted from the crib?

Those who defend the concept of high school kids entering the NBA often use professional tennis to illustrate their point. "Hey, Martina Hingis was 17 when she won her first major," they say. "Why the double standard?"

It's a good question, but there's one thing these folks should know. Most tennis players are through -- 100 percent finished -- by the time they're 26.

Is this what will happen to James? Will he be an "old man" before he turns 30? Part of me thinks he might. Another part of me thinks, "No way. He'll be fine."

And this is why all of me is torn when I see how much attention is being heaped upon young LeBron James.

ANDRE THE GIANT

Sticking with the Northeast Ohio theme ... a few weeks ago I wrote that Cavs point guard Andre Miller didn't deserve to make the All-Star team because he's "too limited." I've felt badly about it ever since (shockingly, not one person e-mailed to tell me how wrong I was).

But make no mistake, I was wrong. What I actually meant was that I felt Miller's range on his jump shot was too limited. I surely didn't mean that Miller was too restricted as an overall player. And if I haven't backpedaled out of this enough already, I should add that after having seen Miller a few times since the All-Star break, I can now understand why the Washington Wizards reportedly offered the No. 1 pick for him prior to the draft.

Miller, one of my all-time favorite college players, is this generation's version of John Stockton. Miller currently leads the league in assists and is perhaps the biggest reason the Cavs aren't something like 0-45. He's also one of the top citizens in all of sports, a pro's pro. If there is one player on the Cavs who is untradeable -- and who is a sure bet to make the All-Star team next year -- it's Miller.

Hope that clears things up.

(One final Miller note: He's the only man in the history of the league who can score 18 points on 1-of-9 shooting from the floor. That's what he did in a loss Feb. 18 against Utah, a game in which he made 16 of 17 free throws).

WOLVES MAKE A PASS

The Minnesota Timberwolves currently lead the NBA in assists (25.84 per game through Feb. 20). So it should come as no surprise that the Timberwolves are playing so well. Neither should this -- rounding out the top five are, in order, Utah, New Jersey, Indiana, and believe it or not, Portland. All of those teams are winning.

Oddly enough, the struggling Cavs are sixth in assists per game. Yet another reason Miller should be held in high esteem.

As for the Wolves, not only are they moving the ball, but they're showing that they're more than just Kevin Garnett and Wally Szczerbiak. Point guard Chauncey Billups is much-improved and is the glue that holds the team together. His production will be a big key come May.

Most of all, you have to credit coach Flip Saunders, who has convinced his players that the only thing better than making of millions of dollars playing basketball is making millions of dollars and winning.

SWAP TALK

This is being written before the NBA trading deadline, but here's my take on what went down as of Feb. 20:

-- Indiana pretty much became the Eastern Conference favorite after acquiring Ron Artest, Brad Miller, Ron Mercer and Kevin Ollie from Chicago. The only thing the new-look Pacers need to do is mesh quickly -- and hope New Jersey cools off. Things will definitely be more interesting in the East come playoff time.

The Bulls -- who received Jalen Rose, Travis Best and Norman Richardson in the deal -- have been accused of giving up too much. While I'm no fan of Bulls general manager Jerry Krause, it's clear the organization is looking at a much larger picture. Yes, the Bulls traded their three top players, but it will be fun to watch Rose now that he's been given permission to do whatever he wants. Plus, you can't discount the fact that rookies Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry have been playing much better in recent weeks.

-- Boston definitely gained the type of help it needed when the Celtics traded rookie Joe Johnson and veterans Milt Palacio and Randy Brown to Phoenix for Tony Delk and Rodney Rogers. Delk and Rogers are scorers in the truest sense -- and the only thing the Celtics really lacked was another guy to put the ball through the basket on a regular basis (besides Paul Pierce and Antoine "I Meant To Bank It" Walker).

Meanwhile, the Suns don't seem to be going anywhere, although Johnson can now develop at his own pace while playing behind Penny Hardaway. Many of the Suns' recent moves have me perplexed, as they often seem to make changes simply because they can. But they can't keep firing coaches and trading players -- eventually, some stability will be needed.

YOUR E-MAILS

FROM JEROME STANLEY
Q: It looks as if my Golden State Warriors have a decent shot at landing the No. 1 pick in the next draft. Who do you think they'll pick if they get it?

A: Jerome, it all depends on who is available. The only thing the Warriors seem to be lacking is experience -- and a true point guard to replace Larry Hughes. No disrespect to Hughes, who has loads of potential as a shooting guard, but if I'm the Warriors and I get the top draft pick, I'm packaging Hughes and the pick for a veteran playmaker.

If the Warriors were to keep the pick, then Duke's Jason Williams would have to be among those considered. Hopefully, Warriors GM Garry St. Jean knows a heck of a lot more about basketball than I do (the guess here is he does).

FROM GREG DUDLEY
Q: I heard former Boston Celtics forward and current broadcaster Cedric Maxwell say that the best way to revive the old Celtics-L.A. Lakers rivalry is to reunite the teams of the 1980s for one game on pay-per-view. What do you think?

A: Greg, what do I think? Not much. The idea of watching Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and other former greats gasping for air and bricking jumpers isn't something that has me reaching for the wallet.

Besides that, I take it Maxwell spoke those words prior to the Celtics-Lakers game Feb. 19 -- the best regular season game I've seen in a long, long time. It definitely was the best Celtics-Lakers matchup I've witnessed since Bird and Magic were on the court. So, let's leave it at that, Cornbread. Please.

CHECK OUT THE WEB SITE

In case you missed last week's column, the Web site version of The Amico Report is up and running. You can check it out at www.observer-reporter/amicoreport.bsp.

The site features past newsletters and even more e-mails from readers. This week, readers discuss former and current NBA players from the UK (click on the "Rebound: Readers Respond" link).

And should that prospect excite you about as much as a pay-per-view game between the old Celtics and Lakers, you can also view my once-in-a-while editorial by clicking on the "Pick-up Prose" link. Most of all, you can check out my favorite NBA-related Web sites.

SAM'S SLAMS

My vote for Coach of the Year? Boston's Jim O'Brien. New Jersey's Byron Scott and Minnesota's Flip Saunders also warrant consideration, but all O'Brien has done is everything former coach Rick Pitino promised. ... The more I see of rookies Pau Gasol and Shane Battier, the more I like the future of the Memphis Grizzlies. One other thought: Has injured shooting guard Michael Dickerson become offseason trade bait? ... If you're a fan of the Washington Wizards, you liked what you saw in the team's loss at Detroit on Feb. 20. The Wizards were without Michael Jordan, but still looked much-improved. And that, folks, is why Jordan is doing what he's doing. ... Mobile's Isaac Fontaine and Columbus' Tremaine Fowlkes lead the NBDL in scoring at 16.8 ppg.

CONTACT ME

E-mail questions and comments to me at amicoreport@hotmail.com. I will try to answer all questions in the newsletter, but you must include your full name.

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