Editor's Note:  Professional basketball player Josh Wilson checks in with us here at Stepien Rules for part two of his Hooping on Foreign Hardwoods series.  For part one, click here.

First and foremost I hope everyone can forgive me for my absence the last few months. Since my last post I’ve planned a wedding, married my beautiful wife, went on my honeymoon, had my masters finals, found out my wife and I are going to have a baby, and signed a new deal to go to the first division in Hungary.

Between all of this I still had to find the time to try and stay in shape. So, needless to say I’ve been a little busy. Here on out I will do my best to keep everyone up to date, which means I have a lot of catching up to do.

I left you last boarding my flight to Ehingen, Germany. I was completely unsure what would happen next. I hadn’t played basketball in around 7 months because of my broken foot and constant rolled ankles. I was not even close to in shape but knew no matter what I had to try. Ehingen was gracious enough to be patient with me knowing the circumstances that I signed under. Looking back on it, signing with them was the best possible situation for me. This is especially true considering one week before that I was a phone call away from signing in Qatar. With a swollen ankle I boarded my flight to Germany and began my professional basketball career.

Our friend Mike over at Cleveland.com's Cavs HQ was in a disagreeable mood yesterday in case you missed it.  He made reference to a handful of statements made over the last week or so surrounding the Cavaliers, and presented a respectful response to those arguments he chose to engage.  Among those points he counterpointed (read as a verb) was my take on J.R. Smith from last Monday.  Conveniently waited until Smith was investigated for choking a dude out to strengthen your case I see Mike.  Anyways, I'll get into that below, but I first wanted to reference his response to Mo Williams on the LeBron James friendship thing.  

In summary, I could not agree more.     

Mo Williams on LeBron James:  "Obviously our friendship is beyond basketball."

I'm sure all you guys have read Brendan's well written piece on our potential starting five for the upcoming season. At first, I agreed with him on starting ‘Tawn at the three spot, but Windhorst made a good call in inserting Jawad there. I'd still expect Jamison to see the majority of minutes between the two and be the guy who ends games, but I'd roll with Jawad as my starter. Thing is, rumors have been doing the rounds that Danny Ferry has him down in San Antonio working out with the Spurs. We have the advantage there though due to him being a RFA, but still I'm not putting a hoax on anything so for the purpose of this he's being left out.

What I'm looking at today is going through each player individually, taking last year's stats and trying to envision what they will produce this upcoming season, which I've now dubbed the "Show the world we're still around" season. So let's get right in shall we?

When the Cavaliers acquired Ramon Sessions I said at the time that I'd like to see him join Mo Williams in the starting back-court for the 2010-11 season rounded out by Antawn Jamison at the three, J.J. Hickson at the four, and Anderson Varejao at the five.  According to Brian Windhorst's tweet this morning, he's in agreement on four of those five: 

"My guess on starting lineup: M.Williams, Sessions, re-signed J.Williams, Hickson, Varejao"

Q: Why would the Cavs even consider making a move for JR Smith? He's a ballhog who has no desire to be part of a team. He's basically Mo Williams. I think we should focus our efforts on acquiring young, promising players and draft picks. - Annemarie, Ohio

A: First Female Mailbag Participant!! Your prize is in the mail. Look, we know JR Smith as the shot-loving JR Smith who just cares about scoring and not much about anything else. But isn't that what he's in Denver to do? Isn't he the designated sixth man and the "Instant Offense" guy off their bench? I'm not defending him and his erratic shooting, I'm just saying don't knock a guy who's pretty much doing what's he's told to do. He could change if inserted into the starting line-up of a team, stranger things have happened right? I'd obviously choose young players and draft picks over busting a gut to get JR, but like I've said, I wouldn't be upset if we did get him due to his price and the fact that it's an expiring contract. Let's face it, there aren't many teams out there willing to give up young studs and picks for anything we're able to offer outside of including JJ or Mo in a deal, which won't be happening (unless it's a home run, can't miss deal, but how many of them are around??).

I used to like watching Quincy Douby fill it up in college. When he was posting a Big East best 25 per game back in 2006 for then Rutgers Coach Gary Waters there wasn't a player in the country I didn't think he could score on. Some people can get buckets on a nightly basis, but others take the court specifically to get buckets. He was one of those guys back then, a natural born scorer.

He went 19th overall to the Kings in that summer's draft and it seemed to me his game would translate. Only until it didn't, or at least it hasn't yet. He finished up last season playing in Turkey after being waived by the Raptors, but it appears newly extended Cavaliers GM Chris Grant might be a guy that would argue the latter when it comes to debating Quincy Douby's NBA potential.

Douby spent his first three seasons as a member of the Kings where he played sparingly. He is now hoping to re-enter the Association and he said over the weekend that the Cavaliers are interested.

This per a Hoopsworld report on Saturday:

"Sacramento was in the mix but they're not interested anymore since they signed Pooh Jeter. My agent is talking to the Suns, Knicks, Cavaliers, and Bulls. We're trying to see what situation will be the best for me to just get on the team and give a contribution," he said.

It's one of sports best attributes, one of the things that every sports fan does day in, day out. It causes arguments in bars nationwide, will cause best friends to act like 7 year olds bickering in a school playground, but everyone does it. I do it - a lot. Every NBA fan does it - a lot. It's called "Crystal Ball Gazing", trying to predict who'll win this Championship, who'll win MVP etc., it's one of the funnest things involved in sports, and today's "Crystal Ball Gazing" will focus entirely on Team USA.

As we've all read (several hundred times) no Redeem Team players will be featured in the upcoming World Championship. You know; because they felt like they needed a summer off to focus on Free Agency, try to force a trade or shop for a new house. Team USA that will tip-off the Championships this summer features a host of old heads mixed with young upstarts to form a formidable roster.

That roster in full is as follows:

After concluding his college career at Clemson University, Larry Nance became the 20th overall pick in the 1981 Draft when he was selected in the first round by the Phoenix Suns.

He played the better part of six seasons as a Sun prior to joining the Cavaliers for the second half of the 1987-88 campaign.  He didn't play much as a rookie, but from his second season on in Phoenix he averaged at least 17 points and over 8 rebounds per for the next five.  In the 1985-86 season Nance averaged 20.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. 

That chapter of his career, however, is most remembered for Nance defeating Dr. J in the finals of the 1984 Slam Dunk Contest...highlights below:

via YouTube

While some might have forgotten those early Phoenix days for Nance around here, Cavs fans all remember his dominance on the glass, ability to change shots defensively, and propensity to finish when on the receiving end of a Mark Price dime. 

It's been a while since we've taken a look around the league together, so I figure that with nothing else stopping us - no breaking news, no on-air TV decisions - now's the perfect time to do so.

I'm going to start with a story I'm sure all of us found quite funny, and if you didn't well then I've got two words for ya: Kwame Brown!! Closely followed by, "signs with the Bobcats." Closely followed by, "who are led by Michael Jordan." The same Michael Jordan and the same Kwame Brown that led to what has to be a front runner for "Worst Number One Overall Pick Ever In Any Sport Of Any Type Ever."

The nine-year pro averaged 3 points and 4 boards in 14 minutes last season for Detroit, and has now agreed to a one-year vet's minimum with Charlotte - a team undoubtedly on the rise in the East but also one that has made some questionable decisions.