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Cavs' Silas relates to Baker's plightCLEVELAND (AP) Paul Silas would follow a 20-rebound game by trying to drink as many beers. The Cavaliers coach remembers nights he would chug down a few cold ones before hoarding unopened beers left for his teammates who didn't drink alcohol. ``I would have five or six before I left the locker room,'' Silas said Tuesday. ``I could really drink a lot, and I liked it.'' About 15 years ago, he quit. ``I had to,'' he said. ``They say you can't quit on your own, but I did.'' Now a recovering alcoholic, Silas can relate from personal experience to the current plight of Vin Baker, the four-time All-Star released last week by the Boston Celtics for violating the terms of his alcohol treatment program. One of the league's greatest all-time rebounders, the 60-year-old Silas was able to pull his life together. He now prays Baker can one day do the same and hopes others can be sympathetic to his struggle. ``I just hope he can get the desired help he needs and goes through sobriety,'' Silas said. ``Because it (alcoholism) is devastating. I hope people understand what it is _ that it's a disease. It's something I can sympathize with him with because I've been there. He has a disease. And I have it, too.'' Silas' candid revelation _ he hasn't spoken to Cleveland's players about his alcohol problems _ that he was a heavy drinker was prompted by a question before Monday's game on whether the Cavs were interested in signing Baker. On Tuesday, Silas went into greater detail about his ``demons.'' Growing up in Oakland, Calif., Silas was around alcohol at an early age. His late father would come home from work drunk and pass out in a chair. Although aware of his father's problem and the potential that he could follow a destructive path, Silas loved the taste of that first beer as a 16-year-old and continued to drink during four years at Creighton. An NBA lifestyle of late nights, first-class plane trips and luxury hotels contributed to his drinking in the 1960s and 70s, Silas said. So did an American culture, which didn't stigmatize drinking and smoking as it does today. ``When I was with the St. Louis Hawks, we would come in at halftime and there would be a cigarette on each player's chair,'' Silas said. ``Guys would light up. I just smell the stuff now and it makes me sick to my stomach.'' Silas's 16-year playing career ended in 1980 when he retired after three seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics. However, his drinking only increased. He took a job with a consulting firm in New York with his former agent, and Silas said many evenings included post-work cocktails _ a lot of them. It was following one such night that Silas decided he had had his fill of alcohol. Driving aimlessly in a drunken stupor, he made a wrong turn and got lost as he tried to get home. Silas decided immediately it was time to straighten out his life. ``I started praying,'' Silas said, ``and I said, 'Lord, if you let me find my way, I won't take another drop.' And there was like an illumination and I saw the (street) sign for where I was. I went home and told me wife, 'That's it.' And I just quit.'' Although he was twice an All-Star and won three NBA titles, Silas is sure his drinking affected him as a player, but he'll never know just how much. ``I'm sure it did, but somehow I made it through,'' he said. ``Having a couple of beers after the game, if you can handle it, I don't think there's anything wrong with it. But if you can't, you have to stay away from it _ totally.'' Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets LeBron James pops another big ad dealCLEVELAND (AP) LeBron James has snapped up another big endorsement deal. The Cleveland Cavaliers' rookie star signed a four-year, $5 million contract with Bubblicious bubble gum, popping his sponsorship deals to nearly $135 million. Like his idol, Michael Jordan, the 19-year-old James chews gum during games and occasionally blows a bubble or two _ making him a natural fit for London-based Cadbury Schweppes PLC. ``He appeals to a large audience and he loves the brand,'' marketing director Sydney Taylor said Monday. ``He's been chewing our gum for quite a while.'' James will appear in television and print advertisements for the gum, the first time a pro athlete has endorsed the product, Taylor said. Cadbury is exploring having James promote other products, she said. James' agent, Aaron Goodwin, said Bubblicious will have a LeBron James-inspired flavor. Goodwin had been in negotiations for three months on the deal and said he's talking with four or five companies, including McDonald's and Kraft, about future projects. James has been racking up big-money endorsement contracts with sponsors since May, when he signed a seven-year, $90 million deal with Nike _ the richest initial shoe contract ever offered an athlete. He has deals with Coca Cola/Sprite ($16 million), Juice Batteries ($8 million) and Upper Deck ($5 million). He also signed a guaranteed three-year, $13 million deal with the Cavaliers in July. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Cavs fined $5,000 for skitCLEVELAND (AP) The Cleveland Cavaliers were fined $5,000 by the NBA on Monday for a skit in which their mascot poked fun at Celtics guard Ricky Davis. During a timeout in the second quarter of a Feb. 9 game against Boston, Moondog, Cleveland's floppy-eared mascot, mopped the floor with a No. 31 Cavs jersey _ Davis' number while he was with Cleveland. The Cavs traded Davis to the Celtics in December. ``We accept responsibility and will pay the fine and move on,'' team spokesman Tad Carper said. Earlier this season, the Utah Jazz were fined $15,000 by the league for a skit that ridiculed Los Angeles forward Karl Malone and teammate Kobe Bryant. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Cavaliers Feb 2004 Archive
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