LeBron James recently told ESPN that the NBA could benefit from teams having more superstars, a la his partnership with Dwyane Wade and that other guy on the Miami Heat. James used Minnesota’s Kevin Love and New Jersey’s Devin Harris and Brook Lopez as examples of players that he believes would be more exciting on better teams. And that’s fine, because the whole world agrees that their teams suck. But James is upset now that people think he’s pro-contraction, when he never even used the word. Hell, he doesn’t even know what it means…

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The New York Daily News reported on Monday that LeBron James, the King Ding-a-Ling in the NBA free agent class, was in New York last Friday to enjoy a night on the town. Keeping James company? New Jersey Nets minority owner, iconic rapper and friend Jay-Z. During any other month out of the year, this wouldn’t raise as much as an eyebrow, lest some TMZ photogs catch them in an Eiffel Tower with Miss USA. However, less than a week away from a day as important as today, it’s causing a bit of a storm, at least in Dallas.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was fined $100,000 in May for a harmless comment he made to CNNMoney.com about how any team would want to sign LeBron. Shortly after, former Suns President Steve Kerr was also fined $10,000 for a joke he made about signing James. These instances made public light of the NBA’s tampering rules, which basically impose a no contact policy between free-agents-to-be and team owners until the beginning of free agency – today. Queue the suspenseful beats.

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Billionaire entertainment mogul David Geffen has been trying for years to purchase the Los Angeles Clippers, and despite his best efforts and promises to raise the franchise to greatness, current owner and selective renter Donald Sterling will not sell. Sterling, widely regarded as one of the worst owners in professional sports history, has recently shed his cheapskate image to little success, but Geffen is promising Clippers fans and Sterling the ultimate prize – LeBron James.

Geffen sat courtside at Game 2 of the NBA Finals with LeBron’s close friend and business manager Maverick Carter, and the King elected not to attend to avoid creating a distraction from the game itself. The 67-year old Geffen is already friends with the 25-year old James, so the possibility of him making due on his word is hardly a longshot. The problem is that Sterling refuses to sell the franchise – or at least the majority share – because he has long declared that it is “an asset of remarkable value.” Added Sterling: “In the meantime, I just had a remarkable meal at Taco Bell and need to take an astonishing dump.”

Straighten your double Windsor, Los Angeles Business:

Based on Forbes magazine’s valuations of NBA franchises, the Clippers are the 23rd most valuable franchise in the league at $295 million. It bears mentioning that the most valuable franchise happens to be the Clippers’ roommates at Staples Center, the Los Angeles Lakers, who are currently in the NBA finals.

Based on the $295 million valuation, a 51 percent stake would cost Geffen, who has a net worth estimated around $4.5 billion, around $151 million.

Geffen believes that his history in the recording industry and partnership in DreamWorks could open endless doors for LeBron to become an unparalleled global icon. In related news, I was once on the jumbotron at a XFL game. Geffen also believes that the core of players already in place for the Clippers – Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon – could offer LeBron an immediate shot at ousting the Lakers as LA’s title team.

Sterling, however, will simply not sell a majority share of the team, but he does have some nice apartments he’s willing to rent, so long as you’re not black or Latino.

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Less than a week after punching out on of LeBron James’ “kids,” Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards was literally kicked out of Cleveland. And I thought all those references to LeBron “owning the town” were just figurative. Braylon was sent to the Jets for wide receiver Chansi Stuckey, linebacker Jason Trusnik, and two draft picks, reportedly a 3rd- and a 5th-round pick.

The trade comes just two days after a Cleveland man accused Edwards of assault outside a nightclub in the city. The man is a friend of Cavs star LeBron James, who said Edwards’ alleged assault was motivated by “jealousy.”

This is the second major trade between the Browns and Jets since Mangini joined Cleveland after being dismissed by the Jets in January. The Jets acquired the fifth overall pick from the Browns in April, and then selected Sanchez with the choice. via.

Yeah, what the hell is up with the big trades? Is Mangini raiding the Browns? We’ll know in three months, depending on whether or not the entire Jets locker room ends up with a staph infection. also.

The “Friends of Lebron” tag makes its debut on With Leather today as we discuss this bizarre story of Cleveland Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards allegedly punching out Edward Givens, who works as an events promoter-slash-Friend of LeBron. I have no idea why I spelled out the slash there.

A police report gives these details: Givens was talking to the suspect outside the club when the suspect started an argument. The suspect then punched Givens with a closed first on the left side of his face. Givens told officers he would seek treatment at Lutheran Hospital.

The suspect’s name on the police report is redacted. But multiple sources and the victim say the suspect is Edwards. via.

Givens wasn’t surprised that the NFL’s droppingest receiver came after him outside of View Ultralounge & Nightclub early Monday morning.

“Everyone knows Braylon has a problem with LeBron. So I had to speak up for myself. The conversation started to escalate. As some of his teammates started to pull him back, he punched me. I have a black eye and a cut. I’m not a violent guy.

“As long as I’ve known Braylon, I’ve allowed him and his friends to come into our events free of charge. Whatever jealousy he has with LeBron, he felt he needed to take it out on me.”

Braylon would probably do well for himself to get to bed a little earlier and stop dropping so many passes. But this…this is just weird. Dude PLAYS IN THE NFL. And not well, either. Why’s he punching out club promoters? Why not punch out somebody that deserves it? Like Larry Dolan. Or Eric Mangini. Or anyone living in Cleveland that’s not friends with LeBron.