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Leon Powe is a Cavalier and he has spoken.  Mary Schmitt Boyer has an article from Thursday afternoon with some quotes from Leon Powe.  Assuming he makes it back on the court sometime next year, and assuming there are some teeth to his quotes, Cavaliers fans have a lot to be excited about with this guy.  In reading some of these quotes, it is no wonder that Boston fans gravitated to this guy over the last few years and are now mourning his loss to the club.

Spurned by the Celtics, who did not make Powe a qualifying offer, it seems like Powe considers them an enemy.  That should go over just fine here in Cleveland where we are still bitter from two years ago.

“They said they couldn’t do anything for me,” Powe said. “I didn’t understand that. From my standpoint, I was looking at it like I’m a loyal person. They told me it was a business. But I thought they were at least going to offer me a one-year deal to see if I made it back on my feet.”

This 25 year-old is on a mission to get back out on the court and prove that he is a great player.  Desire and drive?  Sounds like another guy who just might be the anti-Larry Hughes.  His knee is going through its third operation and yet he still is looking to find ways onto the court as fast as possible.

“I’m naturally a hard worker. I’ve always got a chip on my shoulder, regardless of what happened in the past. I want to get back. I want to prove to everybody that I work extremely hard and that I’m going to work just as hard on my knee and try to get back out there on the court.”

Once he gets back onto the court, this is the player you are getting Cavs fans.  A workman-like guy who concentrates hard on doing the fundamental not-so-flashy types of things that ultimately lead teams to success.

“I get to the free-throw line, I rebound the basketball with the best of them and I play real good defense,” he said when asked to describe his game. “I can score down on the box, too. I’ve got no fear going out there when the lights are on, when the pressure’s on and everything’s at stake. I’ve got no fear that I can come through and deliver at those particular times, too.”

And here is the kicker Cleveland fans.  For all the greedy athletes like the aforementioned Hughes, or Shawn Kemp who have passed through Cleveland over the years, and for every greedy athlete in baseball that has chased richer contracts in bigger cities whenever they had the chance.  Leon Powe is someone that Cleveland fans are going to rally around.

“I know if I wasn’t hurt, I’d probably have a little more money,” he said. “I’m just happy the Cavaliers took a chance on me. Any money in the NBA is more than what anybody makes in a regular job. The money is not the issue with me. The issue is I want to get my knee back healthy and go out there and play basketball.”

“Any money in the NBA is more than what anybody makes in a regular job.”  Welcome to Cleveland Leon.  I can tell that we are going to love you already.  Now all he needs to do is get back on the court and do all those things that he says he can do.  Oh, and helping win a championship would be nice too.