Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal has applied to be a special deputy in Ohio's Cuyahoga County.

O'Neal would have the right to carry a gun and make arrests as an unpaid employee.

He has served similar roles in Arizona, Virginia and Florida.

If his application is approved, O'Neal would have to undergo 36 hours of police training and pass an Ohio police exam.

After falling to 0-2 this season, Cleveland spoke of how they miss the play of Delonte West.

"It definitely hurts us," Mo Williams said. "Look at what happened with (Kevin Garnett) with Boston last year, it doesn't matter the stature of the player, it is losing a valuable player. It's evident we miss him."

According to Brian Windhorst of the Plain Dealer, the team is acutely aware of West's absence because he is still practicing and traveling with the team but not yet able to take the floor for actual games.

Immediately following Cleveland's road loss in Toronto, Mike Brown had a long meeting with Danny Ferry and assistant GM Lance Blanks.

For the first time in his five years as the coach the locker room opened to the media before Brown spoke to the media, indicating how drawn out the discussion was.

LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal both like the idea of Cleveland acquiring Stephen Jackson, according to sources.

The Cavaliers are reluctant to part with Zydrunas Ilgauskas because they can ill-afford to lose that depth in the frontcourt.

The Warriors, however, have still been strictly receiving trade offers that don't suit their needs.

When Mikhail Prokhorov reached agreement on the $700 million purchase price for the New Jersey Nets, sources say he immediately sought a sit down talk with part owner Jay-Z.

Jay-Z is a close friend to LeBron James and some believe he could be influential when the MVP becomes a free agent next summer.

?Prokhorov and his people know that the way to LeBron is through Jay-Z,? one high-level source connected to the Russians and Nets said. ?From the start, that?s right where they?ve wanted to go.?

Though his report hasn't been verified, Chris Broussard of ESPN indicates growing rumors that Stephen Jackson trade talks have been heating up.

The Cavaliers, Hornets, Spurs, Nuggets and Clippers are all believed to be interested.

The Warriors are reportedly mulling several offers.

Tuesday's Opening Night featuring games between the Celtics and Cavaliers, along with the Lakers and Clippers, became Turner's most-watched opening night in its 26 years of airing the NBA.

TNT drew nearly 3.7 million viewers Tuesday for the Celtics' 95-89 victory over the Cavaliers, followed by the Lakers' 99-92 win over the Clippers. That was a 43 percent increase over the 2.6 million that watched last year's opening-night doubleheader.

Boston?s Big Three, plus Rasheed Wallace spoiled Cleveland?s season opener on Tuesday night with a 95-89 win over the new-look Cavaliers, according to an Associated Press report.

Paul Pierce scored 23 points, Ray Allen 16 and Kevin Garnett 13 as the Celtics ended an 11-game losing streak in Cleveland.

Raptors forward Chris Bosh appears to still be upset over the comment made by Shaquille O'Neal last season.

O'Neal, then with the Suns, called Bosh "the RuPaul of big men."

Toronto will face off against Cleveland, O'Neal's new team, on Wednesday night at the Air Canada Centre.

"I don't care. I really don't care. Everybody can talk back and forth all day. But at the end of the day, it's what happens on the court," Bosh told the Toronto Sun of the comments. "But I've never quit ever in my life."

Raptors coach Jay Triano insists that everything is in the past.

"It was a year ago and it's a cancelled check," added Triano. "It really has no value. Sometimes people use that for motivation and hopefully Chris did."

Cavaliers guard Delonte West is unlikely to play in Tuesday night's season opener against the Celtics.

He is officially listed as "doubtful" for the game.

"He's doubtful for tonight," Brown told ESPN following Cleveland's morning shootaround. "Right now we have a support system for him off the floor, and [Cleveland general manager] Danny [Ferry] is heading that, and I'm just waiting for them to give the OK. When Danny tells me that he can play, he'll play."

A domestic violence report was filed against West with local police following an altercation between the guard and his wife on Sunday.

West was also arrested over the summer for carrying three loaded weapons while driving his motorcycle.