CLEVELAND - I attended Cleveland's 105-85 blowout win over Atlanta in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, but was bored by halftime. So I decided to write about some other stuff. Here goes:

* I'm no Rick Pitino fan, but the Sacramento Kings should fly Pitino into town, offer him way too much money, and beg him to be their next head coach. The good news for Sacramento is Pitino supposedly reached out to the Kings to show interest, according to the story first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

* Pitino is no Larry Brown or Phil Jackson, but he would make a splash and the Kings could definitely use one. I'm not sure why he would want the Kings job, especially since he seems to have a good thing going at the collegiate level at Louisville. (As one media member half-jokingly suggested, maybe he's afraid of new Kentucky coach John Calipari.) But if I'm the Kings, I don't ask Pitino why -- I just ask how much. As in, how much money will it take for you to be our next coach?

* Sadly, there are other guys out there who are probably more qualified for the job. Former Washington (and Kings) coach Eddie Jordan is said to be the frontrunner. Former Charlotte and Golden State (and current Detroit assistant) Dave Cowens is also in the mix, as is former Phoenix coach Paul Westphal. But none bring the hype that would follow Pitino to an organization that's in dire need of it.

* The only available coach I would take over Pitino is former Dallas coach Avery Johnson -- now a studio analyst for ESPN. Johnson has pizzazz and smarts, and has had success at this level, leading the Mavericks to the Finals in 2006. Interestingly, his name has not been linked to the Kings' opening.

* According to Wojnarowski's report, "It is believed that Pitino intermediaries initiated" contact with the Kings. Also, there supposedly are "significant hurdles that need to be cleared before Pitino could be Sacramento's coach, but sources say for a variety of reasons Pitino is feeling the pull of the pros again."

* Hurdles to be cleared? That makes sense. One of which is Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof's stance that the Kings have not spoken to Pitino. OK, well, fine. Talk to him. Clear the hurdles. Bring some sizzle back to Sacramento basketball. Otherwise, this team will eventually be headed to St. Louis -- or some other random city that longs for a new pro sports franchise.

* Again, Pitino isn't Red Auerbach. But his teams play an exciting brand of basketball (unlike Mike Fratello, another reported candidate), and if you throw in the fact the Kings have the highest percentage of landing the No. 1 draft pick ... well, bringing Pitino and Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin to town would go a long way toward reviving some serious interest.

* Quick: Tell me who starts at point guard for the Kings. Can't do it? Bring Pitino to town and you wouldn't care. In some instances, the buzz is better than the actual product. And in some instances (i.e: this one), that's OK.

* The answer to the point guard question is Beno Udrih, by the way.

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* Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Terry Pluto was admittedly gushing at halftime of the Cavs-Hawks game, particularly over LeBron James' 40-footer to beat the buzzer. "But this is a season is which James can throw in a 40-foot jumper -- a real jumper, not a heave -- at the end of the first half," Pluto wrote in his halftime blog. "It's a season in which James can drive through the entire Hawks team at the end of the first quarter, and then execute a two-handed, reverse slam as if he were in a dunking contest."

* Translation: It's really, really good to be a Cavs fan.

* Actually, the Cavs are so dominant that it's starting to become boring. It seems as if they can win by at least 10 points without even trying these days.

* I don't really mean I'm bored with the Cavs. I was exaggerating to make a point. As James said at his post game press conference, this really is a lot of fun for everyone. Well, everyone except the poor Hawks.

* How good has the Cavs' defense been? Allow me to answer by once again quoting PBN contributor David Friedman (and I recommend that everyone try to sit next to Friedman on press row at least once in their life). Anyway, Friedman said, "The Cavs have made Joe Johnson disappear. I mean, we're talking about a three-time All-Star. Where is he?"

* Meanwhile, the Hawks really are playing like they're just happy to be here. In their defense, because of injuries to Al Horford and Marvin Williams, they were forced to start Mo Evans and Zaza Pachulia alongside Mike Bibby, Josh Smith and Joe Johnson. That's not a bad lineup, but not necessarily one that could advance to the second round of the playoffs on its own.

* As you likely know by now, the man who hired Isiah Thomas in New York is splitting town. Steve Mills, who actually worked for MSG, was demoted once the new regime of Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni were brought in to run the basketball side of things. Mills is leaving to work for Magic Johnson‘s company, fittingly named Magic Johnson Enterprises.

* By the way, do you ever wonder why basketball players still wear tank tops -- as opposed to short-sleeved shirts? They seem as outdated as those short shorts of the NBA's first 40 years. And how often do you play pickup games in tank top? I bet never. I bet you wear a t-shirt. Time for the NBA to follow suit.

* Obviously, I've run out of material. Until next time, thanks for reading and keep those comments and e-mails coming.

Sam Amico is the editor of Pro Basketball News. He can be reached at amico@probasketballnews.com.