LeBron James seems to be loving life ever since he returned home to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He got a standing ovation when he played with the other Cavaliers in the home stadium of the Ohio State Buckeyes after returning to his roots.

"It's good to see that LeBron is in a Cavaliers uniform again," said Gooden, a teammate of James', "I kind of joked about, but if he was in Miami this year, we wouldn't be talking about any Cavaliers-Washington Wizards rivalry. Now that he's back, I guess it has resurfaced."

More than anyone on the Wizards' current roster, Drew Gooden, knows about the rivalry between Washington and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the mid 2000s.

The rivalry really regained interest because the two-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat is back in Ohio and the two sides are going to meet Friday night an exciting match-up.

Because James' presence demands invariable notice and the Wizards are now one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference, more attention was given in the morning shoot-around that took place ahead of Wednesday night's game.

Gooden added, "Absolutely mature," the power forward said of how the now-30-year-old and relentlessly analyzed James has changed over a full decade.

"I think he got the pressure of winning a championship off his back. He's won every other award you can think of. I don't know if he's got defensive player of the year yet, but I think that's what people will start knocking him next. ...I'm proud of him that he's been able to accomplish everything that people probably doubted he could do. I'm happy for him."