As Cleveland burns – or rather, as free agents shun the Cavaliers because No. 23’s going to be in a Knicks’ jersey in 2010 – LeBron James is hosting a basketball workshop of sorts in conjunction with NIKE. According to Gary Parrish of CBS Sports, Xavier’s Jordan Crawford (he played a season at Indiana before transferring after the Kelvin Sampson mess) dunked hard – with both hands – on LeBron during a pickup game. It sounds like the kind of jam that would dwarf Courtney Lee’s facial (see below) on King James in the playoffs. Too bad you’ll never see Crawford’s flush. NIKE confiscated the the footage shot by two cameramen.

“He just said, ‘We have to take your tape,’” [photographer] Miller said. “They took it from other guys, too … LeBron called Lynn over and told him something,” Miller said. “That’s how I knew his name was Lynn. LeBron said, ‘Hey, Lynn. Come here.’” Minutes later, Miller said Merritt demanded his tape.

“There’s nothing I can think of besides LeBron just not wanting it online,” Miller said. “It’s a good story to tell people, I guess. But then again, I’m kind of pissed. I lost my tape.”

Rough six weeks for the best player in basketball. Stunned in the playoffs by Orlando. Storms off the court without shaking hands and is blistered in the media. There was this rumored radio incident. His Cavs acquired Shaq, but no other free agents seems to have the slightest interest in going to Cleveland. And then there’s the Ariza story, which we’ll get to later.

This dunk cover-up, of course, will pale in comparison to the number of folks who call him Benedict Arnold when he sinks the franchise next July to play in Gotham.

Nike does not want you to see that dunk (CBS Sports)

* A few posters here have found two players to dunk on LeBron besides C Lee: former USC star and current Wizards reserve Nick Young …

.. and at the 1 min mark, former Utah Ute Britton Johnsen in LeBron’s first pro summer league game.