LeBron James isn’t the first teen-ager to join a team of men and have a positive effect on them. But if you want to find one who’s had as big an effect, you might have to go back to Joan of Arc.

The peasant girl-turned warrior, as every schoolchild knows, spearheaded one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in history, leading the French army to its first victory over its archrival, the English, in something like a hundred years or more. Unfortunately, like so many subsequent superstars who have raised controversy, she got burned at the stake for her troubles.

Okay, that was war and this is basketball, but you get the idea. James has taken as sad a franchise as the NBA has east of Los Angeles and turned it into something approaching a winner. And he doesn’t have to worry about being fricasseed in public for his efforts.

That’s quite an accomplishment for a kid who last year at this time was being flayed in the media for getting a couple of free throwback jerseys and driving a new H2 Hummer while still three months shy of his high school graduation. Back then, a lot of us in the business of arriving at the scenes of catastrophes and shooting the survivors were wondering what kind of advice James was getting and what that boded for his life in the NBA.

It turns out that while James may not have had the best guidance in terms of dealing with freebies while playing interscholastic sports, something in his upbringing was done right. None of the bad things some feared and others probably hoped would happen to him in the pros have happened. He hasn’t assaulted anyone, male or female, hasn’t been an insufferable in-your-face hot dog on the court, hasn’t been caught or even accused of doing illegal substances, hasn’t wrecked a car, hasn’t even whined about his playing time, his coach, his teammates or the officials. In fact, about all he's complained about is being bypassed for the All-Star team -- he deserved to be on it -- but even then he reversed his earlier statement that he wouldn't go to the game as an injury replacement.

All James has done is play basketball at a very high level that has him already among the top 20 in the league in assists and scoring. All he’s done is turn the team formerly known as the Cadavers into a living, breathing, playoff-bound basketball team.

The Cavs aren’t in the tournament yet, but they’re headed there. In each quarter of the season, James and the team have improved, going from 5-15 in their first 20 games to 11-9 in their last 20.

Give coach Paul Silas some of the credit, but give most of it to James, a 19-year-old hometown hero who, unlike so many other ultra-talented kids, isn’t happy just putting up good numbers but burns with the desire to be the best.

The kid wants to win. A lot of people say that, but James has proved it. And he’s doing it at a level that is all but inconceivable for one so young. He’s scoring 20-plus points a game and averaging about 5.5 rebounds and a like number of assists.

Compared to him, Kobe Bryant was an infant when he came into the NBA. Bryant averaged 7.6 points during his first year, and didn’t hit 20 –- 19.9 actually –- until his third year. Even this year, when Bryant is recognized as perhaps the best player at his position, he’s averaging 22.9 with 5.2 assists and 5.4 rebounds –- figures virtually identical to James’.

Moses Malone, who came out at the age of 19, averaged 18.8 points his rookie season and a Herculean 14.6 rebounds. But his team –- the old Utah Stars in the ABA -- did worse that season than they did the year before, going from 51-33 to 48-36. Kevin Garnett, at 19, averaged 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and fewer than two assists. Not until his fourth year did he break 20 points.

Virtually every high-school athlete coming into the NBA has needed time to develop the skills to be a reliable starter. James has done it in less than a full season. He hasn’t so much led the Cavs as dragged them along with him.

This isn’t to say that Cleveland is suddenly a great team. In fact, if a .500 record is the definition of mediocrity –- and it is everywhere but in the NBA East -- they’re not even that. But, as of Thursday, they were 25-36 and closing in on a playoff spot.

With a quarter of the season yet to play, Cleveland is already eight games better than they were last year, when they went 17-65. But, given their early record and what they’ve done lately, they’re better than their record says they are. They should break 35 wins this year, and that’s double last year’s total.

Compare that to where this sorry franchise is coming from. They’ve won more than 30 games only once in the past five seasons, and that was four years ago when they won 32. This isn’t a team that was pretty good and just waiting for the last piece of the puzzle. These were the Cadavers, a dead team dribbling.

Last year, they were dead last in attendance, averaging 11,496, 55.9 percent of capacity. This year, they are 10th in attendance, filling Gund Arena to 85.9 percent of capacity, more than 6,000 paying customers per game than they had last year. On the road, they’re filling buildings to 96.4 percent of capacity.  Only the Lakers, who fill every building in which they play, draw more fans.

A lot of kids are touted as the next Jordan or the next Montana or the next Ted Williams. Nearly every one of them fails to live up to the hype. But James has not only lived up to the hype, he’s exceeded it.

He’s still not the next Jordan, and he won’t be until he has the rings and the scoring championships. But he’s more than anyone could have expected –- other, that is, than James himself.

MORE FROM CENTRAL (CHI, CLE, DET, IND, MIL)

Banged-up Pistons lose Ben Gordon to ankle injury

Banged-up Pistons lose Ben Gordon to ankle injury Shaq says he will play for Cavs on Friday night Bucks’ Bogut out 2 to 4 weeks with leg injury Shockey: ‘Trust me — Lebron could not play’ Trash Talk: LeBron isn't going anywhere in 2010 Celizic: Why would LeBron go to New York?   Vote: Where will LeBron play in 2010? LeBron to switch number as Jordan tribute Opinion: LeBron's tribute to Jordan is misguided Bucks' Jennings starts career with flourish   Add Central (Chi, Cle, Det, Ind, Mil) headlines to your news reader: