Mayor?

Quick: Which former Cavalier is leading the mayor's race in a major American city? No, it's not Shawn Kemp, surprisingly enough. And no, it isn't World B. Free, though that would be a great name for a politician.

It's Kevin Johnson, who has 47 percent of the vote in Sacramento. Apparently, if the absentee votes can put him over 50, he'll avoid a runoff election in November, but it's pretty unlikely that he'll make up three points. Any statistician will tell you that. Still, though, he's leading incumbent Mayor Heather Fargo by seven points. So as long as he doesn't accidentally decapitate a baby while driving drunk, or something along those lines, he's probably golden.

For those who may not remember, the Cavaliers drafted Johnson out of California-Berkeley in 1987, and as Mark Price's backup at the point guard position. At that time in his career, Price looked like a potential future Hall of Famer -- and he might have been, had he not struggled with injuries as his career wore on. Still, Price is the Cavaliers' all-time greatest point guard, and probably one of their three or four greatest players of any position. When he was at the top of his game, he could just about rule the court. That Price-Daugherty-Nance team was something else. (More on Larry Nance in just a moment.)

Johnson would go on to NBA stardom, of course, but not in Cleveland. The Cavs traded him to Phoenix midway through his rookie season. And it was that rare trade that actually benefited both teams. Johnson, backup power-forward center Mark West and backup swingman Tyrone Corbin went to the Suns in exchange for two guys who would be starters for the Cavaliers: Mike Sanders and Larry Nance. Nance was an established NBA starter -- and a champion of the slam-dunk competition at a time when that actually meant something -- but it wasn't until he got to Cleveland that he became a star. And Johnson would immediately excel as the starter in Phoenix. Both would be key players on teams that went deep into the playoffs, though of course, both teams would fall short. This was the Jordan-Olajuwon era, after all.

Kevin Johnson always seemed to me like a personable, intelligent man, but I never dreamed he would ever run for mayor of a major city -- though I would have thought it more likely than Jesse Ventura or Arnold Schwarzennegger being elected governors. And yes, Sacramento IS a major city. Its current estimated population is about 475,000. Cleveland's is about 478,000. So if Cleveland's a major city (which it is), then Sacramento is too.

I have no idea what Kevin Johnson's political leanings are, but regardless, I wish him well, and as a Cavalier fan, I'm proud of him.

Incidentally, it seems a tree branch fell on Heather Fargo's election-night gathering last night. One of her supporters had to be taken to the hospital. Were one the sort to take that as a sign, one would have to conclude that it bodes ill for Fargo.