By JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press Writer

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C.(AP) -- After only two preseason games,
Shaquille O'Neal knows he still has some work to do to mesh with
his new team.

O'Neal played 18 minutes in Cleveland's 102-96 win over the
Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night, and the Cavaliers' newest
big man didn't have the best of opening quarters, throwing a
couple of no-look passes that went just behind or in front of
his teammates.

But O'Neal got into a groove during a brief third quarter
appearance, making a short hook shot and a dunk and hitting Mo
Williams for an open 3-pointer before leaving the game for good
with 12 points and four rebounds.

O'Neal likes his new home and teammates, but he isn't ready to
make any predictions on how good this team can be.

"I'll be able to tell by March or April if we have the potential
to win," he said after the game.

O'Neal and LeBron James took their show on the road for the
first time. James played even less than O'Neal, scoring 11
points and getting five assists in just 17 minutes, all in the
first half. The highlight for James came when he shook off a
defender and drove for a dunk that led to one of the few oohs
from the sellout crowd at the North Charleston Coliseum.

Gerald Wallace led Charlotte with 18 points, while Alexis Ajinca
added 15 points off the bench.

The Cavaliers started J.J. Hickson in place of Anderson Varejao,
who was having lower back spasms. Hickson, whom James has
mentored during the offseason, had 15 points and six rebounds
and was the only Cleveland starter playing in the final minutes
as the Cavaliers held off several Bobcats runs.

Hickson followed James around all summer, working out whenever
they could find the time and hanging out with James' family.l

"I see the potential in him. If he just had a good work ethic,
that could help him," James said. "He learned more about being a
man also, growing up, being around me and my family and things
like that - I think it helped him."

Hickson played 29 minutes, more than any other Cavalier, and
coach Mike Brown said he wanted to see what the second-year
player from North Carolina State could do if he got a chance.

"For him to be able to do some of the things he's done so far,
it's good to see," Brown said.

Cleveland's Delonte West didn't play for the second straight
preseason game. The team said he was out for personal reasons.
The guard was expected to take a few days off as he deals with
an arrest last month on misdemeanor gun possession charges in
Maryland.

Boris Diaw and Tyson Chandler of the Bobcats both missed the
game with ankle injuries.

"We've got to get Tyson Chandler and Boris Diaw on the court,
then things will get better," Charlotte coach Larry Brown said.
"We have to get one of our big guys to step up and give us
honest minutes."

Raymond Felton scored 11 points, enjoying his first trip back to
play in his home state of South Carolina as a pro.

"We've still got a lot of things we need to work on, but that's
what preseason is for," Felton said.