OT: LeBron to Cleveland?
Lots of rumblings from NBA insiders that LeBron could be headed back to Cleveland. This seems to be confirmed by Cleveland's salary-cap clearing "trade" today. They ditched Jarrett Jack and his $6.3MM salary, along with Tyler Zeller and Tyler Zeller and Sergey Karasev, for nothing but cap space.
In my opinion, I think this is a great move from both a team and money perspective.
From a team perspective, Cleveland stands in stark contrast to Miami. Rather than being full of bloated salaries and past-their-prime stars, they're loaded with young talent and have the potential to be very good in the coming years. Add LeBron to the mix with Kyrie Irving (somewhat overrated but still solid), a Wiggins (who would benefit by easing into a high-level role), and Tristan Thompson, and you've got a squad that can easily contend for a title in the East.
From a money perspective, LeBron is going to make the max no matter where he goes, so salary isn't the deciding factor. Endorsements are. Now that he's the biggest star in the NBA, it doesn't matter if he's based out of Cleveland or New York/LA/Chi. The name LeBron Jame name recognition is global and his endorsement deals won't decrease just because he plays in a secondary market. If anything, being on a team with young talent may help increase his longevity as a title contender and thus his relevance in the league, keeping his endorsement money flowing at a high level through and beyond his prime years.
Not while Dan Gilbert is still the owner there. Rumors (which is all we have regarding the LeBron situation) point to him wanting his new agent to get publicity and establish himself in the Cleveland area. I think Cav's fans are setting themselves up again for more heartbreak.
It would be cool to see Lebron back in Cleveland, but Gilbert has done nothing to deserve this. I can't believe they just pulled that letter off their site only a couple days ago. What a joke.
They had pulled it off in 2010. This was on a 'purged' site that Cleveland didn't even have access to anymore. They noticed a huge uptick in clicks on a certain link and noticed it still being able to be accessed. They had to contact the NBA to have it removed.
You can talk about Gilbert not deserving it but how in the world do Miami fans deserve having the best player in the world playing for them?
Im a Cavs fan, I really hope it happens but if it doesn't the Cavs are sitting in a great spot for a great future. We're playing with house money, imo.
Isn't that what Bill Simmons said on his podcast?
I don't care too much where he goes, but the "coming home" spin that his sponsors (and the Cavs) would put on this would be among the more nauseating spectacles in recent sporting memory. That stated, it would alleviate the need to keep syrup of ipecac in my medicine cabinet.
So count me in!
Even more nauseating is that Cleveland fans will eat it up, completely forgetting the "we've been wronged" act they put on when he left.
And the loss of ipecac sales will be fully offset by sales of LeBron James throwback jerseys. Here's a likely glimpse into the future should LeBron return to the Cavs:
LeBron James returning has changed the tide for the Cavs. Hell people in Ohio are starting to believe him again. Never in a million years we would have thought that. Selling flame-retardant white and flame-retardant burgundy throwback LeBron jerseys is a good start.
The list of athletes who have left Cleveland teams to go on to greater success elsewhere is longer than the list of Browns starting QBs. And he was a local product who took the Cavs to their greatest heights, then dumped Cleveland on national TV. The response was predictably and embarrassingly over the top, and if he returns there will be some awkwardness. But keep it neat, get one of these:
I mean a hour long sportcenter special wasnt the best way to tell your home town team that you had been drafted by and played on for 7 years that you were leaving to take your talents to south beach.
Didn't all that money go to the Boys and Girls club? I have volunteered at a local BGC in an incredibly poor part of Michigan. I think that money was well spent.
That money only went to the Boys and Girls Club AFTER all the backlash that Lebron received for The Decision. That money was never originally intended for the BGC until Lebron and his people had a PR disaster and had to try to find a way to put out the flames.
Not true at all.
It went to the Boys and Girls Club...of Greenwich, CT. No offense, but I'm sure the kids in GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT were doing alright for themselves.
The fans had NO PART in sending Lebron to Miami. His sideshow. His spectacle. His decision.
means after Lebron left Cleveland the fans treated him like shit. Some of this is to be expected but 1) they were over the top, and 2) most anybody in Ohio would leave to make a ton of money in South Beach and play with 2 All Stars.
then f*ing act like it. Lebron tried to come off as the savior of Cleveland basketball and then ran away the first chance he had. He could have pushed to have All Stars join him, but it was ALL ABOUT LEBRON at that point. He deserved to have his jersey burned. He deserved to be called names. He deserved to have Dan Gilbert write a childish letter and post it for four years on the team website. I have no sympathy for Lebron (if you couldn't tell by now).
How do you get the .mp3 of the crying infant to autoplay every time I read your comment?
Cleveland brought in every washed up former all star then could just to keep him happy (Shaq, Ben Wallace) because he insinuated that if they didn't he would leave. Then he pulls that decision bs to further humiliate the organization and, worse yet, his hometown fans. Say what you want about the Celtics but Garnett and Allen were traded to Boston, LeBron and Bosh proved they couldn't hack it on their own so they joined forces in the weaker conference and hailed themselves as the greatest team ever. I'm not from Cleveland, but the only way I think he could make it up to me if I were would be to come back and win a championship.
It was a system designed to help teams keep their star players.
Why go play somewhere that walks out on your team that worked their butts off to get to the finals ONLY TO SEE THEM COME BACK AND WIN ... and then a year later leave in the middle of the game AGAIN?
How are those fans more 'worthy'? If he leaves Miami they won't burn jerseys but that is because they aren't real fans.
LeBron was a god walking the earth in Cleveland, he was worshipped here. My opinion was that he didn't owe us anything, but he also didn't have to take a big steaming shit right on top of us when he left.
Also, are you actually implying that Miami has great fans? The same fans where 90% of them left in the 4th quarter of game 5 instead of staying, cheering on their team, thanking them for 4 great seasons and 2 championships.
Last, Lebron is not coming here, and I'm as shocked as anyone that people around here let themselves get sucked in again. The only reason all 3 of them opted out is because all 3 of them are going back. I would also take Lebron back in a second, because in the end, who gives a shit.
Then he's a masochist. Furthermore, he clicked on a thread (marked OT, mind you) and contributed literally nothing of value with his comment.
The bar you've set for yourself seems very low - hope you don't trip over it.
LeBron is heading to Detroit.
/s
Winning a title in Cleveland would do 10x more for Lebron's legacy than winning again in Miami
Maybe not as much as you think when you take Wade's deteriorating game into consideration.
Cleveland hasn't won a pro championship in 50+ years
Not true. It is exactly 50 years not 50+. The Browns won it in 1964.
I haven't been putting much weight into the rumors so far, but in light of the trade for cap space I think something has to be brewing.
Nike just bought up tons and tons of billboards in Cleveland, if that's any indication. More billboards than Kyrie Irving would warrant, let's put it that way.
Than Johnny Football warrants though. You know, because Johnny Football. Johnny Football plays for the Cleveland Johnny Footballs playing the Johnny Football position in which he'll go out and be all Johnny Football-like. Johnny Football.
Doubt it. Johnny Football will be all hype until the season starts and he's not playing, and then he'll be nothing. Nike is smarter than that. And even Johnny Football pales in comparison to LeBron.
And I don't buy it. Once Lebron signs, it would cost Nike a minor fortune to purchase those signs. It's more cost effective from a risk/reward standpoint to purchase those signs now, shell the ones they won't use for Johnny Football, Irving, etc. I don't think Nike has a pulse one way or another here, they are just doing what makes sense from a business standpoint.
That billboard rumor was started by some random guy on twitter.
You mean Johnny 8ball?
FL has no income tax..thats got to be appealing to Lebron, because he makes a ton of money off the court.
For God's sake. We'd all like to flee to the Cleve and club-hop down at the Flats and hae lunch with Little Richard, but we fight those urges because we have responsibilities. If the whole world moved to their favorite vacation spots, then the whole world would live in Hawaii, Italy, and Cleveland.
Well, now Lebron doesn't need to fight those urges, and he can live in his favorite vacation spot. Welcome back to Cleveland Lebron.