LeBron James returning to the Cavs is one of the most talked about NBA rumors since the Heat were trounced in the Finals. The general consensus around the national media is it WILL happen, but probably not for a few more years. Thinking back to the summer of 2010 and the following season the fact that there is even a discussion about this is amazing. So when might we realistically see the King don wine and gold again?
Pat Riley's press conference yesterday helped the Cavaliers. Don't get me wrong, at the end of the day Lebron is going to do what is best for him and his family, but Riley proved in 2010 that he can influence our native chosen one. Riley's rant summarized was the greats don't chase rings and doing so is going to cheapen the way history looks on him if he bolts south beach. I agree with Pat, I said the same thing 4 years ago, and if Lebron thinks there is a hint of truth to that Pat Riley just reduced Lebron's potential suitors down to two, Miami and Cleveland. LeBron wouldn't be running out the first door by coming to Cleveland he would be walking back through the one he left.
After this years Finals I guessed the odds on LeBron being on the heat at about 70%, Cav's at 20% and the field at 10%. The only reason Riley had that press conference yesterday is because obviously he is nervous about his big 3 becoming a tiny 2. New odds now, Heat 65%, Cav's 35%. The good news for Cav's fans though, is I think Lebron will not opt out this year meaning we will get another 365 or where will Lebron go. Two months ago I was thinking he would opt out to re-up for another four years.
LeBron has a lot of reasons to stay in Miami. It is a destination city, I have no plans of leaving northeast Ohio, but my outlook compared to global icons is a bit different. Well maybe there are not as many reasons as I thought. Do not get me wrong four straight Finals trips is impressive, I do not care how weak the east is. He does have NBA titles, getting past OKC in five games after the lock out and of course the epic seven game series last year against the Spurs. If the big 3 opt in are the Heat really in position to win a ring with so little cap space left.
A lot of media believes there is one big reason that Lebron will not come back, Dan Gilbert. Will the letter that will live in infamy keep the King from coming back. I don't think so. LeBron was wrong, not for leaving but for how he did. Had LeBron spoke with the Cavaliers organization earlier that day and simply said I am moving on, "the letter" would not exist. I am not taking Dan off the hook for writing the letter, and lashing out as a fan instead of an owner. I am guessing you don't run a few different billion dollar companies by missing out on "home run" deals, losing LeBron was probably the first time he failed to that magnitude and he just didn't know how to respond. He was wrong and needs to apologize.
There is a lot of talk about Dan Gilbert being a bad owner. I want examples, but with a catch, the examples need to be from 2010 and before. The last few years he has been trying to "win the break-up" and escape the shadow of the letter and yeah he seems to be too involved but what awful choices did he make while we had Lebron. Sure he hired Mike Brown before his GM, but Brown was one of the most respected assistant's there was, that was considered a win. A superstar in the NBA wields the most power in the franchise, even more then the owner, LeBron wanted rings and the Cav's built a team to accentuate his strengths which led to a 67.6 winning percentage his last four years here.
LeBron's best chance to win multiple rings in the future is with the Cav's. Kyrie, Wiggins and how ever David Griffin uses the rest of our young assets is a better roster then a broken Wade, Bosh and aging veterans they can get in the future. Gilbert never pinched a penny the way Micky Arison did last year when he cut Miller and made a salary dump. The Cav's are not a business to Dan Gilbert, they are a passion and he has proven he will spend any amount of money to strengthen the team.
Showing posts with label Lebron. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lebron. Show all posts
Friday, June 20, 2014
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Lebron to the Cavs
Lebron returning to Cleveland is one of the hottest rumors, worst kept secret out there huh. So the question that needs to be asked is simple, do we want him back? The simple answer in my opinion is yes. Of course this isn't really a simple answer and if it was this would be an extremely short post and I would be posting to this blog a whole lot more often then what I do now.
I am in my mid 30's and have been a Cleveland sports fan my entire life. I have not been as invested in a team as I was with the LBJ era Cavs since I was in high school watching the Tribe routinely come back from double digit deficits. I went to six Cavs games the year before LBJ, and saw six of the Cavs seventeen wins that year. I remember my Dad complaining when we won the season finale because now we were only tied for the worst record and had less ping pong balls for the draft. That did not matter, the ping pong balls fell our way, we didn't draft Melo or Milicic, how could we not break our drought now.
Lebron's "decision" was the biggest punch to the gut since Modell took our team away and that baseball sailed over Nagy's outstretched glove. It was over, Cleveland was no longer the center of the NBA. I felt betrayed, how could he do that, he's one of us, but he did not see it that way. He no longer wanted to play for a team built around his strengths, he wanted to go to a team that had another top 5 talent. We will never know if it was the right "decision" sure he has a ring right now but had he stayed who knows he might have two.
I want to see the Cavs win the title. If LBJ is a free agent in 2014 it would be hard to imagine a scenario where we would be in a better position to do that without him then with him. Kyrie is already a top 10 talent in this league, the two of them together could very well be the most devastating duo to take the court. The Cavs are building this team different then the last time they had a franchise changing star and I like our chances with Kyrie as our future, but if the stars align for us to take that shortcut in 2014, how can we pass it up.
Lebron does need to take ownership in the fact that he went ring less in his tenure here. He can't be the reason we won 60+ games but not the reason we fell short of the title, it doesn't work like that. I can't think of a realistic opportunity the Cavs missed on to get better quickly during the LBJ years. In hindsight Shaq would have looked good in the eastern conference finals against Orlando in 09 but I was happy at the deadline passed without that move being made. The Magic was a match up nightmare for us, shot like a 114% from three point land in the series and we still could have won that had the ball bounced differently about three times that week. Winning it all is hard, it's supposed to be, but it seems like leaving was the only way he was going to learn that lesson.
Why would Lebron want to come back? Let's face it any team Lebron is on in the near future is a title contender. I think he does now realize that not winning here was more on him then anyone else. Except for when he was hugging that trophy last year I think he really enjoyed his time here better then he is right now in Miami. Had he never left he could have been in the same breath of Jordan by getting probably 3 or 4 rings, once he did leave he now needs to get a ring for each finger to get into that conversation.
So if he has 2 or 3 rings come 2014 when the new CBA really hampers the chance to have 3 max salaries on one roster, where would he be best served to win multiple titles. Teaming up with one of the best young talents in the game, an owner who has proven he gives his team a chance to succeed each year. I think Lebron will realize there truly is no place like home. Will he click his Nike's three times in 2014 and make it happen, only time will tell.
I am in my mid 30's and have been a Cleveland sports fan my entire life. I have not been as invested in a team as I was with the LBJ era Cavs since I was in high school watching the Tribe routinely come back from double digit deficits. I went to six Cavs games the year before LBJ, and saw six of the Cavs seventeen wins that year. I remember my Dad complaining when we won the season finale because now we were only tied for the worst record and had less ping pong balls for the draft. That did not matter, the ping pong balls fell our way, we didn't draft Melo or Milicic, how could we not break our drought now.
Lebron's "decision" was the biggest punch to the gut since Modell took our team away and that baseball sailed over Nagy's outstretched glove. It was over, Cleveland was no longer the center of the NBA. I felt betrayed, how could he do that, he's one of us, but he did not see it that way. He no longer wanted to play for a team built around his strengths, he wanted to go to a team that had another top 5 talent. We will never know if it was the right "decision" sure he has a ring right now but had he stayed who knows he might have two.
I want to see the Cavs win the title. If LBJ is a free agent in 2014 it would be hard to imagine a scenario where we would be in a better position to do that without him then with him. Kyrie is already a top 10 talent in this league, the two of them together could very well be the most devastating duo to take the court. The Cavs are building this team different then the last time they had a franchise changing star and I like our chances with Kyrie as our future, but if the stars align for us to take that shortcut in 2014, how can we pass it up.
Lebron does need to take ownership in the fact that he went ring less in his tenure here. He can't be the reason we won 60+ games but not the reason we fell short of the title, it doesn't work like that. I can't think of a realistic opportunity the Cavs missed on to get better quickly during the LBJ years. In hindsight Shaq would have looked good in the eastern conference finals against Orlando in 09 but I was happy at the deadline passed without that move being made. The Magic was a match up nightmare for us, shot like a 114% from three point land in the series and we still could have won that had the ball bounced differently about three times that week. Winning it all is hard, it's supposed to be, but it seems like leaving was the only way he was going to learn that lesson.
Why would Lebron want to come back? Let's face it any team Lebron is on in the near future is a title contender. I think he does now realize that not winning here was more on him then anyone else. Except for when he was hugging that trophy last year I think he really enjoyed his time here better then he is right now in Miami. Had he never left he could have been in the same breath of Jordan by getting probably 3 or 4 rings, once he did leave he now needs to get a ring for each finger to get into that conversation.
So if he has 2 or 3 rings come 2014 when the new CBA really hampers the chance to have 3 max salaries on one roster, where would he be best served to win multiple titles. Teaming up with one of the best young talents in the game, an owner who has proven he gives his team a chance to succeed each year. I think Lebron will realize there truly is no place like home. Will he click his Nike's three times in 2014 and make it happen, only time will tell.
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