It’s four years after “The Decision” and LeBron James is at it again. Since leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers, James has won 2 NBA championships with the Miami Heat and been inarguably the best basketball player on the planet. Now that free agency is underway he’s once again deciding where he wants to hang his hat and play ball. The story has blown up and we’re in full on LeBronWatch mode here in Cleveland. Restaurants are offering to name meals after him, Cedar Point is offering to name a roller coaster after him and the Cavs have even taken the infamous Dan Gilbert letter off their website.
I was asked the other day on Facebook by a non Cleveland fan what my take was. Here’s my response:
The Question
I wanted to ask a true Cleveland Man and sports fan….Do you have an opinion on LeBron?
The Answer
Many 😉
I’ll try to summarize.
I never had an issue with the fact that he left. It was his right as an athlete & a businessman. What I had issue with was HOW he left. Going on TV and essentially breaking up with a city was bullshit. He could have said WEEKS earlier “Hey Cleveland, thanks for 7 great years, I’m opting out”. This would have allowed us to be active in free agency and he still could have had his “decision” special.
So am I still bitter? Yeah. Fuck him.
That said, dude is the best player on the planet. If he’s playing for us next year, and wins us a championship? I’ll get over it super quickly.
I root for the name on the front of the jersey… Not the back.
Honestly, I’m just sort of over it. The “news” thusfar has been no news. Crews (and fans) are staked out at LeBron’s house in Ohio, local sportscasters are giving hourly updates on what’s not happening and Cleveland is really starting to look like an ex-girlfriend looking for one last text message saying everything will be OK.
Do I want James on my Cavs? Sure. He’d made us better. He’s the best player on the planet. Will it kill me if he doesn’t come back? Nah. At this point, I’m sort of sick of the coverage. Wake me up when there’s actually some news to report.
What do you think… will James don the Cavs uniform again?
Update – Return Of The King
About 2 hours after I posted this, LeBron James confirmed via his Instagram and Twitter accounts that he was in fact returning home to the Cavs.
It’s a good day to be a Cavs fan… and that’s even before the upcoming flurry of free agent activity starts. In addition to his announcement on social media, James wrote an article for Sports Illustrated: www.si.com/nba/2014/07/11/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers
Here are two quotes from that article that stand out to me:
“My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what’s most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio.”
And especially this one…
“In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have. I’m ready to accept the challenge. I’m coming home.”
So the drama (it seems) is over. Welcome home King. It’s time to go to work. Cement that legacy in Cleveland and bring home that elusive world championship.
