Can we please put an end to the LeBron-to-Cleveland story? That’s all it is, a story, an unlikely narrative that might be appealing on the surface – the Prodigal Son Returns – but falls apart under the narrowest scrutiny.
I say it ain’t gonna happen.
Why would the best player in the game, in the prime of his career, sign with a team that can’t win?
Why would the best player in the game, in the prime of his career, sign with a team whose roster is full of clueless hunks?
Why would the best player in the game, in the prime of his career, leave a situation where he is both comfortable and successful to go and play for a rookie coach he doesn’t know?
And, why would the best player in the game decide to sign with a team whose owner, Dan Gilbert, he hates.
Gilbert posted a petulant, juvenile screed ripping LeBron when James signed with Miami. It was a screed that was just removed from the Cavaliers web site – cue the breathless reporting – late Sunday night after it had been there for four years and anyone who really wanted to read it had already read it!
I don’t know what LeBron is planning to do. And, despite what you read, neither does anyone else. ‘
I am simply trying to use common sense here and ignore all the white noise. Why would he leave a championship situation for a team which won 33 games and couldn’t make the playoffs in an awful Eastern Conference? I don’t care if it’s “home” (even if Akron ain’t Cleveland.) It makes no sense.
(And if he does go there, Chris Sheridan will quickly remove this column from our website, a la Dan Gilbert.)
Yes, his agent is talking to Cleveland and, we are told, maybe even pushing LeBron to play there. Hello? That is what agents do. They create markets. They try to exact leverage. They lie. Cleveland doesn’t even have the cap space right now to sign James.
The Cavaliers, we are told, supposedly have Jarrett Jack and his ridiculous contract ($12.6 million guaranteed over the next two years) ticketed to the Nets for Marcus Thornton, who has one year left on his deal. Why would Nets GM Billy King consider such a trade? Even with a draft pick thrown in? He already has a point guard (albeit one that gets hurt a lot.) He can find a backup for a lot less money.
Then the Cavs were going to flip Thornton to some sucker team and – voila! – they’d have the cap space to sign LeBron. I’m still waiting for the first domino to fall.
I figured James opted out of his contract in Miami to give Pat Riley the needed flexibility to “retool” the Heat. I figured Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh did the same thing. I wrote that they all should follow the example set by the Spurs’ Big Three, who all took less money, which helped San Antonio’s cap situation.
Riley already has signed two players who no one will confuse as cornerstones of a rebuilding effort – Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger. But they are exactly the type of players who can help James, Wade and Bosh maintain Miami’s dominance in the woe-begotten Eastern Conference. They are upgrades over what the Heat had last year. And they signed with Miami because . . .?
Sure, the Heat has its own worries beyond James. Wade is not the same player he was six years ago, but who is? Nevertheless, he isn’t going anywhere. He’s still a pretty good player.
Bosh? That’s another story. I can’t believe anyone out there would offer him a max deal. Did he even play in the NBA Finals? I can’t remember. I wouldn’t stand in the way if I’m Riley and I’d try like hell to get Pau Gasol to fill that slot.
Any team with James and Wade is a favorite in the East, unless Carmelo Anthony goes to the Bulls. And while we’re at it, could we also put an end to the Carmelo to Lakers story? Why on earth would he do that? He can make more money in New York (and as bad as the Knicks are, they’re better than the Lakers.) He can sign for similar money in Chicago and have an excellent shot at his first NBA Finals. He would have no shot with the Lakers.
We’re supposed to believe that a calcifying Kobe Bryant and the LA Experience – whatever that is – is enough to convince Anthony, also in the prime of his career, to leave money on the table and any hopes of a title?
But back to LeBron.
There is one aspect of all this that is disconcerting – MAKE UP YOUR FRIGGIN’ MIND!!! Is he secretly enjoying all of this, watching the rumor mill churn out story after story? Does he have visions of Riley squirming every time the phone buzzes? Does he really enjoy the whole courtship thing, which he went through four years ago?
It will all end soon. Mercifully.
And when it does, LeBron is going to do the safe and smart thing and re-sign with the Heat.
And all those faux fans in Cleveland – the ones who burned his jersey when James left but would rejoice in his return – can mark down 2017, or whenever it is that we all have to go through this again.
Rest assured we will. With LeBron, that is a deadbolt lock.
Peter May is the only writer who covered the final NBA games played by Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. He has covered the league for three decades for The Harttford Courant and The Boston Globe and has written three books on the Boston Celtics. His work also appears in The New York Times. You can follow him on Twitter.
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PAUL PIERCE WOULD “WITHOUT A DOUBT” RETURN TO CELTICS
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Hear that? It’s the sound of Peter May’s career going up in flames. It’s a deadbolt lock.
lMAAOOOOO
I can’t decided which is worse, the quality of your writing or the quality of your predictions?
Congrats!
You managed to be wrong on everything,it’s unusual for anyone to bat 1.000.
And by everything,I’m including your claim that if James went back home,this “article” would immediately disappear.
You were even wrong about that.
Ah well,at least you were as tuned in this time as Brian WindedHorse.
Who knew nothing.
I guess you were wrong!
#lovethecavs
Excellent article if being wrong about almost everything was the goal. I would refute some of the points you made but recent events have made that unnecessary. I will however comment on this little tidbit: “And all those faux fans in Cleveland – the ones who burned his jersey when James left ”
Really? Faux fans? You have NO idea how much we loved that man up here. Him leaving was like a knife in the back from out biggest hero and some people got upset(read: drunk) enough to burn stuff. Betrayal hurts the worst when it comes from someone you love. And you know what? All of those people who did that 4 years ago will go buy another one. We’re passionate fans for better or for worse, and that’s a lot more than can be said of a laughable fanbase like Miami’s.
Wow. Talk about a crappy take. Karma’s a bitch.
Maybe you should read Dan Shaughnessy’s column on Lebron’s decision, May. You know, the Boston sportswriter who’s still employed by a Boston paper.
He has perspective of a region outside of his own unlike you and guys like Bomani Jones who spend their time taking a whizz around their lawns and then try to speak about world as if they understand it.
You don’t know jack about anything outside of your little world. That’s what we get from this article.
Ooppsss. How did I get that one wrong? Haaahhh ha! I think its time for Mr May to listen to the white noise around him and use a little bit more common sense.
Ha ya maybe you should act like an actually journalist like Sheridan. He puts out reports from SOURCES not personal b/s speculation….like this article obviously is. Hopefully your employer won’t find this idiotic article that was based on nothing but your opinion….and sometimes “white noise” has some credibility guy. As a journalist you should know this but then again you’ve already proven your incompetence in obtaining any sort of information when you published this. I hope eating all your words taste better then crap (which is what this article is)
Where’s he at now?
Choke on your words #lebronishome!
[finger out, pointing] “Heh-heh.”
So May, when a bunch of comment makers FROM THE INTERNET, AKA HOME OF THE BIGGEST MORONS ON EARTH, all tell you how wrong you are…and they all end up being correct….that is a sign you need to stop writing. IMMEDIATELY.
Well May, I hope “they” don’t pay you much for your opinion.
Oops.
Umm… what do you have to say now?
Okay, maybe the word “terrible” is a bit extreme… “Delusional” is better. How ANYONE, Pat Riley included can’t see that the whole Heat super team is dead in the water is just in straight up denial.
I like McBob, but no one in your core got a year younger… Not one, especially not Wade. If that McRoberts and Granger signing was supposed to be the convincer I fee really bad for Pat Riley…just pathetic, but fitting considering 2010 and all.
Cleveland gets over on Miami….score one for the rust belt.
Great article! Couldn’t have said it better myself!
Well then you and May should both get jobs at your local news station guessing the weather.
Terrible article. How can you be so wrong this late in the game?
This article is one of the dumbest and most irresponsible articles I have ever read. I live in Cleveland and if The King comes or goes elsewhere…. My Life is not changing. But this article is sadly written by a journalist who should be demoted to a blogger on an unknown site in Tajikistan.
Not to mention your article contained your opinion of “transactions that would not happen.” That all happened what….. 8 minutes after you said it was ridiculous? Better get closer to your sources or get knew ones outside of T-Money from East 44th and King Dr. for your info you Hack Douche!
new sorry,,, not knew.
I detest LeBron with every fiber of my being. Down to the headband that hides his balding head…it’ll start looking like a halo pretty soon if he keeps pushing it back. I’d love to see him humiliated in some really awful way.
That being said, everyone who follows professional sports knows that Cleveland’s fans (and I’m from NY and live in Chicago) are among the most loyal and supportive in the country. LeBron doesn’t deserve another chance in Cleveland. Let him rot in Miami where he belongs.
“And all those faux fans in Cleveland – the ones who burned his jersey…”
You mean the half dozen guys that cared so much about their TEAM, they burned $100 of personal property to protest the spectacle that crushed their sporting souls? Maybe “fan” meant something else in your youth. Clevelanders are fans of their TEAMS. You would think a Bostonian would understand that.
I can appreciate a well-formed counterpoint to popular opinion. Please let me know when you write one.
First Dan Gilbert removes the Letter To Fans a few days ago, then they unload a few players to make room for LeBron’s contract, LeBron keeps tweeting about Ohio and how he wishes he was back home a few months ago, LeBron still hasn’t opted back in or re-signed.. he’s definitely Cleveland bound to say the least. Now if Melo could just knock it off with the melodramatics (pun very much intended) and make a decision already the NBA can return to peace once again.
I’m not familiar with Peter May but he comes off as pretty dumb here. This article just isn’t very intelligent. LeBron proved in 2007 he can take pretty much a one-man team to the NBA finals….he’s THAT good. Now, we’re teaming him up with a great PG, which he hasn’t had. Northeast Ohio is home, he and especially his wife like it there. Dewayne Wade is pretty much done. He’s an often-injured “Ok” NBA player now. Winning in Cleveland is so near impossible that can you imagine his legacy if he can win a few rings there?? Oh, unloading Jarrett Jack? yea, that just happened. Cap space? yep, that’s there now, almost 22 million, enough for a max contract for LeBron. I could go on with more points. Peter May just doesn’t come across as very intelligent on this topic.
Well Peter May…damn..never mind..can’t talk to someone who is an idiot.
The dominoes start falling. Cavs found that sucker team to flip Thornton. Peter Mays Celtics. Danny Granger is done. The only thing he’s helping himself to is a free paycheck. Wade is going downhill fast. Any team with Wade as the focal point(2014-15 Heat) is struggling to make playoffs. Any team with LeBron is a favorite in the east. Cavs have young upcoming talent and an owner willing to spend. The writer should be grateful when Sheridan pulls this article sparing him further embarrassment from being so wrong.
Answers to your silly questions:
“Why would the best player in the game, in the prime of his career, sign with a team that can’t win?”
Because they can win with him on the team. They went to the Finals in 2007 with a younger, weaker LBJ and a cast of nobodies. Have you seen Kyrie Irving play? Have you seen Dion Waiters? Did you know that Tristan Thompson averages a double-double with either hand? Add to that top pick Wiggins, another chance for last years top pick Bennett, the best garbage man in the game (Varejo) and you have a core LBJ fits right into. Oh yeah all those players I mentioned are under 24.
“Why would the best player in the game, in the prime of his career, sign with a team whose roster is full of clueless hunks?”
Compared to the current state of Miami’s roster? They have 4 stiffs under contract right now. There’s 1 good knee between Wade and Granger. Birdman is gone, Allen is probably gone. Bosh is probably gone, They have very little room to do anything else but get Lebron and Bosh back. Miami is desperate here, not Cleveland, roster-wise.
“Why would the best player in the game, in the prime of his career, leave a situation where he is both comfortable and successful to go and play for a rookie coach he doesn’t know?”
Miami is done. LBJ knows it and the spurs exposed it. If Derrick Rose stayed healthy Heat wouldn’t have even made the finals 4 straight years. As far as David Blatt – who just won european coach of the year, and by some accounts is the winningest coach *on the planet* over the last 5 years – is a guy that many have expected to jump to the NBA. They guy has won some crazy high percentage of his games coached, regardless of team or roster stability. That should tell you something. Plus he’s an offensive-minded coach, something that neither Spoelstra nor Mike Brown were.
“And, why would the best player in the game decide to sign with a team whose owner, Dan Gilbert, he hates.”
Oh please, it’s just business and raw emotion from 2010 that the national media confuses. Most cavs fans felt like the content of that letter that night. Gilbert should have hit delete and slept on it but he didn’t, hey he’s a billionaire so who can tell him anything?
That letter was long gone, no one could find it on the cavs website for years, but it was still in a directory and available after they thought they deleted it. So what, everyone has read it, seen it, it’s old news.
About 7 people burned Lebron jersey’s in Cleveland, amongst millions of fans. So even though it hurt, redemption is possible. Lebron wanted a super-team and he wanted to live it up with his millionaire buddies – done. 2 for 4 in the rings department.
But now it’s about legacy, about doing your people proud, about setting up for retirement, about the family, about transitioning into ownership, and those are all things that he will work with Dan Gilbert to accomplish.
Lebron back to South Beach — Erie, that is:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7pECoI6kEHU/T5fssYvCykI/AAAAAAAAJlM/KcvSZ_r5iNQ/s1600/skywatch4_27.jpg
Fahqfase Bookman
This is perfectly put
Very well written my man……well said!!! #unfinishedbusiness
Anybody who mentions Anthony Bennett as one of the “under 24” players that will help Lebron loses all credibility instantly.
Another big goof, *Former* big-market beat reporter taking shots at Cleveland fans, imagine that. Cleveland hasn’t won a title in 50 years and endure constant ridicule from the national media, yet still stick with their teams no matter what. LeBron will be back in Cleveland. Can’t wait to read this fossil’s next “article”.
Well, I called that one. The king has returned. You mad, May? Maybe I can take May’s place on this website. Are you going to write your next article about how Miami fan’s burned his jersey and burned their copies of NBA 2k14 with LeBron the cover?
Delete this post. Its embarrassing, even if well written.
There are 2 circumstances where LeBron to MIA can still happen:
1. If Bosh goes to HOU, there may be a way (involving very careful order of re-signing and some discounts) to unite LeBron and Melo in Miami.
2. There of course is the obvious bringing back the same Big 3, but Bosh is better off going to HOU, and its not clear if LeBron would be better long term to choose CLE over LeBron, Bosh. Why should Bosh forfeit over 30 million (over 4 years) when he’s already won 2 championships and gets no respect in MIA, when he can compete just as well for a championship in his native state of Texas?
Hahaha. This is hilarious after reading the events of today. Well done, managed to be wrong and sound like a whiny high school journalism major in the same article.
Washed up former Celts writer Peter May taking a shot at Cleveland fans, what a joke. Like they didn’t have a reason to be angry.
You ever see how many Cleveland fans go to watch the Browns play? Ain’t no such thing as a faux fan in Cleveland. They haven’t won anything in half a century and they’re loyal to the end.
Freaking moron Celtics homer taking a shot at Cleveland fans. You’re pathetic.
He would never win with Cavs. It takes a culture. Owner, GM, coach, assistants, cocoon for bad times, etc. The Cavs would take 3-4 years to mature. Lebron has tons of mileage and can not waste time.
You jokingly mention maybe taking this down if LeBron does sign in Cleveland – why even bother writing this, what, editorial I guess?
You repeatedly state how nobody knows but refuse to acknowledge there are longer term reasons he may consider it.
Sheridan should be the only writer here. This headline and article stink out loud.
Trash “journalism.” Break is over a Game Stop. Go back to work.
This was by far the worst thing I read all week, it is based on nothing. I am not saying Lebron is going back to Cleveland, but by no means is it a bad option. In fact it’s one of his better options, that Cleveland team is deep and have plenty of room to make improvements around Lebron. Without question putting Lebron back on this Cleveland makes them a top 3 team in the east, and will do nothing but improve. That’s it i am not wasting anymore time on this article.
While Lebron to Cleveland is a long shot I don’t think you’re giving it as much thought as you should. You say Melo isn’t going to LA because Kobe is “calcified”, if that’s true then the same goes for Wade. Wade only played 54 games last year and still was only mediocre in the finals. Eastern conference titles don’t matter, championships matter and the signings of mcroberts and granger does nothing to raise the heat back up to a championship level. While you are correct in saying the cavs haven’t won, there is still no way you can dismiss the young talent they have. Last years Mike Brown debacle was pathetic coaching and pathetic front office business but the rookie coach you mention has a ton of experience, just not in the NBA. Mark Jackson didn’t coach at any level and was signed from the broadcasting booth yet he led the warriors to the playoffs in the western conference. The final thing I have to address is the faux fans comment. That is absolutely absurd and insulting. Cleveland fans are known as some of the best fans in all of major sports, a little over the top and crazy you bet they are but what good fan base isn’t!? I sure as hell know that they wouldn’t be booing a team who has made it to the finals four years in a row or leave at halftime of a finals game. No one is more embarrassing than the “fans” of the Miami heat. They don’t show up til the end of the first and if things aren’t going their way they are out by halftime. You can shit talk Cleveland all you want but don’t question the fans loyalty.
Griff~ He didn’t give it any thought.. Awful column. What you typed was supported by fact. They should pay you. All May did was take a cheap shot at Cleve and Sheridan for that matter!
Well May I’m not going to make the obvious statement but always believed Sheridan as per comment before decision. However, if lebron can forgive Gilbert/ us Cleve fans and Gilbert can forgive Lebron. I guess I can forgive you and your negative column.
Seems pretty obvious when you say it like that.
Truth!
So May, when a bunch of comment makers FROM THE INTERNET, AKA HOME OF THE BIGGEST MORONS ON EARTH, all tell you how wrong you are…and they all end up being correct….that is a sign you need to stop writing. IMMEDIATELY.