It’s still too early to push the panic button, but the situation in Cleveland is becoming more troubling by the day.
The Cavs are now 18-12 after an embarrassing home loss Sunday to outmanned Detroit. That record that places them as only the No. 5 seed in the mediocre East, which is hardly what LeBron James envisioned when an apparent “super team” was formed over the offseason with James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.
Anderson Varejao, one of the team’s only reliable big men, was given a controversial contract extension earlier this month — only to have his season end days later due to a torn Achilles. Media reports this week have painted rookie head coach David Blatt as a scapegoat, and Love may not be far behind.
The odds remain that Cleveland will eventually figure things out. After all, there may be too much talent not to. But if they somehow don’t, LeBron James may be open to the unthinkable — leaving Cleveland a second time.
From Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group:
There is immense pressure to keep The King happy.
James, who turns 30 today, has no intention of compromising his prime years playing for a sputtering organization. He can opt out of his contract at the end of the season and become a free agent.
Given the massive scrutiny he would endure if he departed Cleveland a second time, if his hand is forced, I’m told he won’t hesitate to make the appropriate business decision if it means bolting.
Is it realistic? Probably not. For starters, it still seems possible for the Cavs to evolve into contenders by April. Secondly, in LeBron’s famed essay explaining his return to Cleveland, he specifically wrote that his “calling here goes above basketball”, citing a responsibility to lead the broader Northeast Ohio region. Leaving after one disappointing season would seem rather fickle, given the context.
Nonetheless, James did sign a short-term contract, thus giving him the right to opt out and become a free agent next summer. The primary motivation was financial, of course. With the salary cap poised to skyrocket after the 2016 season due to the NBA’s new broadcast rights deal, James locking himself into a long-term contract would have greatly limited his earning potential in the prime of his career.
But whether LeBron planned it or not, short-term contracts give players significant leverage due to the inherent risk of another suitor catching the player’s eye in free agency. The Lakers assumed Dwight Howard would be their foundation for years to come after trading for him in August 2012, only to watch him leave for no compensation less than a year later. It’s rare, but it can and does happen.
Does LeBron’s leak to Haynes — a very respected reporter — show that he’s truly open to leaving? Not necessarily. The more likely rationale is to give the Cavaliers a reminder of his leverage.
Whether it’s firing Blatt or making a trade, that leverage gives James significant organizational power as the Cavaliers head into 2015 and ponder how to remake themselves.
HOLLINS KEEPS WILLIAMS, LOPEZ IN BENCH ROLES FOR NETS
The Brooklyn Nets have won three of their last four games, and head coach Lionel Hollins isn’t about to break up a winning formula — even if it means sitting two of his high-priced stars.
Deron Williams and Brook Lopez were the seventh and eighth men off the bench in Monday’s win over Sacramento, playing just 17 minutes and 12 minutes, respectively, in the Nets’ 107-99 win.
Via Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News:
Lionel Hollins, clearly losing patience with the questions about Brooklyn’s former cornerstones, indicated that his controversial rotation is here to stay.
“Why you keep asking about Deron and Brook? This is the Brooklyn Nets,” the coach said. “Yes, they were starters, they’ve been out and if you note, while they were out we started playing better and winning, so why would I go back and change the lineup now?”
Some of the minutes limitation could be injury-related. Williams, who told Sheridan Hoops he accepts the move, missed two games due to injury and has come off the bench in each of the past three games. Likewise, Lopez missed eight games due to injury and has been a reserve in the last four.
In the short-term, it’s a relatively simple move. The team is finally winning, so if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.
But as days turn to weeks, the Nets could find themselves with a conundrum. In a season where the team clearly isn’t a contender, is benching the two stars worth compromising their trade value? Remember, the Nets have made it clear that they’re open to dealing Williams, Lopez or Joe Johnson.
In other words, what’s good for Hollins may not be optimal for general manager Billy King. Stay tuned.
OTHER NEWS AROUND THE NBA
Oklahoma City superstar Kevin Durant is likely to return Wednesday night when the Thunder host the Phoenix Suns.
Durant has been out since an ankle injury suffered on Dec. 18, but he was a full participant in Monday’s practice and things appeared to go very well. From Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman:
“He was very lively and active on both ends of the floor,” Scott Brooks said. “He’s progressing well. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow and go from there.”
Brooks wouldn’t commit to Durant returning from a six-game absence on Wednesday against the Suns. But signs seem to indicate that will likely be the case.
“Yeah, on the White team he scored 13 of the 17 points in about five minutes of the scrimmage,” Perkins said of KD. “So, yeah, he looked real good.”
The Thunder were 3-3 in Durant’s latest six-game absence, placing them three games back of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The team holding that No. 8 spot, by the way? That would be the Suns, who the Thunder host tomorrow. It’s a big game as the Thunder claw their way back into the playoff picture, and they would undoubtedly be thrilled to have Durant return healthy to lead the charge.
Both the Bucks and Cavaliers have some interest in veteran free-agent forward Kenyon Martin, according to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Martin headed to Cleveland on Tuesday to meet with Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd a day before the Bucks face off against Cleveland. The Bucks, now 16-16 and in possession of the East’s No. 6 seed, have available minutes at the forward spots after rookie Jabari Parker’s season-ending knee injury.
The Cavaliers also have some interest in the 6-foot-9 forward in the aftermath of Anderson Varejao’s season-ending Achilles injury, a source told Spears.
Martin, 37, averaged 4.3 points and 4.2 rebounds in 32 games for the Knicks last season. Free agents such as Martin can be signed to 10-day contracts beginning January 5, which is next Monday.
Ben DuBose is a veteran sports reporter who has followed the Houston Rockets and the NBA since Hakeem Olajuwon was Akeem Olajuwon. He writes for both SheridanHoops and ClutchFans, an independent Rockets blog. You can follow him on Twitter.
TO: LEBRON RAYMONE JAMES – A HEARTFELT LETTER FROM THE MAN WHO CHRISTENED YOU THE NEXT “DR J” AND PREDICTED YOU WOULD BE AN NBA STAR.
My name is Rolando Pharr. I am not a stalker or obsessed fan. I just have a very true story that I MUST share with you.
I’ve tried numerous ways of contacting you since 2007. On February 14, 2010 I sent a condensed email to Cleveland Scene magazine which they posted under the title “The Secret of LeBron’s Greatness Landed In my Inbox.” I was hoping that would get your attention. I guess it didn’t.
In November 2012, local TV station 19 Action News covered part of this story. They reached out to your mom but never got a response. I’ve decided to reach out to you again through this letter.
Between January and May of 1985 our lives crossed paths. The story I have to share with you took place during that time. Some people will find it VERY hard to believe. Others will say they knew there was something “Special” about you. Either way, it’s a part of my destiny to tell you this story.
Your mom is a big part of the story. She was there as it unfolded and she will determine its outcome.
Will you and your mom PLEASE watch a Youtube video called “LeBron’s Cosmic Connection”. It was my first attempt at a Youtube video. The picture is dark and grainy and you have to cut up the volume but the message hits home. Your mom will recognize me. I considered her a friend. The video will definitely jog her memory.
“LeBron’s Cosmic Connection” is the untold true story of your connection to Global Icon, Muhammad Ali and NBA icon, Julius “Dr J” Erving. It details how I was carried around on the shoulders of Muhammad Ali when I was 3 years old and how Ali influenced my childhood. It describes how “Dr J” was my idol as a teen and young adult. How I was a member of the best basketball team in Akron called “Free Afrika”. It tells how your mom helped me a few hours a week at the Bottom Half Clothing store inside Rolling Acres Mall and how I sometimes watched you while she ran store errands.
It also tells the amazing story of how me and five of my “Free Afrika” team mates participated in Christening you to be the next “Dr J”. It’s true. When you were 3 months old, in the middle of The Bottom Half Clothing store, I raised your carry seat in the air three separate times and said “I Christen thee the next Dr J” each time. The second time I raised you above my head my team mates toasted you “To the next Dr J”. When your mom returned from running errands I told her about your Christenings and suggested we do it again. For the third time, with your mom to my immediate right, I raised you in the air and boldly said “I Christen thee the next Dr J”. When I handed you back to your mom she was visibly shaking. That’s why I’m 100% certain she will remember your “Dr J” Christening.
Did your “Dr J” Christening come true? No human can definitively say that it did or didn’t. Three facts that can’t be argued. When your Christening took place “Dr J” was still the face of the NBA, it’s most popular player and it’s most marketed player. You are currently all three of those things.
Watch all 4 of my Youtube videos. You may find some of my comments about your Cosmic Connection to Muhammad Ali very interesting. I personally believe you were given your Erving-esque basketball skills as a platform to make social change. Much in the way that Ali used his boxing platform. I read a couple of articles recently where people are starting to call you the Muhammad Ali of this generation. I made that statement on one of my videos a couple of years ago.
There’s more to the story. After you were Christened for the third time my team mates left the store. Your mom and I sat down and had lunch. You were in your carry seat facing us. I made three bold predictions to your mom. I told her that you would be an NBA star. That you would play for the Cleveland Cavaliers and that you would be a high flying player like “Dr J”. We then made a handshake agreement (twice). When you became an NBA star as I predicted, she would see to it that each one of the six men who participated in your “Dr J” Christening would be made a millionaire.
Ask your mom about your “Dr J” Christening and her millionaires Promise. It’s ironic that the Family Foundation you and your mom created adopted an “I Promise” campaign. Maybe it’s not irony. Perhaps the Universe is testing you. You ask your Foundation kids to make and keep their Promises. Will you and your mom lead by example and honor the 6 million dollar handshake Promise she made when you were 3 months old?
I have several sworn affidavits from eyewitnesses, and have plenty of concrete evidence to support all but one of my statements. Only two people on the planet can verify that a 6 million dollar handshake agreement took place. Me and your mom. To support my statements on that issue, I signed a sworn affidavit and have taken and passed multiple Polygraph Examinations. Two of those Polygraph results can be viewed @ rolanfarr on Twitter.
The six men who Christened you have made our own Promises. When your mom honors her Promise, we will donate $120 thousand dollars to Ebony Nettles Bey’s Cancer fund. We will help several area non-profit organizations and have plans to partner with an Akron group to start a scholarship program. Thats just for starters.
I saw a picture of you and your mom in 2002 and realized that the basketball prodigy from Akron was little Raymone, the baby that I Christened the next “Dr J” and made all the predictions for. You’ve worked extremely hard to become the best basketball player on the planet but give the Universe some credit for the incredible gifts you were given. 6ft 8 inches, 250+ pounds, near world class speed, an eidetic memory, a 40+ inch vertical leap, a 7ft + wingspan, above average sized hands and a high basketball I.Q. Why were you GIVEN these gifts?….I’m sure that answer will be revealed to you eventually. Just remember, you were raised in the air and Christened to be the next “Dr J” by Akron’s best basketball team and by a man that was touched by Muhammad Ali’s greatness. You were predicted to be an NBA star, play for the Cavs and be a high flying player like “Dr J”. Please Respect the Divine Powers of the Universe and its endless possibilities.
So there you have it. The untold true story that I HAD to share with you. I am predicting that your mom will keep her Promise and you will embrace your Cosmic Connection. Whether this prediction comes true is entirely on you two. Please reach out to Muhammad Ali while you can. I know you’ve met him before but spend some quality time with him. It will change your life. Your NBA season is well underway and we do not want to be a distraction. You’ve got a Championship to win.
There’s a list of coincidences/facts surrounding your Cosmic Connection that will make you go Hmmm. I’ll share those with you.
For seven years I’ve been hated on, blocked, talked about and ignored but not once has anybody bothered to get an actual response from your mother. Your brand will not suffer from the truth being told. I Promise you that. A timely response to this letter will be greatly appreciated. Follow me on Twitter if you choose to embrace us. Everything else can be handled privately.
Welcome home….and Congratulations on the birth of your baby girl.
Warmest Regards,
Rolando Pharr
P.S….Do The Right Thing
PEACE