The Lebron Safari 2014

[jay_em]

Please. It's obvious these guys planned to go to Miami over three years earlier at the Olympics. Why else would they all conveniently sign contracts with an opt-out after three years, followed even more conveniently by Miami trotting out shit teams during Wade's prime so they could clear the decks for when LeBron and Bosh were free agents?

The same reason teams (*cough *cough Cleveland Cavs *cough cough*) tank?..... Gambling and accepting short term pain for possible long term gain.

The Heat weren't the only team to cut salary to sign 2010 free agents. See NYKnicks. If it wasn't Bron and/or Bosh in Miami then it could've been Amare/Boozer and Joe Johnson or a host of other role players

[chrisrich91]

The same reason teams (*cough *cough Cleveland Cavs *cough cough*) tank?..... Gambling and accepting short term pain for possible long term gain.

The Heat weren't the only team to cut salary to sign 2010 free agents. See NYKnicks. If it wasn't Bron and/or Bosh in Miami then it could've been Amare/Boozer and Joe Johnson or a host of other role players

I just don't get it. Anytime someone posts negatively in here, you run to the rescue to defend LeBron and the gang.

You're trying to justify collusion.

[Tlyons]

The same reason teams (*cough *cough Cleveland Cavs *cough cough*) tank?..... Gambling and accepting short term pain for possible long term gain.

The Heat weren't the only team to cut salary to sign 2010 free agents. See NYKnicks. If it wasn't Bron and/or Bosh in Miami then it could've been Amare/Boozer and Joe Johnson or a host of other role players

The Knicks were shitty anyway with no franchise player.

[Tlyons]

LeBron's career as critiqued by PTI through the years:

It's been said time and time again. The pistons shit the fucking bed with Darko and Larry brown wanted Melo badly.

[Mdog1]

Please. It's obvious these guys planned to go to Miami over three years earlier at the Olympics. Why else would they all conveniently sign contracts with an opt-out after three years, followed even more conveniently by Miami trotting out shit teams during Wade's prime so they could clear the decks for when LeBron and Bosh were free agents?

I'm not typically one for conspiracy theories, but this one is so goddamn obvious I don't even consider it a theory any more.

The 2008 Olympics is the first time that we heard about LeBron recruiting Bosh to come to Cleveland actually. Obviously Cleveland is a pretty hard sell to players, and it didn't work. I don't know the exact date they all decided Miami was the place they wanted to play, but I assume it was around the trade deadline in 2010 when it became clear that the Knicks, and Nets could not offer all three of them a contract.

New York City was the original plan, and you can't convince me otherwise. You know what the absolute worst part of the whole Miami situation is? Toronto, one of the two teams screwed over in the deal was the team that made it possible for the Heat to actually pull off the signings smh.

The whole landscape of the NBA is changed if that Miami/Toronto trade doesn't happen. Wade in Chicago, LeBron/Bosh somewhere, possibly Cleveland, Amare/Boozer on the left over teams of the Clippers/Nets/Knicks.

If the Clippers are the odd team out, than we still do the Baron Davis trade, although the Kyrie Irving thing likely doesn't happen.

[jay_em]

I just don't get it. Anytime someone posts negatively in here, you run to the rescue to defend LeBron and the gang.

You're trying to justify collusion.

Let me help you understand. I'm not a parrot. I wont just regurgitate the same old same old about James. I wont invent lies, theories or any other fictional stories to ease my "pain" over his decision to leave Cleveland. What i "run to defend" is the truth. I dont have an issue with you not liking the stance i've chosen, but pointing the finger/criticism at me magnifies my point. I.e there's no merit in yours or else your response would be different.

Oh and ....

You dont have a problem with collusion (even though its been said many times over that what they did wasn't collusion) you have a problem that said "collusion" didnt benefit you. So spare me the faux "I'm fighting against collusion" discourse. It's hypocritical and falls on deaf ears.

The Knicks were shitty anyway with no franchise player.

Changes nothing about my point. They still scaled down their team especially from a payroll standpoint to make a run at the 2010 free agent class...especially Lebron James.

[Frank Reynolds]

I have been having dreams about this, and I have certainly been thinking about it a little bit more. I just cannot help but think that James will play for the Cavaliers again someday. I'm not going to say that it's going to be in 2014, but it seems like a genuine possibility someday.

I think he could vault himself next to Michael Jordan if he had his own version of "the return" to Cleveland. Winning on this Heat team is just not that impressive if you ask me. He SHOULD win on this team, and that kinda taints the specialness of it all.

I think in hindsight, James realizes what he had here in Cleveland and he very much misses that now that he's in Miami. South Beach is all about business to him. He's going to walk out of there with 2-3 rings when it's all said and done. If he could jump ship back to Cleveland and join Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and our other "core members" he'd be in a pretty good spot. If he could win titles in Cleveland, he'd be seriously in the conversation with Michael Jordan.

Other than that, top 10 most definitely. But to get into that top 3 discussion, he's gonna need to do something special. IF he came back to Cleveland and won, it would be a really special story that would captivate the league and most certainly validate his greatness and make him the most popular athlete since MJ.




A lot of people are assuming he goes to Los Angeles, but at that point in his career, I'm not sure he even wants the Hollywood hoopla and spotlight. Part of me thinks he would rather come home, where it all began, to live in his original home of Akron and continue on with business as usual. He could live in his original dream house that he constructed, and have all of his friends and family close again. Windhorst said since he's been in school, he's regimented and he likes to take care of business and routine first. Hollywood is too much of a distraction. There's peace in Akron, it's all about business first.

He's already publicly lauded Kyrie's skills. He loves Kyrie's game, and I can't help but think how amazing these two guys would be together. Dwyane Wade's game has always kind of been on mute since James arrived. He's not the full fledged D-Wade that won the championship with Shaq.

So in that sense, LBJ really only needs a poor man's Wade, and we have that with Waiters. It actually might be better, because Waiters is a much better outside threat than Wade.

We're one free agent move and a draft away from being a really desirable team to join. We need to have another great draft (preferably Mohammad) and make one big trade or FA move. If..... IF we could somehow add someone of the talent level of Josh Smith, Lamarcus Aldridge, or Kevin Love to our core, LeBron's coming home.

I know, it seems so super unlikely that we'd ever get LMA or Kevin Love, but we have so much flexibility and assets to use that you can never say never.

All im saying, is that if we add another Blue Chip talent via the draft (which we are going to do) [U]and add another Star Quality player through free agency or a trade..

......Then LeBron will strongly consider coming home to play on this up and coming team.

Yes, Los Angeles will always have a leg up because of Free Agency, but WE have a leg up on LA because we could be possibly adding a Shabazz Mohammad or Nerlens Noel to this group of guys. Free agency is bloated, you could easily fuck yourself. Young elite talent on the cheap is priceless, especially in this new CBA.

By the time LeBron is looking at Free Agency I fully expect the Cavaliers to be on the rise. One big trade and a little more draft luck.

[jay_em]

One question Frank. You IMO are minimalizing what James did (and what you say he'll do) in Miami because in your words "he SHOULD win". You then go on to say that he'd need something special to reach top 3 status and you suggest that winning however many in Cleveland would be considered special and do the trick.

You say he won with a muted Wade (which in your mind basically equals Waiters...although Waiters is a better shooter) then you go on to add Kyrie, Shabazz and (just picking one) Aldridge to the Cavs squad. Wouldn't adding all those players also mean "he SHOULD win" here in Cleveland thus making it less special and keeping him outside the top 3? or would he garner top 3 status just because its Cleveland and a feel good story?(I guess techincally thats two questions)

[Zone]

Bosh would have gone wherever LeBron would have gone. Think about it:

Wade: "Hey Chris, come to Miami...you have me, and I have 2-3 great years left. We'll play in front of fans who like our team. You also have Udonis Haslem. And Erik Spolestra is our coach! Championship!"

LeBron: "Hey Chris, come to Cleveland. I know...the weather and nightlife isn't the same as Miami, but listen. We just hired Byron Scott, a guy with Finals experience as both a player and coach. Mike Miller has already said he'd coming aboard. We have an energetic big man who will do your dirty work for you down low. We have four of the top fifteen (and two of the top three) three point shooters in the league to kick out to when you get doubled. The Eastern Conference in ripe for the taking too - Boston's getting old, Howard's going to bolt Orlando, the Knicks are the Knicks, and we can take out the Bulls. And Chris, here's the crazy part...if we win a championship here, we'll be treated like GODS for the rest of our lives. They are desperate to win one and will sell out the Q every night. We're talking jersey retirements, statues, the whole nine yards. Come to Cleveland."

Chris: Gee Bron that sounds good and all, but in the NBA that have this thing called the Salary cap and you guys are over that. So which group of those guys are going to Toronto in the S&T to make that happen?

**LeBron: Gee Chris, you don't think I got you on this?!? The Cavs FO has a team willing to take Mo Williams and Delonte West into their cap space, which'll create a TPE ... you know what .. just come to Cleveland and win some rings with me**
FIFY

There were ways Bosh could've landed in Cleveland. I'd be interested in hearing your (errr, Chris') rebuttal

[sgm405]

The 2008 Olympics is the first time that we heard about LeBron recruiting Bosh to come to Cleveland actually. Obviously Cleveland is a pretty hard sell to players, and it didn't work. I don't know the exact date they all decided Miami was the place they wanted to play, but I assume it was around the trade deadline in 2010 when it became clear that the Knicks, and Nets could not offer all three of them a contract.

New York City was the original plan, and you can't convince me otherwise. You know what the absolute worst part of the whole Miami situation is? Toronto, one of the two teams screwed over in the deal was the team that made it possible for the Heat to actually pull off the signings smh.

The whole landscape of the NBA is changed if that Miami/Toronto trade doesn't happen. Wade in Chicago, LeBron/Bosh somewhere, possibly Cleveland, Amare/Boozer on the left over teams of the Clippers/Nets/Knicks.

If the Clippers are the odd team out, than we still do the Baron Davis trade, although the Kyrie Irving thing likely doesn't happen.

Am I the only one who never heard a single thing about Bosh being recruited to Cleveland by LeBron?

[Jack Brickman]

The same reason teams (*cough *cough Cleveland Cavs *cough cough*) tank?..... Gambling and accepting short term pain for possible long term gain.

The Heat weren't the only team to cut salary to sign 2010 free agents. See NYKnicks. If it wasn't Bron and/or Bosh in Miami then it could've been Amare/Boozer and Joe Johnson or a host of other role players

The difference between New York and Miami is that New York didn't have a franchise player whose prime they were wasting by cutting that space. New York was attempting to clear their payroll after a decade of awful decisions and worse contracts (which they ironically followed up with more stupid decisions and bad contracts...all this has happened before and will happen again) and were hoping to cash in on a superstar-laden free agency.

I just don't see any team with a player like Wade intentionally shitting all over his prime unless they had some sort of long-term commitment from him prior to doing so. There's gambling, and then there's sheer recklessness. The Heat were in the latter category unless they knew something the rest of us didn't.

[Chris]

Would be the best story in the NBA, ever, would be one of the most controversial moves in sports, and it would garner Cleveland (and LeBron) multiple rings.

Sounds like a move #6 would be willing to make, considering the above. Whether or not it'll happen is anyone's guess.

[chrisrich91]

Let me help you understand. I'm not a parrot. I wont just regurgitate the same old same old about James. I wont invent lies, theories or any other fictional stories to ease my "pain" over his decision to leave Cleveland. What i "run to defend" is the truth. I dont have an issue with you not liking the stance i've chosen, but pointing the finger/criticism at me magnifies my point. I.e there's no merit in yours or else your response would be different.

Oh and ....

You dont have a problem with collusion (even though its been said many times over that what they did wasn't collusion) you have a problem that said "collusion" didnt benefit you. So spare me the faux "I'm fighting against collusion" discourse. It's hypocritical and falls on deaf ears.

Changes nothing about my point. They still scaled down their team especially from a payroll standpoint to make a run at the 2010 free agent class...especially Lebron James.

The truth is collusion.

You telling me how I would react if the collusion benefited Cleveland is called "make believe" and doesn't count in real life.

It is collusion; not sure how anyone could argue otherwise.

You are the very definition of a sports hipster. You have no pride. It's easier to just jump on the bandwagon than to get shafted and take the short end of the stick. People like you are pathetic to me.

[beefstew]

I just find it odd that ever since LeBron left we've never really made a push to bring a half decent player to play SF.
Makes me feel like there's a bigger plan, probably me just having a pipe dream hoping the Cavs rise again.

But it helps me sleep at night.

[Mdog1]

Am I the only one who never heard a single thing about Bosh being recruited to Cleveland by LeBron?

Likely not, but i specifically remember someone writing an article about it, and I believe during a Raptors/Cavs game in 08-09 the announcers were talking about LeBron, and Bosh talking about playing together in Cleveland, then the announcers said that Bosh should have tried to get LeBron to go to Toronto lol. That is why I remember that.