LeBron James To Cleveland? What Does He Have To Lose

NBA Free Agency has been really fun this summer. The main reason for the Free Agency frenzy this summer is there are so many big players running around trying to find a home. LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh headline a pretty top-heavy free agency season. But with the way things are going it’s essentially a game of dominoes from what I can see, and every player and organization is waiting for the first domino to drop before everyone else makes their first move. Some teams like the Houston Rockets and Miami Heat have already started the process of making their teams look appealing to free agents by trading guys away and having other guys opt out of salary clogging contracts. But then what about all these LeBron to Cleveland Cavaliers rumors that are floating around? I think it would be really cool if it happened. For everyone involved.

LeBron Has Nothing To Lose Now

When LeBron had the “Decision” special announcing he was leaving Cleveland in the summer of 2010, he was doing it for a reason…to win championships. Maybe Dan Gilbert and the Cavs underestimated what LeBron’s aspirations were and thought he would never leave the state he was born in to try and win. Well that gamble didn’t pay off and LeBron took his talents to South Beach to team up with perennial All-Stars Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Bron was chasing championships and possibly the chance to catch Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player in history. Bron accomplished most of what he set out to do in Miami. His team made it two four straight NBA Finals winning two of them. For me, catching Michael Jordan is off the table with a 2-3 Finals record, but Bron can still finish someplace in the top 5 with all the years he has remaining. At this point, Bron has nothing to prove.

He’s won championships, he’s won MVP’s and he’s been the best player in the game for nearly a decade. Now he can do as he pleases and not have a care in the world. There is nothing but good that will come from LeBron going back to Cleveland in my opinion. He would be returning home and in a sense righting past wrongs, because no matter how many people in Cleveland were upset that LeBron left them to begin with, they will welcome him back with open arms gladly. And if they say they won’t they’re lying to themselves. Bron is from Ohio and he’s still at the top of his game and will be for at least three more years. A reunion makes sense.

Imagine the hoopla that would revolve around King James returning home, as the all-conquering hero to try and bring a championship to a city that has not one a major championship in any sport since the 60’s. He would be returning at the peak of his powers and not a care in the world. His trophy mantle is filled and his fingers have rings on them. I’m sure Dan Gilbert will gladly apologize for his behavior after LeBron’s departure, and Gilbert’s infamous letter that he wrote after LeBron decided to leave the Cavs has been taken down from the Cavs website. Make of that what you will.

It’s also rumored that LeBron’s child hood friend and agent Rich Paul is said to want LeBron to return to Cleveland. This can be taken in a couple of different ways. First, Rich Paul is also from Ohio and namely Cleveland. He lives there and has business interest in the city. If he can be the guy that helps bring LeBron back home, not only is he a legend in his own city, but the loads of financial opportunities with the “LeBron coming home” narrative would astronomical. So that’s the financial portion of the Rich Paul involvement. The other part that can be considered, is the LeBron factor of what Rich Paul has been saying. LeBron is much smarter this time around in free agency. It would make sense that anything Rich Paul is saying has to either come from or be approved by LeBron first.

All the heat is now on Rich Paul, not LeBron. Unless Bron says anything himself, this all looks like Rich Paul is the person angling for LeBron to move back to Cleveland. So no matter where LeBron ends up, no one can point a finger and say “Well LeBron made it seem as if he was coming back to Cleveland!” No one can say that if Bron’s agent is the one doing all the talking. Like I said before, LeBron has nothing to lose at this point and he’s playing his cards the right way with no one knowing anything. Smart man.

LeBron Makes the Cavaliers a Title Contender Thought Right? Right?!?!?

No, LeBron does not make the Cavaliers a title contender upon his return I don’t think. The Cavs have Kyrie Irving signed to a max contract and I think Kyrie is a young star in the making. The Cavs also have other pieces like Anderson Verrajo, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and the newly drafted Andrew Wiggins. That’s some good talent but it’s good young unproven talent. The Cavs also have a new coach who’s never coached in the NBA so there are a lot of questions marks. But go back and look at the roster LeBron took Cleveland to the Finals with and you can argue this roster is far more talented. And looking at the Miami Heat’s current roster there are also question marks everywhere. As of right now in Miami the only guy that’s on the roster is Mario Chalmers.

Wade will be back of course and so will Udonis Haslem, but those two alone aren’t bringing Miami and LeBron more titles. Bosh is a wildcard as well. Bosh owes Miami nothing, so if another team offers him money then Bosh should take it and run. It’s rumored the Houston Rockets are making a hard push for Bosh and they can offer him great money in a state similar to Florida where the money isn’t taxed heavily. But keep in mind all the players I just named for Cleveland are young and are signed for a good amount of years. Wade and Halsem are past their prime, and Bosh can explore his options. Bron can look at the Cavs and Heat rosters and really analyze what he thinks he can accomplish with both. But there’s another thing I’ve been wondering, what’s going on with Kevin Love?

Kevin Love trade news was all the rage a couple of weeks back until the Big 3 from Miami opted-Out. Then Carmelo Anthony opte-out and Love was old news. No one in the media outside of Minnesota is talking about Love but that doesn’t mean things aren’t going on behind the scenes. Just for argument’s sake, what if the Cavs traded away Andrew Wiggins and a few other pieces to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love? I’m not even sure how possible it is but a Love/LeBron/Irving trio in the Eastern Conference would be a killer. And in some good bench pieces, then I can see the Cavaliers as a genuine contender for the title. The Western Conference still has powerhouses all over the place so I’m not making the version of the Cavs I just names a title favorite, but with LeBron on any team with good complimentary pieces that team is a contender.

There’s a lot that can happen in the next week or two. I have no idea what LeBron is going to do. I’ve been saying for over a year I think he would go back to Cleveland but I couldn’t make a great case why at the time. But with the series of recent events these past two months, the case has been made for me. LeBron is in a great position and can do what he wants. For me, I think going back to Ohio and winning a championship for Cleveland would be quite a special story. Let’s see what King James does next. Are we all about to be witnesses again? 

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