Fermez La Boucher; Blue Jackets Move On, Hire Scott Arniel As Coach
June 8, 2010Mathematical Proof of Tom Izzo’s NBA Success
June 8, 2010
The times they are a-changin’. For the Cleveland Cavalier organization, everyone is experiencing change at a rate we’ve never seen before. The coach is gone. The GM is gone. The superstar? According to some (Wes) he is “leaning hard” toward leaving (for Chicago). The team is trying to trade some guys like Mo Williams and Delonte West, while letting other players like Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Shaquille O’Neal walk away.
Change is supposed to be a good thing. After all, it was Winston Churchill who once said “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” There are literally thousands of similar famous quotes about the merits and value of change. So why, then, is there so much distress over all the change surrounding the Cavs when they’ve failed every time in their pursuit of a title? Is it possible that too much change is a bad thing?
I don’t know what the future brings for the Cavaliers. I know these last 2 seasons have been the highlight of my life as an NBA fan. I’ve never enjoyed watching any professional team more than I have these last 2 renditions of the Cavaliers. But I know one more thing, too. No matter how much more change we are to endure (including whether LeBron signs or not), things are never going to be the same ever again.
During this Sunday’s episode of the HBO series Treme, one of the characters named Creighton Bernette (played masterfully by John Goodman) was lamenting to his YouTube followers about the death of New Orleans and how Carnival will never be the same in the wake of post-Katrina life:
Living [in New Orleans] now is like a dream. The way that everything in a dream is the same, yet not the same. Familiar yet strange. Not quite right, but you just can’t put your finger on it. New Orleans was a soap bubble and it had a hell of a run. But now it’s done. Whatever comes next is just a dream of what used to be.
In many ways, he could have just as easily been talking about Cleveland sports in general, but more specific, post-2010 life for the Cavaliers.
Many people have made similar remarks about the Lerner-era Browns. Sure, it’s the same team, same colors, same city, same history, same records…..but yet, it’s still not quite the same as it was before Modell tore out the heart and soul from that franchise.
In this summer of 2010, so too has LeBron James now ripped the heart and soul out of the Cavaliers organization. He might still come back to Cleveland. He might still lead this franchise to their ultimate goal. But even if he does come back, I suspect the damage has been done and very few of us will ever view him in the same light again.
One of the WFNY writers (and I apologize for forgetting which, although I think it was Craig) commented in an email a few days ago that LeBron was leading a scorched earth campaign of free agency. I think that might be a good way of putting it. This rumor trail of speculation and dashed hopes and dreams is doing a lot of damage to the psyche of sports fans everywhere. His open flirtations with all these different teams will create backlash in all the places he ultimately doesn’t sign. It’s creating fatigue, resentment, over-exposure. No where is this worse than in Cleveland.
Free agency is a right all players have. Fans have a certain expectation of unconditional loyalty that doesn’t always work both ways. And because LeBron, like every other major free agent, wanted to be able to implement his right to test free agency, there’s a feeling of betrayal among Cleveland faithful. We’ve seen it on Twitter, in the comment section, mainstream media articles, even to an extent in some internal WFNY emails. People are sick and tired of LeBron, wary of his motives, and doubtful of his commitment to this franchise. And we still have 22 days to go until he’s actually a free agent.
I’ll reiterate, though, that LeBron James is not a fool. He’s incredibly smart and savvy and I promise you he’s thought about the repercussions of his actions. The problem for LeBron is that it might be too late, the damage might be done. Even if LeBron does re-sign with Cleveland, I’ll still cheer for him 100%. I’d like to think most fans would as well. But it won’t be the same. It will never be as carefree and fun as these last 2 seasons have been. And that makes me sad.
I hope I’m wrong. I hope everyone can embrace LeBron with open arms if he chooses to come back. I hope we can forget about what’s about to happen and just get back to enjoying watching this team play basketball. More than anything, though, I just hope we can survive until July 1st without drowning in the rumors and speculation.
Sure, LeBron could end it all by proclaiming his desire to stay in Cleveland, but none of the free agents are doing that. Tim Duncan openly flirted with the idea of playing in Orlando. Kobe Bryant gave serious thought to the Clippers. This is what happens when you have elite superstars on your team. You have to deal with a little baggage. But this is what you must endure to have a Championship team. We can debate whether LeBron has the determination, focus, and passion necessary to win a title, but I wish everyone would ease up a bit on the angst over the free agency process. That’s exactly what this is, a process. And the earliest we will know for sure what the outcome is will be July 1st.
I’m still not going to try to predict what LeBron is going to do. I have absolutely no idea. I have my doubts about him re-signing, but I can just as easily see him staying in Cleveland. If he does indeed stay, though, I’m not going to hold the free agency process against him. I just wish we could all feel better about the way this has gone down. Rooting for the Cavaliers will never be quite the same after this experience.
49 Comments
“…But it won’t be the same.”
Well said, Andrew.
I think fans will be fine with him if he signs for max years…if he signs a 3 year deal, I think people will just roll their eyes and shrug, awaiting another stupid circus by 2013.
It will never be the same. The amount of damage from Game 5 will be something that people will write books about in a decade. He has to sign a max deal but the honeymoon is over.
Very good piece Andrew. I think the media is as much of, if not more than, a culprit for these circumstances. Yes ESPN and SI.com are the big, evil ones. But in today’s “what have you done for me lately” and instant access society all media outlets are guilty of it. Including you all here at WFNY. I’m not saying this to provoke arguments. I’m saying this because this is how I feel. Do you think Jordan would have done things any differently to build his brand if the media were anything like it is today? I don’t. This could be said of almost all big time athletes, they assert themselves like they’re bigger than they actually are. Because we all enable them. So whether it’s Bron, or some random high school kid holding press conferences to announce where they will play college ball, we allow it to happen. We watch. We write about it. We make it entirely too big a deal. But I think you are wrong about it not being the same, change is good. He is just the catalyst for this change. We will all love him the same when he comes back.
Well-said Andrew. There’s a landslide going on that’s been started by a few, perpetuated by many – and there are a log of people who aren’t going to be happy with the results. It’ll be interesting to see what happens, but the unfortunate fact of the matter is we’re all going to be a bit jaded, regardless of the result.
Excellent Post, Andrew.
I agree with Omega King’s point. To follow up, I think if he does do another 3 year deal, he’ll be nationally viewed as an NBA version of Brett Favre – someone who is talented but also has an ego that needs constant stroking and attention.
I think that if he’s going to be here, he needs to be here – 100%. I feel like he had one foot out the door during the playoffs, waiting for an excuse to quit on the team. There’s no reason the Cavs couldn’t have beaten the aging Celtics, the pouting Magic, or the fragile Lakers… I feel robbed.
You guys are rediculous. If he resigns all will be forgven for the amount of time he resigns for. If you think otherwise you’re kidding yourself.
JK, I disagree with your point… but I’ll admit that might be part of a defense mechanism 🙂
I think many/most fans underestimated how brutal this process was going to be, and I think it was magnified by the shocking early exit from the playoffs and the lack of effort in Game 5. It all adds up to fans now feeling like LeBron never really wanted to be here and as a result many fans no longer have any use for LeBron. I’m sure some fans will come back with open arms, but I just don’t think the unconditional love LeBron had will ever be quite the same as it was prior to this offseason.
I agree it wont ever be the same. I also think he is setting himself up for a lot of blame (that is if he stays in Cleveland). If they dont win a championship people will always look back to how he handled his free agency and second guess his moves. If he had signed sooner we could have gotten another superstar. If he signed sooner we could have gotten a better choach. etc. Just resigning will not bring us all back like nothing happened, a championship however, would make a lot of people forgive and forget this offseason.
The last 2 seasons were great fun to watch, but for some reason, this season wasn’t the same as 2008-2009. I’m not talking playoffs, just the regular season. It was fun to watch, but something seemed a little different than 08-09 as a fan. Almost as if there was too much pressure or something.
Or maybe I was just thinking all season, this could be it if Lebron leaves…
@Jason: In 08-09, the Cavaliers were just destroying teams night in and night out. It was the best regular season in team history. It would take an awful lot to ever top that regular season.
As for 09-10, the Cavs routinely struggled with keeping their focus and with their defense. They kept letting bad teams hang around in the 4th quarter. But still, to run away with the NBA’s best record was a lot of fun again.
ESPN-NY has officially run out of things to discuss with LeBron. They now have their writers actually looking up facts and figuring out that there might not be a marketing appeal to signing with the Knicks.
http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/news/story?id=5244954
I agree with the basic premise of this post – I dont think things will be the same for the fans regarding LeBron. JK – I think we will all root for LBJ and the Cavs just as hard as before but everyone will be…cautious. The combined FA and poor playoff vs Celtics has been a blow. The King has left us with doubts. We all knew LeBron had flaws in his game but I never had doubts he would overcome those and lead the Cavs to a title. But now, the way things went down, I guess the feeling I am getting from so many is we are just..not..sure.
To me, the bigger question is, if LeBron re-signs, how will all of this change him? What will LeBrons attitude be? What will his relationship with the fans be? How will he view the Cavs organization? Yes, things will change. We really have no idea what it will be like next season.
It’s going to get (rightfully) ugly in NE Ohio if LeBron leaves for a 3-year deal. Could you imagine how much worse it would be if he left here for a 5-year deal somewhere else? Ouch. Solid piece Andrew and you couldn’t be more right. The thing that irks me almost as much as the thought of LeBron leaving his hometown for some other city is the fact that I won’t get to watch him every time he plays. The difference between getting to watch a great player on basic cable verses shelling out $300 for a guy that spurned us is profound.
@Andrew #12: You’re right, the 08-09 team slaughtered most teams night in and night out. I just wonder why that changed this past year. We seemed better on paper. It was another fun season to watch, but in the back of my head all year, I had the thought that this team just didn’t have “it”. Something was off. I just ignored that thought and went along for the ride, but I guess my thought was right.
Intensity wasn’t there every night. Too many games of letting the Pacers and Timberwolves of the world hang around in the 4th quarter.
I think WFNY should install a post mechanism that doesn’t allow “rediculous,” among other spelling/grammar mistakes, a la JK’s post.
But I can’t argue his point; if The King re-signs he’ll be loved just as much (if not more) than before.
If he doesn’t and goes to Chicago…ugh…
Even if he re-signs, you only have a first love once. Between game 5 and then his hostage taking now of the franchise; ill cheer and all that, but ill still keep all this BS and his diva-ness in the back of my head
If LeBron stays of course I will continue to root for him, but I won’t love him the way I did before. I understand the process of free agency, but I don’t appreciate the way he handled our post season and how he is handling his free agency. If he leaves however, I won’t follow him.
“..but I wish everyone would ease up a bit on the angst over the free agency process.”
Really? Because this is one of the most angst riddled pieces I’ve seen yet.
“He might still lead this franchise to their ultimate goal. But even if he does come back, I suspect the damage has been done and very few of us will ever view him in the same light again.”
Is it possible we are being a bit melodramatic? Let’s do what we do best, wait for next year, not whine for last year.
Maybe LBJ needed to reclaim himself a bit. That’s what free agency is pretty good for. He’s been increasingly perceived like public property for a while now.
I was a Cavs fan first, Lebron fan second. Next season, if he stays, the distance between the 2 will expand. If he leaves, I will immediately lose all respect for him. I am teetering at the edge with him.
If he stays, next season he will look less like the homegrown humble hero that made me like him (long ago), and more like a bigshot egomaniac who seems like an odd fit here in little attraction-less Cleveland. (said sarcastically)
What teams has LBJ been flirting with? He has kept his mouth shut and let the media speculate who is on his destination list. If Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Miami, Washington, and Los Angeles get their hearts broken because LBJ chooses to remain a Cavalier, they have nobody to blame but themselves. They started the rumors about LBJ going to those cities, they brought in their Political and sports figures to recruit LBJ there. He never once has shown any interest in any of those teams/cities except acknowledging the history of New York and Chicago.
LBJ is not a little hussy at a bar flirting with all of the single guys, only to go back home to her husband at the end of the night. These single guys are hitting on LBJ and ignoring the fact that female LBJ will go back to her husband.
Andrew- good write up, but I can’t believe you would blame LBJ’s closed mouth approach to free agency for the media storm ESPN and beat writers throughout each of those cities have brought on themselves and their fans.
I have never heard a single realistic alternative to this media shamtacular.
Nice article. I think Lebron wants to stay in Cleveland. The BIG question is whether he can win championships here. Realistically, IMHO, the Bulls would have a better chance of winning championships with James than the Cavs. Rose is such a huge upgrade over Mo and/or Delonte. The rest of both teams could be considered (roughly) similar. I don’t see the Cavs getting a Rose-type impact player no matter what they do…
By no means would I say a championship is guaranteed in Chicago, or that no championship is a certainty in Cleveland…with James, a championship is likely in either city. So it will be a difficult decision for Lebron. Hope he stays here!!
BAJ, I would argue that the Nets would have the best chance at numerous ring with the addition of LBJ. They would have..
Devin Harris
Courtney Lee
Chris Douglas Roberts/ LBJ
Yi Jianlian
Brook Lopez
plus the third pick in the draft which could land them either Evan Turner to backup Lee, Harris and LBJ or Demarcus Cousins who could start at PF.
If the Nets can shave roughly 4 million dollars they could afford two max contracts. Yi Jianlian’s contract is worth around 3.5 million. So I would imagine they will try to work a sign and trade for Bosh from Toronto and send that third pick, Jianlian and either Lee or another young quality player. Leaving their roster with
Devin Harris
SG
Lebron James
Chris Bosh
Brook Lopez
@23 – “LBJ is not a little hussy at a bar flirting with all of the single guys, only to go back home to her husband at the end of the night. These single guys are hitting on LBJ and ignoring the fact that female LBJ will go back to her husband.”
…uh oh, maybe LeBron would fit best with the Warriors in the bay area
@ Stinkfist – or the Wizards. DC City Council passed an amendment this year making it legal. Which is legaler than the Bay Area.
Damn you Miss Cleo!!
It won’t ever be the same unless James comes back and signs a max deal. The Cavs and the city have shown him more than enough loyalty and that’s the only way he can really and truly reciprocate it.
I’m to the point where I’m having a more and more difficult time seeing him staying in Cleveland. And even if he does return, for a guy that’s supposedly so media savvy, he’s handled this process horribly; most so in the city in which he lives.
“It will never be as carefree and fun as these last 2 seasons have been. And that makes me sad.”
It might be sad, but might it also be good in a much more important way? I think a more business-like attitude from both the fans AND LeBron could be a good thing. The puppy love has done no favors for his, his teammates’, and the fans’ attitudes over the years. It’s kinda like when you start having some challenges and disagreements with a girlfriend you really dig. That’s the true test and when things should get even better, because things are more honest.
Who knows. Guy’s a buffoon. I’ll root for him as long as he plays for the Cavs, no more, no less.
I keep comparing this situation to a relationship.
What Lebron is doing is worse than thinking about another team.
It’s like the girlfriend that likes you but might be thinking of leaving. It’s one thing if she finds someone else and is contemplating going for him. You have a lot to offer, he has alot to offer, she’s considering.
In this situation though, she likes you, she’s comfortable, you can offer a better life, but it’s still not enough. She dresses slutty and goes out to bars, just to see if someone else will pay attention. It shows a lack of respect for all you’ve done for her over the years. Nothing out there is better, (120+ wins in 2 years, and $30 million more) but she still wants you to jump through hoops just to satisfy her own needy insecurities.
It would be different if he said, “I like what Miami has to offer what will you do to get another superstar”, but to go to Chicago where he would leave money on the table, be on essentially the same team we had this year, be with an inexperienced coach, and live in Jordan’s shadow. Just disrespectful.
I think you’re underestimating what a potential “I’m staying in Cleveland” press conference would feel like to Clevelanders… LeBron’s a good showman. If he plays that announcement up, then Clevelanders, tired of months of angst will jump onboard with the festivities. You think the ping-pong ball felt good, think of how knowing that your proven superstar’s coming back.
Think its fun now, just wait till he is throwing out a first pitch at Yankee Stadium/Wrigley, doing press conferences at Staples during his Wine & Dine tour. Will be like watching your girl play around with another guy while saying she still might come home to you..
Good article.
If LeBron decides to stay I will like him more than ever. I think many of us are too afraid to admit that. Instead, we convince ourselves or claim that we almost want him to go or that we already like him less. I call shenanigans on many of you.
@Jackson- or kind of like if you were Sandra Bullock.
I consider the Chicago Bulls to be Nazi’s too.
I like the relationship comparisons… It’s fun.. LBJ is a slutty girl.
THIS WHOLE LEBRON THING IS LIKE WHEN YOU AND A BUDDY DECIDE TO ROB A LIQUOR STORE AND YOUR BUDDY DRIVES OFF IN THE GETAWAY CAR BEFORE YOU GET OUT OF THE STO… NEVER MIND.
IT’S LIKE WHEN YOU REGULARLY OVER-TIP A BARTENDER AND ANOTHER DUDE GETS DRINKS ON THE HOU… NEVER MIND.
These Lebronalogies are like an Alanis Morrissette song that makes me want to break my receiver with a claw hammer.
I just read this article http://blogs.forbes.com/sportsmoney/2010/06/lebrons-100-million-impact-on-the-cleveland-cavaliers/
It’s a lot of blah blah blah money, money, LBJ.. Blah
But it says Forbes a couple of times in it, so I tend to believe it
the Cavs are worth more with LeBron than without him? really?
FORBES IS THE BEST PLACE OUT THERE FOR SUCH GROUND-BREAKING NEWS STORIES.
———————-
seriously though,
they factor in one of the worst stretches of Cavs history (7 years prior to LeBron with those wretched uni’s and some of those wretched teams while the Indians were still good and the Browns were just coming back into town)
and compare it to the best stretch in Cavs history. Yes, LeBron has a ton to do with that, but
1. Gilbert has something to do with it as well (uni change, aggressiveness, willingness to spend).
2. some of the good that LeBron did for the Cavs would remain (a lot of national exposure means the brand is much better known now which is half the battle)
We should trade LeBron for Strasburg.
HEY MGBODE, I liked the Uni’s from the late 90’s
They remind me of Shawn Kemp
Denny- Then trade Strasburg for more prospects like Lou Marson
@ MattyFos – YES!!! Waves of mediocrity are the best kind of waves.
Perhaps he should go. Let’s face it; his lack of commitment to the team (by openly promoting his anxiousness for free agency for at least two years now) hurt the Cavs chances of winning a title. It led to moves that were not based on a long term strategy. You cannot compare what LBJ did to Cleveland with what Bryant or Duncan did. This was FAR worse.
I say we move on, and build. Let the owner build a championship team. I for one do not want another three years of uncertainly like the last.
I’m down with #2Omega, #6Jason: he is redeemed by signing for seven years (here). another three year deal sets up the same dynamic of ‘win now or else.’ and then… ‘holy god we’ve got two 40 year old centers and no point guard..’ (cue the aliens link — http://youtu.be/dsx2vdn7gpY )
#16Jason: you’re on point about sleepwalking through wins this year (and last year). i put that on MB.
#17oribiasi: don’t spelling errors come with being a LUNCHPAIL town? (see what i did there with the caps?)
#32history: i think your analogy is good. to go a step further, you could also say that espn, mayor bloomberg, obama are analogically-speaking rooting for our marriage to fail. (it’s just an analogy.) (no it’s shouldn’t feel like that to me, but it does.) (and though the fault lies with the ‘wandering wife’ you’d like to think a code of honor exists among where you wouldn’t go after another guy’s wife.)
#37Matt#2 the morrissette line was funny.
and #44Tmac. yes exactly. the circus this past year is on lebron and hurt us hugely. we didn’t care too much, because it looked like we had enough to win it.
the teams that win it all… ARE TEAMS. bron put himself above the team. ‘i’ll do handshakes with you but if we dont win it this year, i’m leaving and i’m going somewhere with GOOD players.’ this side of the drama only cropped up when they faced adversity (for the first time all year) and it’s not surprising that they folded like a cheap suit.
maybe that’s what’s bugging me (and us). i really bought into ‘team-first’ lebron. but this free agent dance carries an underlying ‘my teammates suck’ vibe which is unpleasant. i think his disloyalty to his teammates bothers me more than his disloyalty to NE Ohio. he didn’t have a bond with us personally; he did with them.
What exactly is wrong with the Cleveland fans? Are you really thinking? Lebronn is going on a “scorched earth campaign of free agency” You and the media are. Lebron should not rush his decison to accomadate any of you. HE doesn’t belong to you and he doesn’t you anything. Why should he commit now when he doesn’t know what
he’s signing up for? Who in their right mind would do something so stupid? He would be a fool not to look at his options. And give the Lebron wouldn’t commit and that’s why the Cavs couldn’t get another star argument a rest. The Cavs had Lebron since 2003. The team could have brought another star to the team if the Cavs had not blown money on mediocre talent and wasted draft picks when they were not giving them away. Lebron’s focus and compassion are not the reason the Cavs get tossed out of the playoffs every year. The Cavs are not a good team. The talent is either old or average. All of Cleveland knew that 2010 free agency would come. And all the Cavs knew years ago that Lebron signed a short term deal in order to look for better options. So, why are you resentful, hurt, and feel betrayed? How does a man making decisions for his life and career become a betrayal of any of you? C’mon people grow up!
@ Eric – cool story, bro.
People are still shaking their heads from game 5. Until someone like Shaq retires, talks and tells us what really happened, it will be the same-old-tight-lipped guessing game.
lol @ Denny twice…. way to raise the bar Denny.