The Best Browns Since 1999 – Special Teams
February 17, 2012Kyrie Irving talks about concussions, the game against Miami and being the first draft pick
February 17, 2012There is a relative opportunity cost to having two days of rest amidst an otherwise condensed schedule of NBA fervor. At least this is what I thought when initial discussions surrounding a potential LeBron James return to Cleveland started swirling.
Since James’ departure, there had always been grumblings surrounding the relative lack of accouterments down in Biscayne Bay; no longer did James — or anyone close to him — have the ability to just come and go as desired, to use, or even abuse, team facilities and airborne amenities. Things just were not as cushy as they were during his seven seasons in Cleveland and Miami’s franhise curio cabinet still only held one Commissioner’s Trophy. Perhaps the honeymoon was over.
Upon the initial rumors and innuendo, I reached out Rich Paul, a member of LeBron’s well-documented “inner circle,” but also the one who still calls Cleveland home. Though the back-and-forth was relatively quick, it said a lot.
“I think it’s all possible,” said Paul, “but I wouldn’t put a false sense of hope out there. A lot has to go right and it’s not fair to Cleveland or LeBron to build speculation just like they did with free agency.”
I assumed that the operative word of “they” encompassed the media, those taking to their various mediums — be they print or radio airwaves — discussing the taboo. Slow news days with the Browns season being over, after all. But this all makes yesterday’s revelations that much more interesting.
Sure, LeBron was asked a question. And sure, he answered it very diplomatically — he would be all the wiser to butter up Cleveland’s scorned fans given that he would be playing a game in front of them roughly 24 hours later. But even in an arena of diplomacy and high roads, James went further than anyone expected. Many in the media scrum were taken aback by James’ admission that he “made a mistake,” whether said mistake was leaving Cleveland or how he went about doing it via the purple gingham-smug Jim Grey blend. But the real revelation was not only his willingness to return to Cleveland — “if I decided” — but that he is well aware of having to make good with Dan Gilbert before doing so. The proverbial olive branch has officially been extended.
This, the understanding of impacting others, is something that seemed absent from all things LeBron. After all, he is the guy who could not wrap his hands around the concept of being booed for an entire NBA season, even by cities which were not in the hunt for his services during free agency. He is the guy who thought The Decision would be a good idea because it was “for charity.” People can opt to attempt reading between the lines of the quotes which have been now shared across newspapers both local and national, but as someone who stood a mere four feet from James when these infamous words poured out, the only word that comes to my mind is “different.” This was just different than all of those other calculated quotes he has spouted before and after games; different than the typical athlete clichés about 48 minutes or 110 percent.
Conveniently, Gilbert’s casino is slated to open this coming spring and increased foot traffic from Quicken Loans Arena can certainly work wonders on top-line revenue. Then again, speaking of another team or free agency wish lists (yet again) may only serve to increase just how unaware James may be. As ESPN’s Mike Wallace put best, “the public relations skills of a gremlin.”
The two-time MVP is under contract with the Miami Heat through the 2013-14 season so this could all be a convenient way to reign the free agency talk back in his direction. Dwight Howard and Deron Williams have each had their time in the sun and James has always been one to stir the headline pot. But even when he was discussing Miami, he was discussing Cleveland saying “I’m back to how I was in Cleveland, having fun with the game, appreciating the game, loving the game and playing at a high level.”
Cleveland is home. Cleveland was fun. Cleveland could be fun again. Nostalgia.
If he decides.
41 Comments
dan gilberts to the actor previously known as the king::
hey man, you should leave in a uproar… we (cleveland) will then get kyrie,tt, and be loaded with young talent.. then 3 or 4 years down the road , you come back.. we put your banner back up.. i got it hanging up in my house . and we can go in arms to conquer the nba and have david stern block our love for one another . the end
dan gilberts wakes up.. was it just a dream ?! lol
Seems apropos that Batty Eyes plays with Battier.
A Super-Duper NBA Star talking about possible free agent destinations two years down the road when he is currently on the title favorite is just such a strange, unprecedented phenomenon.
It just seems in his mind he is already planning his next step – that is such a new thought process in sports.
great post! i think the other thing to be said with regards to the “olive branch” LBJ put out to DG was that it may subside some of the fears a few of the fans had that DG’s letter put the Cavs even more behind the 8 ball in terms of being able to lure the more desirable free agents.. and you watch the video of the presser, it didn’t seem contrived at all, definitely seemed sincere..
is it really?? when antawn was in charlotte he said that he wouldn’t mind playing there to finish his career.. players say stuff like that all the time, but they don’t have the humongous microphone that Bron has..
and while it’s not a great example to use LBJ again, but what about all his flirtations with the NY media when he was in MSG??
I think LeBron was just trying to avoid getting booed as badly as he did last year.
He’s just trying to suck up so he doesn’t get booed tonight. Won’t work.
The real question is, Will Windy come back?
Going to the Heat was the easy decision for LeBron. With that choice, he left himself more options. He knew it would kill the Cavs giving us high picks. Maybe he figured if things didn’t work out in Miami, by then the Cavs would be a better, younger team (like OKC) and then he could come crawling back. When I first thought of this theory, it sounded so insane I didn’t share it. But now, maybe coming back to Cleveland was his “Plan B” all along. (ok, it still sounds nuts, but not as nuts as it did a few days ago)
i still wonder whose rep took a bigger hit from last summer (in Cleveland). lebron’s or BWs. the revelations that he sat on stories, saying he had more of the story on how everything went down, then never saying anything (and instead getting a cushy ESPN gig in Miami).
ah well.
Does coming back ever work out? Can anyone name a single instance when a player returned and was just as successful as before? There might be some, but I can’t think of any.
The guy was put in an impossible situation with that question, and I thought he handled it pretty well. His statement means everything that Scott summarized, yet it means absolutely nothing at all.
Regardless, a segment of Cleveland fans will find a way to be offended and irate about anything that he says.
Not to go all Clinton on you, but it depends on what you mean by “success.” I can’t think of many athletes ever going back to the city that they started in, but I would think that it would be very rare for anyone to have as much success as they did when they left. Normally, these guys leave at the height, if not the peak, of their careers. When they come back, if they ever do at all, they are on the downswing. So, if “success” means on-field, I’d say, no, it never works – and is not likely to ever work.
Success might be defined differently, though – particularly in this post-modern world. Jim Thome’s “homecoming” this summer was arguably successful, though he certainly contributed little to the team in the obvioius twilight of his career.
And by “new” you mean “nauseating”. Or maybe that’s just me.
Well, they were out of 2% at my grocery store and I’m still bitter that LeBron didn’t make sure they had enough. So, I woke up today and have the same life that I had before. I have the same personal problems I had before. I just have to get back to the real world at some point while LeBron gets to live the high life.
I’m not sure why anyone is the least bit surprised at the the way James handled the question. If you look at history, you will see that James has answered contract questions with as much generality as is possible as a means to let any team (or fans of a team) believe there is a possibility he could play for them. It’s a marketing ploy.
I can come out and say that I can’t predict the future and it’s possible that I could live on Mars and I’d hope that the people of Mars would welcome me if I decided to move.
“i got it hanging in my house” lol…
Michael Jordan? Bulls -> baseball -> Bulls?
Rocky Colavito? Tribe -> Tigers -> Athletics -> Tribe?
If you’re looking for roughly equal performance by an impact player, I got nothing. I would have thought that one of the Yankee’s high-priced FA’s would have gone limping back to their original teams with renewed success but cannot think of even one.
Yeah, you’re right. Michael Jordan won three titles, went away, came back and won three more. Well done, H Two One.
We need Dajuan wagner, someone head over to Camden and drive him back her.
yeah I’m all for a guy taking an opportunity when it’s available to him and making a better life for his family and all, but in the time since the Departure, I have determined that Windy’s only real concern was Windy, Which is fine. Just don’t waste my time promising “more to the story” and whatever else. Dear Windy- you go on caring about you, and I’ll go on not caring about you. I’m certain we will both be fine
I agree, Windhorst made the right move for himself taking that job, but he’s lost all credibility with me as a writer. Many other Clevelanders as well. I think Windy is nothing more than LeBrons mouthpiece these days, he was the first one to float this idea of him coming back to Cleveland.
one last thought. His current boss must be taking mental notes. And seething. Even if the Prince of Freaking Darkness was back on the bench this player might be the ultimate test of his legendary powers to transform guys into laser-focused ring seekers.
Windy officially left the world of news behind when he took his columnist job in Miami. Like everyone else is saying, that is fine and a good career move for him, but it sucks that there’s more to the story out there and we won’t get to hear it until Windy writes his LBJ biography (and we’ll have to pay for that as well).
I think Lebron absolutely cannot help but try to make people like him.
I also think he cannot stand not being able to do whatever he wants when he wants.
I think he cannot conceive how these two things are the root of all his problems.
I think he and Wade are like a guy and girl that work together and go out for drinks and talk all the time, but they only talk about work and they think they’d be a great couple until they go on a date and realize work is the only thing they have in common.
I think when the rubber hits the road he’ll realize he and the mob won’t ever get the run of the house back if returns, and Byron Scott won’t stand for the free-lancing and other Lebron, antics, and therefore won’t come back.
I also think Gilbert absolutely needs to acknowledge his own mistake in this mess, he just needs to cop to what Lebron said, emotions got the best of him and he spoke out of anger. There is absolutley no upside to lose the centrist fan base in order to appease the lunatic fringe.
None of your examples involve: a player who just left Team A to go to Team B where he promised he would win “not 1, not, 2, not 3, not 4, not 5… championships” and, then, 1.5 years (after winning 0 championships) turns around and says he may want to return to Team A, and if he does he hopes they will welcome him back. As such, I don’t think they are quite analogous.
This was also one of the things that struck me. How did those quotes fly in the Miami front office? Not well I assure you. Pat is not happy.
he didn’t say he may want to.. he was asked a question and gave an honest answer, that he can’t rule anything out.. just like he said everytime he was asked the same question in NYC.
yes, the 5 or 6 or whatever championships is definitely another quote to put on his greatest missed lists, but good grief, it was a rally for the fans of Miami, he has said he got carried away, it happens.. it’s just a game, entertainment, some people seem to take this stuff way too seriously.. it’s not like he’s like an elected official whose job it is to steer the country in the right direction and end up making countless more promises/predictions they can’t keep…
I’d be fine with never seeing LBJ in a Cavs uni again.
Windy lost all credibility to me when he made his “no matter where LeBron is next year, I will be right here covering our Cleveland Cavaliers” comment 2 hours prior to The Decision, then accepting the new role of a Miami Heat Index report via ESPN and never owning up to the fact he made that comment.
I don’t begrudge him a smidge for riding #6’s coat tails all the way to the bank, I do however have a problem with him playing basically the same card as #6 did with his exit.
I don’t think Pat has been happy since the “not 1, not 2…” comment.The look on his face during that pre-parade was that of complete disgust.
Agreed, #6 will say anything that he thinks will make him more likeable to fans/media. That has always been his M.O.
This recent quote is just another example of it, nothing more, nothing less.
pork makes about 6 points and i’m 100% with 5 of them.
i’m only 75% agreed on the byron scott observation. believe there’s a small chance that he could mature to the point of working inside scott’s system. …
… wait, i’m bumping that to 95%.
agree with much of your first para, but if they win a ring this year will the uncomfortable hook-up end with a satisfied cigarette? The result is going will be to be outcome determinative. If they get knocked out again this year many will agree with you.
I was critical of Gilbert’s missive the moment I read it but disagree that there is blame equivalence. Big diff between LeBron’s last year of action – colluding and intentionally leaving the organization that nurtured him in the lurch solely so he could self-promote- and Gilbert’s angry reaction moments after the tv show. I wouldn’t fall for LeBron’s insinuation yesterday that there is plenty of blame for the hatefest to go around. It’s not an unfortunate situation both sides were drawn into. This is on LeBron, regardless of how he’s trying to spin it now.
jim, the above was in response to porkchop. I still can’t sem to make the comments go where I intend.
No way… Luke Jackson!!!
Luke Jackson once scored 40pts in a DLeague game. True story.
Is Stern having an affair with Vince McMahon or something? This side drama is getting crazy, I just want to see some of the most talented folks in the world do their thing.
ps that Kardashian girl wants to date Jermey Lin if, if anyone cares . I don’t…
I believe our esteemed former president said it best:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&feature=related
Maybe its just the Italian in me, but I cannot bring myself to forgive him, and would be happy never to see him in a Cavs uniform ever again.
Harv I agree Lebron does have a bigger share of blame, ( I go about 60/40 because I see Gilbert as an enabler) but at this point I think the political thing to do is issue a statement acknowledging “The Letter” wasn’t appropriate, while not sounding like you would jump at the chance to get Lebron back
Here’s what I’d like;
“In light of recent comments made by Lebron I would like to acknowledge that anger and emotion played too large a part in the letter I wrote after Lebron made his decision. I believe all parties could and should have handled the situation better. While I cannot comment on any specific player currently under contract I will say that this organization is committed to putting the best team together possible and we would pursue any free agent we feel can fit into the organization and team concept Chris Grant and Coach Scott have created.”
Point is once one side stops fighting, the other looks increasingly like a tyrant for pursuing aggression.
yes, that has occured to me as well. absolutely crazy but still… you never know..
Too bad he’s running the Coke set in Camden. Just saw him in his escalade last week.