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August 24, 2009Tyler Moeller Attacker Now Facing Felony
August 24, 2009
While vacationing and making tour stops throughout the nation, LeBron James spent a considerable amount of time at home this weekend. Akron, Ohio held a showing of More Than a Game, but that wasn’t all. Chris Paul and LeBron had a shoot around. LeBron and his people premiered the Akron version of the Air Max LeBron VII. And James even took to the stage to help out a DJ. But he also had an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols.
That’s right. Despite holding a fundraiser that featured over 1,000 bikers that allegedly raised over $50,000 for the YMCA and Urban League – an event that James plans on making annual – there will undoubtedly be more talk surrounding the discussion of LeBron’s future in the NBA. In the interview, he was quoted as saying the following:
“My loyalty is to Akron. I’m looking forward to this upcoming season, but I’m looking forward to the summer of 2010, too, to see what may happen. No matter what happens that summer, you know, I’m still here. I’ve got a nice big house here that I’m always coming back to. You know, I love this city and I’ll always give back to this city no matter what my profession; if it takes me somewhere else.”
Notice he said “Akron,” and not “Cleveland.” This is something that we have hinted toward in the past, and also something that many of the LeBron-to-NY advocates have been screaming for quite some time.
The MTAG tour stop was in Akron, not Cleveland.
His MVP award acceptance was in Akron, not Cleveland.
And his home… Akron (Bath), not Cleveland.
As much as the majority (if not all) of WFNY believes that James will remain in Cleveland after 2010, he definitely did not do the market many favors with that last line of being “somewhere else.”
There is no denying that James wants to leave his options open – he’s spoken about it ad nauseum. But every time he mentions something like he did above, one cannot help but feel like James is laying the groundwork for a potential heartbreak to countless fans of this Cavaliers team.
Especially since we have not even started the season that has to be played before 2010 even arrives.
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LeBron James tells ESPN [Cleveland.com]
18 Comments
Every time LeBron makes this kind of statement, everyone freaks out. But when he makes a statement hinting that he wants to stay, everyone relishes in the validation. The truth is, LeBron simply doesn’t know what he’s going to do next year, and I think people would save themselves a lot of heartache if they take interviews like these with a grain of salt. This was an interview for ESPN. LeBron knows his audience, and he LOVES to tell the national media how he will consider leaving, so newspapers and talk shows in New York, New Jersey, Miami, etc will keep talking about him.
It’s best to just take a deep breathe, relax, and enjoy the upcoming season. We’ll worry about the summer of 2010 when it gets here.
I think James just likes teetering back and forth. One day he says everything but he’s staying with the Cavs. The next he sayd everything but he’s leaving. It’s all one big chess game he’s playing with Dan Gilbert and Danny Ferry. I may be a homer, but I’ll truly be surprised if he leaves during the summer of 2010.
who is this LeBron James you speak of?
Here’s a quick question to ponder. If Lebron either signed the extension this summer, or stated that his first option was Cleveland, how strong would your reaction be?
Now, if he waits until the very last tick of the clock to put his name down on paper for Cleveland, how high do you jump up and down and how many beers do you immediatly drink?
Its like the difference between coasting to a win ahead by 20 for the entire second half or winning with a last second shot. I think Lebron is doing this for attention and drama. He may have completely made up his mind at this point, but wants to remain the center of attention by reporters.
I still think he’ll remain in Cleveland because no other team is likely to offer him the ability to be the centerpiece of a championship team, while offering a good dramatic narrative. The Knicks have the latter, but definitely not the former.
THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE SUMMER OF GEORGE!!
Not that there were alot of highly touted free agents this summer, but I think Lebron’s supposed “wavering” has hurt the chances of bringing in certain guys b/c of their fear of signing their name to a 4 year contract and Lebron is gone from 3 of them.
My hopes are that Lebron signs the contract early in the summer, that way the Cavs will be able to entice some big names free agents and take the team to the next level.
With all this Cavs talk I read something that Windhorst posted. Does anyone think that Ferry will use Z’s expiring contract to bring in a big piece to the team? Would you want that if that means losing Z? (I’m curious b/c I’m on the fence about it)
My dad works in the media so I understand that the media tries to make stories out of nothing. They could have asked him a question about his loyalty to the Cavaliers and ESPN could have cut it out to put in his quote about Akron. The media wants to make it a big deal to get readers or listeners. I think this whole thing is getting to everybody. He was in Akron for his bike-a-thon and was advertising for that not cleveland. But we take everything and blow it way out of proportion. He knows how people in Cleveland feels about him leaving and the bad luck we’ve had. I think the worst answer was when he was asked if it would be a tough decision for him. He made it seem like a big joke and wasn’t sure about that. Thats more alarming to me. Thats why I think we shouldn’t Z he has always been supportive of this franchise and city. He deserves to retire as a Cavalier.
Oppie – I read that same article and the only way I’m in support of this is if A.) Z gets traded, gets bought out, and returns to the Cavs
B.) We get a bonifide, real deal, 99% certainty said player will help the team in a large way.
Since the 99% certainty isn’t realistic, I’m not sure if I agree with trading him, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see how the season plays out.
Oppie:
You can only be loyal to your franchise player, everyone else is expendable.
I love Z too, but you have to put the best team on the court that you can.
Yes, I understand the irony of my statement.
The Indians just won 2 of 3 and the Browns brought home the barge. Do the Cavs still matter?
I will TP his gate (b/c I can’t reach his house) if he leaves. On the toilet paper, I will draw many frowny faces.
I have similar feelings as you both. As a die hard Cavs fan, I remember Z being there through the good times, but also sticking it out through those awful Cavs teams at the turn of the century. I would love to see Z retire a Cavalier, but as Tom said, everyone is expendable, so if they can bring in a difference maker, I say do it.
I personally don’t want the Cavs to get burned like they did with Wally’s contract b/c that obviously backfired b/c he was awful through the playoffs. We could have had Shaq last year and then used Ben’s contract for another player this summer.
Deal Z if he’s going to get bought out and return to the Cavs. The 30 days off would probably do him good.
If we win the NBA Championship this season… then I really don’t care if Lebron stays, leaves for the Knicks or travels with the dalai lama !
I just want one of our teams to win ONCE !
The same love of the spotlight that leadss him to tease about his future also future makes him so great in the clutch. We have a prime time player. Let him do his moth to the light bulb thing; it’s all part of the package. Breathe.
They were talking about Akron before he made the comment about loyalty. The host brought up Akron, not Lebron. Lebron’s love for his hometown doesn’t make me nervous. Just thank God Akron is in North East Ohio and NOT suburban New York, Miami, Detroit, Los Angeles, etc. etc. etc.
I saw the interview, and I get that the hometown he pines for most is Akron, and not Cleveland, but my first thought is this: What happens when that big house that he’s going to stay in is 300 miles away instead of a 25 minute drive up 77 to get to practice? And when he goes out into the city of Akron, which he does regularly, what will the response be? The same as it is now? I’m sure that all of these thoughts have gone through his head, and even if he is a superstar, he’s still human. There’s a reason that when most athletes, especially beloved ones, leave town for another team, they move to where that other team is. And I don’t think Lebron is willing to do that.
Why on earth would Ferry sign both Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker to 2 year deals if by doing so it guarantees that he cannot sign a second free agent like Bosh to max dollars in the summer of 2010??? True Moon and Parker make the Cavs marginally better in 2010, but is it really worth it? If I were Ferry I would have instead signed some veteran guys to fill out the bench for only one year guaranteed deals and not do anything that would take away summer 2010 cap flexibility. I could name a few guys that could be effective that are still out there but I’ll save that for another time. But seriously, I just don’t think Moon and Parker are going to be worth it.