2010 LeBron James Sweepstakes

[Lee Noire]

I wish I would've seen this before LBJ decided because it hits in why, even though I'm happy for Bron and his family, I hate that he is "going home." Especially the last paragraph or so:

"Meanwhile, Gilbert never explained why he was willing to offer LeBron a maximum contract if he thought so little of his character. Nor has his low opinion of LeBron's character prevented Gilbert from pursuing him this summer. He hasn't expressed regret for writing the letter, only a desire to reword parts of it. So until we're told otherwise, Gilbert's opinion of LeBron still stands."

http://m.espn.go.com/nba/story?storyId=11194890

[Gothamite]

That's from ESPN? Sounds like sour grapes from an organization not used to being scooped.

The important thing is this:

Please Cavs do not change your uniforms for this. Your look is great...Let LeBron make it beloved.

Indeed. One of the best things about this story is that those gorgeous uniforms won't get forgotten as "the unis from immediately following those good years".

[hbgoo1975]

Lebron comes back to Cleveland but this time, he's staying for good!

[JayMac]

That's from ESPN? Sounds like sour grapes from an organization not used to being scooped.

The important thing is this:

Please Cavs do not change your uniforms for this. Your look is great...Let LeBron make it beloved.

Indeed. One of the best things about this story is that those gorgeous uniforms won't get forgotten as "the unis from immediately following those good years".

These current uniforms are so much better. I hated the uniforms of the LBJ 1.0 era. The colors are so bland. Now New Orleans fans have to deal with that terrible color scheme.

[hbgoo1975]

Also, for anyone who by chance hasn't read the letter:

Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It’s where I walked. It’s where I ran. It’s where I cried. It’s where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People there have seen me grow up. I sometimes feel like I’m their son. Their passion can be overwhelming. But it drives me. I want to give them hope when I can. I want to inspire them when I can. My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn’t realize that four years ago. I do now.

Remember when I was sitting up there at the Boys & Girls Club in 2010? I was thinking, This is really tough. I could feel it. I was leaving something I had spent a long time creating. If I had to do it all over again, I’d obviously do things differently, but I’d still have left. Miami, for me, has been almost like college for other kids. These past four years helped raise me into who I am. I became a better player and a better man. I learned from a franchise that had been where I wanted to go. I will always think of Miami as my second home. Without the experiences I had there, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing today.

I went to Miami because of D-Wade and CB. We made sacrifices to keep UD. I loved becoming a big bro to Rio. I believed we could do something magical if we came together. And that’s exactly what we did! The hardest thing to leave is what I built with those guys. I’ve talked to some of them and will talk to others. Nothing will ever change what we accomplished. We are brothers for life. I also want to thank Micky Arison and Pat Riley for giving me an amazing four years.

I’m doing this essay because I want an opportunity to explain myself uninterrupted. I don’t want anyone thinking: He and Erik Spoelstra didn’t get along. … He and Riles didn’t get along. …The Heat couldn’t put the right team together. That’s absolutely not true.

I’m not having a press conference or a party. After this, it’s time to get to work.

When I left Cleveland, I was on a mission. I was seeking championships, and we won two. But Miami already knew that feeling. Our city hasn’t had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what’s most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio.

I always believed that I’d return to Cleveland and finish my career there. I just didn’t know when. After the season, free agency wasn’t even a thought. But I have two boys and my wife, Savannah, is pregnant with a girl. I started thinking about what it would be like to raise my family in my hometown. I looked at other teams, but I wasn’t going to leave Miami for anywhere except Cleveland. The more time passed, the more it felt right. This is what makes me happy.

To make the move I needed the support of my wife and my mom, who can be very tough. The letter from Dan Gilbert, the booing of the Cleveland fans, the jerseys being burned -- seeing all that was hard for them. My emotions were more mixed. It was easy to say, “OK, I don’t want to deal with these people ever again.” But then you think about the other side. What if I were a kid who looked up to an athlete, and that athlete made me want to do better in my own life, and then he left? How would I react? I’ve met with Dan, face-to-face, man-to-man. We’ve talked it out. Everybody makes mistakes. I’ve made mistakes as well. Who am I to hold a grudge?

I’m not promising a championship. I know how hard that is to deliver. We’re not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I’m realistic. It will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010. My patience will get tested. I know that. I’m going into a situation with a young team and a new coach. I will be the old head. But I get a thrill out of bringing a group together and helping them reach a place they didn’t know they could go. I see myself as a mentor now and I’m excited to lead some of these talented young guys. I think I can help Kyrie Irving become one of the best point guards in our league. I think I can help elevate Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. And I can’t wait to reunite with Anderson Varejao, one of my favorite teammates.

But this is not about the roster or the organization. I feel my calling here goes above basketball. I have a responsibility to lead, in more ways than one, and I take that very seriously. My presence can make a difference in Miami, but I think it can mean more where I’m from. I want kids in Northeast Ohio, like the hundreds of Akron third-graders I sponsor through my foundation, to realize that there’s no better place to grow up. Maybe some of them will come home after college and start a family or open a business. That would make me smile. Our community, which has struggled so much, needs all the talent it can get.

In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have.

I’m ready to accept the challenge. I’m coming home.

Pure class right there...a true sign the man has definitely grown up. All the best to him.

Agreed. The perfect way to do this.

Good luck to the Cavs.

[vmd9]

If Minnesota trades Love to the Cavs without getting Wiggins back then that franchise needs to be shot into the sun.

If they don't trade Love for Waiters, Bennett and two first rounders good luck finding something better.

[TheOldRoman]

I wish I would've seen this before LBJ decided because it hits in why, even though I'm happy for Bron and his family, I hate that he is "going home." Especially the last paragraph or so:

"Meanwhile, Gilbert never explained why he was willing to offer LeBron a maximum contract if he thought so little of his character. Nor has his low opinion of LeBron's character prevented Gilbert from pursuing him this summer. He hasn't expressed regret for writing the letter, only a desire to reword parts of it. So until we're told otherwise, Gilbert's opinion of LeBron still stands."

http://m.espn.go.com/nba/story?storyId=11194890

I can't post links, but Adrian Wojnarowski's story on Yahoo quotes Gilbert as saying that he realized the letter was a huge mistake about a year afterwards.

[Lee Noire]

That's from ESPN? Sounds like sour grapes from an organization not used to being scooped.

FWIW, it was written a couple days back when this was still up in the air. I posted because it spoke to why I was opposed to Bron going back, that's all.

Roman:

I was waiting for that article come out. I really want to know what Gilbert said to rectify that. Thanks, I'll go look at it.

[OnWis97]

If Minnesota trades Love to the Cavs without getting Wiggins back then that franchise needs to be shot into the sun.

If they don't trade Love for Waiters, Bennett and two first rounders good luck finding something better.

I think they can do better. Those two first rounders are going to be in the 20s, so they are meaningless. Love for Waiters and Bennett? Nobody would do that...except the T-Wolves. Congrats on your steal.

[C's]

If Minnesota trades Love to the Cavs without getting Wiggins back then that franchise needs to be shot into the sun.

If they don't trade Love for Waiters, Bennett and two first rounders good luck finding something better.

The first rounders are worthless if they're from the Cavs themselves (I don't know if other teams currently owe them firsts). Transients like Waiters and Anthony Bennett won't mean anything to the Wolves going forward. Bennett is a bust and Waiters is one of a gazillion undersized SGs in the league capable of putting up semi-efficient scoring stats on a bad team. Minnesota might as well go for broke trying to get Wiggins and risk ultimately having to let Love walk. Beats taking that sandwich of a deal centered around Waiters.

Really, why are people like acting like Love or the Cavs have Minnesota over a barrel? Love's rights still belong to Minnesota, and getting Love would be instrumental in making the Cavs a frontrunner for the 2015 title. Without him, they're not much better on paper than they were at the end of LeBron's first stint. Minnesota has to know all that and be determined to make the Cavs pay for the priviledge of adding Love, and if they don't then that franchise is beyond saving. Hence my earlier comment.

[alxy8s]

If Minnesota trades Love to the Cavs without getting Wiggins back then that franchise needs to be shot into the sun.

If they don't trade Love for Waiters, Bennett and two first rounders good luck finding something better.

The first rounders are worthless if they're from the Cavs themselves (I don't know if other teams currently owe them firsts). Transients like Waiters and Anthony Bennett won't mean anything to the Wolves going forward. Bennett is a bust and Waiters is one of a gazillion undersized SGs in the league capable of putting up semi-efficient scoring stats on a bad team. Minnesota might as well go for broke trying to get Wiggins and risk letting Love walk. Beats taking that sandwich of a deal centered around Waiters.

Broussard reported that the Cavs will not give up Wiggins, and the Wolves will not make a deal without his inclusion. The Cavs are looking for a third team.

[ESTONES6]

If Minnesota trades Love to the Cavs without getting Wiggins back then that franchise needs to be shot into the sun.

If they don't trade Love for Waiters, Bennett and two first rounders good luck finding something better.

The first rounders are worthless if they're from the Cavs themselves (I don't know if other teams currently owe them firsts). Transients like Waiters and Anthony Bennett won't mean anything to the Wolves going forward. Bennett is a bust and Waiters is one of a gazillion undersized SGs in the league capable of putting up semi-efficient scoring stats on a bad team. Minnesota might as well go for broke trying to get Wiggins and risk letting Love walk. Beats taking that sandwich of a deal centered around Waiters.

Broussard reported that the Cavs will not give up Wiggins, and the Wolves will not make a deal without his inclusion. The Cavs are looking for a third team.

Varejaos 10mil comes off the books at the end of the year. Get what you can while you can.

Cavs have Miami's first round pick for the next 3 years. They also have a Memphis and Sacramento first round pick.

[vmd9]

Waiters (Former #4 pick)

Bennett (Former #1 pick)

2 first rounders (Out of Miami, Cleveland, or Memphis)

Minnesota isn't going to get any better. By all means hold on to Love then and let him walk...

[Lights Out]

Boston could probably make a better offer than a Wiggins-less Cavs offer, honestly. Don't they have a boatload of picks?

[TheOldRoman]

Varejaos 10mil comes off the books at the end of the year. Get what you can while you can.

Cavs have Miami's first round pick for the next 3 years. They also have a Memphis and Sacramento first round pick.

I just read that Cleveland got 2 first rounders from the Heat, for use at their choice any point between 2013 and 2017. They haven't yet taken a pick from Miami. Where did you see three picks reported?

Either way, two or three first rounders from the Heat, that's a huge deal. I think that means that the Heat will do anything they can to avoid going into rebuilding mode. Look for them to throw crazy contracts around to guys not deserving of them, and hope to have a "decent" team that is poised to sign a big free agent in 2-3 years.

[alxy8s]

Varejaos 10mil comes off the books at the end of the year. Get what you can while you can.

Cavs have Miami's first round pick for the next 3 years. They also have a Memphis and Sacramento first round pick.

I just read that Cleveland got 2 first rounders from the Heat, for use at their choice any point between 2013 and 2017. They haven't yet taken a pick from Miami. Where did you see three picks reported?

Either way, two or three first rounders from the Heat, that's a huge deal. I think that means that the Heat will do anything they can to avoid going into rebuilding mode. Look for them to throw crazy contracts around to guys not deserving of them, and hope to have a "decent" team that is poised to sign a big free agent in 2-3 years.

If the Heat care about using/losing the draft pick, then they will tank. It's top 10 protected, so they only lose it if it's #11 or worse. I'm almost positive the Cavs traded one of the Heat picks to the Suns a couple years ago.

[OnWis97]

On 7/11/2014 at 3:54 PM, vmd9 said:

Waiters (Former #4 pick)

Bennett (Former #1 pick)

2 first rounders (Out of Miami, Cleveland, or Memphis)

Minnesota isn't going to get any better. By all means hold on to Love then and let him walk...

 

The Wolves have had a lot of first overall picks* such as Olawakandi and Joe Smith. Where a player was picked only matters on draft night.

Bennett is not officially a bust but his status as a former #1 is meaningless.

Honestly, if that's what Cleveland offers, the Wolves should shop Love around some more and if they can't do better than let him play the year out in Minnesota and take the best sign-and-trade next year...and if they get nothing for him than so be it. Waiters, Bennett and two mid-20s pick is not that big of a loss.

*Never their own...the lottery does not treat them that way.

[TheOldRoman]

If the Heat care about using/losing the draft pick, then they will tank. It's top 10 protected, so they only lose it if it's #11 or worse. I'm almost positive the Cavs traded one of the Heat picks to the Suns a couple years ago.

The link I read didn't say it was protected. That completely changes things. The Heat will probably be Wade and 10 former Mountain West guys making the minimum the next few years.

[MrRangersFan]

Welcome Back home,Lebron.

This season,I'm gonna go to a Cavs game b'cause of King James.

[See Red]

Kevin Love has all of the leverage in the situation with Minnesota. If he's not willing to play with a given team beyond this next year, why would that team want to offer more than what Cleveland is offering for a one-year rental? If he wants to play in Cleveland with Lebron, seems to me he's going to end up in Cleveland with Lebron. Sure, teams can offer more than Cleveland, but if Kevin Love wants to play for a Championship contender, it eliminates a lot of them.