Can this be Over, Already?
2014-07-11
What a bizarre few days its been. Northeast Ohio has hung on every word — every scrap of news about LeBron’s impending decision. And still? LeBron’s silence is deafening. The emotional meter has swung from hope, to overconfidence, to pent up exuberance, to frustration, to befuddlement. No one knows what to make of the delay that is holding up half of the NBA off-season. In the age of #HotSportsTakes, everyone has had an opinion on whether ‘Bron is coming back to Cleveland and how everyone should act. My barber, the people I work with, random people in a movie theater: all of them have either asked me or told me whether James is coming back. Heck, even the groundhog that lives under my shed was wearing a “Forgiven” t-shirt, yesterday. It’s all gotten a bit out of hand. Why are people so emotionally invested in this guy? Why’s everyone losing their stinkin’ minds?! I agree with Tom Pestak’s ethos: sports should be fun. If they’re not, what’s the point? It’s ok to get crazy and a little silly at times, but this doesn’t feel fun anymore.
What concerns me most are the people who are camped outside LeBron’s Bath Township home. They seem to have lost their grip on decorum and civility. Apparently Bath police were called to watch the house in anticipation of “the announcement,” and a possible return to Akron by James… Or not. Likely? ‘Bron’s family saw the idiots hanging outside their house and told the King, “Whatever you do, don’t come here.” If anything were to give No. 23 6 pause, it would be the throng of fanatics urinating in his bushes. This is why sports stars move to L.A. There are stars everywhere in lalaland. There, you’re just one of many: it gives one an opportunity to just blend into the firmament. I’m sure that’s looking somewhat enticing right now. So in the words of Corey Feldman in ‘The Burbs, I hope LeBron tweets, “Hey lamos, get off my lawn.”
I’m also pretty sure ‘Bron’s meeting with Pat Riley went something like a scene from Inception. Riles was probably crawling around in James’ brain for a few weeks in “dream time.” Anyone who thought it would be easy to beat Riley at a game he helped invent was being naive. Pat knows where the skeletons in LeBron’s Miami closet are, and he knows how to whisper in the ears of super stars and tell them what they want to hear. I’m sure he remains a convincing devil on the shoulder.
Not that LeBron doesn’t deserve a lion’s share of the blame for the situation. It’s called communication, king. You don’t have to make up your mind. No one is trying to take away your agency. It’s your life, you do with it what you please, but at least do people the common courtesy of communicating. This silent treatment towards the media, etc., while everyone guesses at what it will take to “make you happy,” is the most egotistical act of passive aggression I’ve ever seen from a non-dictator. What an oddly insulated and self-absorbed man, LeBron is.
The latest rumor? LeBron wants Dan Gilbert to apologize publicly (which he probably should have done a while ago). Gilbert should release a statement at this point…
We’d like to thank our fans and the media for their patience with the Cavs free agency situation, and we’d like to urge people to remain the dignified, good citizens that we know make up the vast majority of Cavs fans around Northeast Ohio and the world — regardless of the outcome. Personally, I’d like to do something I should have done a long time ago, and apologize for my anger and wishes of ill will upon Mr. James in my letter four years ago. While I don’t take back any of the emotion in that letter, I do apologize for the vitriol and the personal attacks. I don’t want anyone playing for my team that doesn’t want to be here. I should have expressed my extreme disappointment, wished Mr. James luck, and moved on.
I’m not apologizing now in an effort to woo LeBron to return to the Cavs. LeBron James is an adult who will make up his own mind in due course. I’m apologizing because it’s the right thing to do, and I apologize to any of our fans and my employees who felt that the sentiments reflected poorly on them, or hurt the reputation of the Cavs organization around the country. You deserve the best.
Meanwhile, I’d like to urge responsibility from our fans. Please give Mr. James’ and his family privacy and respect, now and after the time of his decision, regardless of the outcome. To Mr. James, I’d like to say, Good luck with your decision. It’s my wish that you choose to play where it would be best for you and your family’s happiness. If that’s the Cleveland Cavaliers, I’d love to welcome you back, and think we will be able to do great things together. If not? I hope you are happy and fulfilled, but we’re still going to try to beat you on the court at every opportunity. For the sake of our organization, our fans, and the NBA, please make that decision expediently.
Or something like that.
YESSSSSS! Just trying to keep my ish together at work.
The SI.com article is awesome. Everyone needs to go read it.
Interesting there is no mention of Wiggins. Also, Wiggins has not signed his rookie contract yet. If he had, he couldn’t be traded for 30 days … hmmmm. Wiggins, Bennett and picks for Love? I hope not.
The logical move is to do that trade if Love tells us he’ll sign long term. I know Wiggins is sexy and has a high ceiling, but you absolutely trade a guy who has never played a minute in the NBA for a 27/12 PF, the best at his position. You just do.
With that said, it would be nice to get Love without trading Wiggins. But let’s be honest, Irving-James-Love-Waiters-AV makes it to the Finals this year and might win it all. You can’t pass that up.
Could you play Love at center?
LEBRON!!!! Now let’s WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP!
Agree wholeheartedly that Gilbert should copy and post the letter immediately as the right thing to do. People near LeBron’s house should please go home. Despite the pain that The Decision inflicted on so many (certainly me), I will say that since then LeBron has proven every one of the attacks in The Letter to be completely wrong. He has been a winner on the court, a great teammate, and a fine husband and father. I find I just can’t help but root a bit for him even playing for the wrong team. I think the best thing for him… Read more »
And as I write that, we find out WHY things were so quiet:
http://www.si.com/nba/2014/07/11/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers
(cont) The decision was not malicious, but it was dumb beyond belief. And, it should have been obvious how it would turn out. I was sure he was coming back to the Cavs because of how bad it would turn out otherwise. Usually we think of LeBron as never doing anything dumb, but the decision was one for the ages. He instantly turned himself from the most popular person in the world into a widely disliked person. That probably cost him $100’s of millions in endorsements. I mean, Sir Charles and Shaq are still cashing in nicely years after retirement.… Read more »
Truth be told, yeah it was dumb, but at least we had a time and date for a decision, whether we liked it or not. What is happening now is literally holding the league — and other FAs — hostage.
Clearly Riley’s powers of “Inception” got LBJ thinking about the letter and it’s contents all over again. I’m sure Riles even got JA Adande to verbalize that take in the media. But seriously, we all need to get a grip. If he comes, then great. We’re the center of the basketball universe again and have a shot at the ever-elusive title. If he doesn’t, that’s fine too. We’ve got a great young core, a few pieces of which I for one can’t wait to see start playing today in Vegas; and the ability to add more very soon. In the… Read more »
“If he doesn’t, that’s fine too.”
NO, IT’S NOT.
It was….until the Cavs moved the only real center on their roster, a promising swingman, and a 1st rounder to clear the cap space to sign him at his agen’s behest. Now the path to rebuild has been damaged- AGAIN- waiting on His Quitness.
They still have some nice pieces, but they’ve now set themselves back because of Lebron. AGAIN.
“Fool me once, shame on you….fool me twice, shame on me.”
grover13 – Get over it! Seriously, he’ll sign with the Cavs or he won’t. Personally, however poorly Lebron played a few times, I never felt he quit and I think that’s an absurd accusation. What kills me about Cavs fans like you is hoiw quickly you turn on the player who carried the whole freaking team on his back for seven seasons. Do you remember the Detroit game? How often does one guy beat five? The Cavs simply didn’t do a great job of drafting/signing/trading for talent around Lebron and eventually he left. He didn’t quit on the Cavs. He… Read more »
How do you feel NOW Grover?
I don’t buy the rumors that LeBron is waiting on an apology. It’s a bunch of BS. That would have been dealt with a week ago.
This LeBron v. Gilbert crap is absurd. They both need to just get over it. Gilbert should have apologized years ago and should have avoided using the most hated of fonts… But, all the same, LeBron has to understand why his actions led to such an emotional response from Gilbert as well as those who burned jerseys. Frankly, I wish he had just resigned with the Heat and the Cavs could have continued their positive rebuilding course with minimal interruption. Now the whole city is on edge again, tasting that long sough championship, and I fear that they are merely… Read more »
The Decision wasn’t malicious. Gilbert’s response to it was. Lebron neither maligned the Cavs nor Gilbert. Gilbert took the low road . . . and it may have consequences still today. There is a false equivalence of both parties being at fault. The Decision was a mistake. Gilbert’s response was totally nasty and uncalled for.
I would have said the same thing.
You would have said that LeBron quit in the Orlando series? That was an absolute joke and rendered the entire letter and Gilbert’s basketball perspective a farce in my mind.
He had a bad series against Orlando, he quit in the Boston series the following year. You could argue that he was out of energy, and thought the team had no chance, whatever. The reason people still talk about it because it made it look like he did it on purpose, and was already planning to leave. I don’t happen to believe that. Most of the time he played great. Every career has its good and bad points. That will probably remain his worst.
Anyway, so what?, that is old history. Today is a new day. Onward and upward!
I think this is a similar situation with every free agent. I mean look at Carmelo, he is not communicating. There is a lot that goes into this situation of where do you want to play and a part that plays into negotiations. You want him tweeting everyday, well went to not going to that team. Why show your cards early. I personally think that Lebron really wants to come back to Cleveland, win a title in his State yada yada. But Gilbert really f’d things and these guys are really prideful and yes lebron will make good amount of… Read more »
OK, here’s what I don’t get. When Rich Paul had the initial meetings with the Cavs, I would think that THAT issue might be one of the first things brought up, unless LeBron was not fully communicating with him. That could be the case given Woj’s commentary that LeBron may now have taken over. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/as-decision-nears–lebron-james-flies-to-miami-with-dwyane-wade-095402569.html Amico is reporting that the Cavs have had no indication that the letter is an issue at all. And if this is indeed leaked from LeBron’s camp, LeBron is again just as much at fault for not confronting Gilbert and clearing the air before making… Read more »
I think Gilbert should copy that letter and just put it up on the website.
In comic sans, of course.
Man, LeBron just can’t win. He gets blasted for making a whole TV program for the first Decision so this time his team says NOTHING on the record and now people are mad that he isn’t talking about it.
It’s our fault that we are hanging on every little thread and the rest of the league is in a holding pattern until he’s done it. He’s going to take time to make his decision, it’s kind of a big deal to him to decide where he’s going to play for the next few years.
Nate’s statement is PERFECT – except for the fact that it should ahve come from Dan Gilbert and the Cavs organization 3 years ago.
As disappointed as I was about Lebron leaving the Cavs and as angry as I was about how he left – with The Decision spectacle – I found Gilbert’s letter and subsequent refusal to apologize absolutely embarrassing. He ought to make it right. And I don’t want to hear any more about his binder full of letters from cranks who thought his rant was apprpriate.
Scott, you have it backwards: The letter came after the decision, not the decision in response to the letter. If any apologizing is to be done, LeBron would have to go first, after which Gilbert, would reply. But basically, men don’t apologize. I have hung around playgrounds and gyms for 50 years, and seen 100’s of insult battles, near fights, and fights. Rarely does one apologize unless they were an obvious a$$hole in starting it. The good outcome is when both parties shut up and continue to play. Then about a game later, they are joking around, and that is… Read more »
I am amazed that this is coming up now, and not something 6-10 days ago. How did we get to this stage where the CAVS are expecting him to announce he is coming to Cleveland and this has not been brought up by his agents or anyone? If this is such a issue for him, why was this not said before so it could have been worked out?
“The emotional meter has swung from hope, to overconfidence, to pent up exuberance, to frustration, to befuddlement” to fogedabouthim.
It would be the ultimate troll if he just went to some place random like Sacramento.
I will laugh heartily when see that exact letter up on the Cavs website later today, signed:
-Dan
100% AGREEMENT ON WHAT GILBERT SHOULD AND SAY——SHOULD HAVE BEEN LONG AGO—–WINDHORST IS CORRECT —LEBRON NEVER SAID 1 WORD / CREATED ALL THIS EXCITEMENT ABOUT COMING BACK—IT WAS ALL MEDIA/ RUMOR DRIVEN –SO WE CANNNOT BE UPSET WITH LEBRON IF HIS DECISION IS NOT TO RETURN—-STILL EXCITED ABOUT THE CAVS ROSTER—WITH OR WITHOUT LEBRON—–1 LAST THING FOR LEBRON—-YOU GET A ROLLER COASTER NAMED AFTER YOU AT CEDAR POINT —C’MON MAN THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH