LeBron shouldn’t get a chance to embarrass the city
- Bryan Schaaf
- February 5, 2018
- 1332
I remember sitting in my living room the evening of July 8, 2010, when LeBron James told ESPN of his decision to “take his talents to South Beach.”
And it’s because of that moment — and that moment alone — the Cleveland Cavaliers need to trade LeBron James before the deadline later this week.
That’s because at the end of this current season, one where the Cavaliers are not even the second- or third-best team in the NBA, James will again be a free agent, a position he neatly set up for himself by refusing to sign a long-term contract to stay in Cleveland.
Regardless of how this year ends, LeBron James is leaving Cleveland by summer. Bank on it.
Loyalty, particularly as it applies to professional athletes, became unfashionable around the same time as short basketball shorts and blonde mustaches. But loyalty in the case of LeBron James isn’t just unfashionable. It’s nonexistent.
That’s because loyalty isn’t something that’s learned. You either have those values or you don’t. And the man who famously predicted seven titles (whoops) when he left for Miami clearly does not.
The writing leading up to James’ Decision 2.0 has been on the wall for awhile now, and this is the last chance the Cavaliers have to extract any remaining value out of their self-proclaimed king.
Failing to do so means he walks, and the team gets virtually nothing in return.
Perhaps I’m less trusting than most. I’m certainly more cynical than the bulk of the population. But I tend to live by this idea: Fool me once, shame on you. There won’t be a second opportunity to fool me.
So if I’m owner Dan Gilbert or general manager Koby Altman, I wouldn’t give LeBron James a second opportunity to embarrass the franchise or the city. Wearing their shoes, I’d encourage LeBron James to waive his no-trade clause and ship him to the team that’s willing to leverage its entire future for a one-off chance to acquire one of the most talented players in history and win a title.
Think Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in 1989 for the nucleus that built the 1990s Dallas Cowboys. Think Bartolo Colon to the Montreal Expos for Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips.
The Cavaliers need to be brave enough to send the greatest player in franchise history elsewhere to expedite the competitive future of their franchise.
Folks tend to forget that, over a decade before LeBron James arrived on the scene, the Cavaliers were the talk of the town. Behind names like Price and Daugherty and Nance and Hot Rod, they were one of the finest teams in all of basketball.
Contrary to what some may believe, the Cleveland Cavaliers can be successful without LeBron James as long as they retain ownership that’s willing to invest and management that makes sensible decisions.
The future of a sports franchise should never be held hostage by one athlete.
And shame on the Cavaliers if they allow James to fool them twice.