James' choice will make him King or Pariah in Ohio
Will he stay or will he go?You know whom I’m talking about.
Even casual sports fans, especially those in Northeast Ohio, are involved in the LeBron Watch, the LeBron Countdown or whatever one wants to call it.
Will LeBron James remain a Cleveland Cavalier? Will he remain near his homeboys and hometown of Akron? Does he want to become the biggest pariah in Cleveland sports, surpassing the King of Kings in that regard, Art Modell?
As the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player enters new contract talks with the Cavaliers, his status dominates far too many conversations and newscasts across the country.
Some cities are desperate for him; Cleveland simple wants to keep him especially after watching what has happened to their neighbors, the Indians, the past three seasons.
Ultimately, it all boils down to James.
Not that he is interested, but let me offer a piece of advice: LeBron has to be careful not to price him out of a championship, if that is really what he is striving for. Evidence of that is going on this year’s NBA showdown.
While the Celtics are playing Los Angeles for the NBA title in a marquee showdown, James needs to keep in mind that the Celtics’ final piece of the puzzle wasn’t just getting Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett together, but a draft-day, draft-choice trade by the name of Rajon Rondo. The jitterbug point guard haunted Cleveland this year with an exceptional series to send the Cavaliers to the sidelines.
And the Lakers? Well, after three titles earlier in the 2000s, all they did was jettison a high-priced, big-name warrior in the middle of their lineup in 2004 to save million of dollars and build around their star of the future, Kobe Bryant. Cavs’ fans know that discarded player as Shaquille O’Neal who, as they know, didn’t lift the Cavs to their first crown.
See, it isn’t all about the money, even though it is. In the era of salary caps, teams must micro-manage their finances to build their roster and keep mid-level, let along high-level, talent on their roster.
That’s the dance that Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert and GM Danny Ferry must manage. In one sense, it’s a no-brainer James will stay as NBA rules allow the home team to throw an extra millions at a player to keep him.
If James opts out, do the Cavs work a sign-and-trade? But, where can James go and win and not put off the ring talk?
If James wants out because he believes the Cavs can’t/won’t win an NBA title, the reality is Gilbert’s money will always have a taint to it.
However, if James really, really wants to win an NBA title – or several – then he should balance money vs. rings. Money, you see, he already has. A $90 million contract with Nike as an 18-year-old saw to that before he drew a penny from the Cavaliers. So, I ask you – how much money does he need to live on?
Seriously.
If James was serious about winning titles, he would look at his bank account and do something novel by taking the NBA minimum, whether he remains in Cleveland or goes to New York and either of those broken teams, Chicago or even Oklahoma.
Hey, he ain’t broke, folks. LeBron James isn’t going on the public dole anytime soon, looking for handouts to be able to feed his kids.
He has it made financially for several lifetimes. What he doesn’t have is a ring and but a one-time stop in the NBA’s Championship Series, which ended badly when San Antonio swept by the Cavs in four games in 2007.
If it is about a ring, then James would be wise follow the Spurs’ Tim Duncan and remain in Cleveland and take less money, allowing Gilbert and Ferry to put the final pieces of a championship puzzle together. It’s not as if they are that far removed from that opportunity, no matter how easily the Celtics brushed by the Cavs last month.
In that regard, money talks. And if LeBron takes less, he will position himself for what he claims he desires more than anything else.
This is a commentary written by sports writer, Brian Questel.