LeBron- WTF?!?!

[Danno]

This is now getting stupid-fun. Rumors, innuendo, and straight up gossip in a real time world.

http://grantland.com/features/nba-tr...trade-signing/

[butterscotch]

Lots of stupidity in this thread, not that one would expect anything less.

Cavs have cleared the necessary cap room to sign LeBron to a max deal.

If I'm Lebron, I think I'd like to play with Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and Wiggins. Carry the team for the next 3-4 years and then let those guys carry the team after that. Beats the hell out of playing with that boat anchor named Dwyane Wade.

[Benny Profane]

Well, there's a ton of stupidity in the NBA, so.........

[RockChalk]

At the end of the day, LeBron has to legitimize/rationalize once again working for Gilbert and I don't see that likely... If Cleveland wants him back, which they surely do, Gilbert needs to find a way to distance himself from the franchise as much as possible.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5365704

[BmillsSkier]

Now it's reached critical mass. Sir Charles has weighed in:

Charles Barkley tells 92.3 The Fan that he would be "very disappointed" if LeBron James doesn't return to Cleveland

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index....ml#incart_2box

I'm holding out for Pope Francis' opinion.

[spook]

too bad gilbert can't fuck him back somehow

[digitaldeath]

Now it's reached critical mass. Sir Charles has weighed in:

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index....ml#incart_2box

I'm holding out for Pope Francis' opinion.

Killer post. Near perfection

[BmillsSkier]

Did TMZspn's JA Adande just compare Donald Sterling's behavior to Dan Gilbert's? Yes, yes he did.

Wow, I think this should have gone in the How I hate thee ESPN thread. /facepalm.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11...ay-dan-gilbert

[DBdude]

At the end of the day, LeBron has to legitimize/rationalize once again working for Gilbert and I don't see that likely... If Cleveland wants him back, which they surely do, Gilbert needs to find a way to distance himself from the franchise as much as possible.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5365704

that was a bitter screed

[Benny Profane]

Did TMZspn's JA Adande just compare Donald Sterling's behavior to Dan Gilbert's? Yes, yes he did.

Wow, I think this should have gone in the How I hate thee ESPN thread. /facepalm.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11...ay-dan-gilbert

Hahaha. "Moral high ground". Hahaha.

[BmillsSkier]

Hahaha. "Moral high ground". Hahaha.

I thought the exact same thing. I can't recall, was that moral high ground built on the foundation of TMZspn and Jim Gray and "The Decision", while informing your team 5 minutes prior that you were going to crush them on national tv? If so, I'm confused as to what moral high ground means in Hartford.

And really JA, what the hell kind of non sequitur is that even bringing Donald Sterling into the conversation? I re-read that opening paragraph and it makes absolutely no sense. LeeBron commented on a racist? This equates to moral high ground?

[BmillsSkier]

Police dispatched to LeeBron's home in Bath:

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index...ml#incart_2box

Oh the excitement!



The offseason is now my favorite NBA season.

[BmillsSkier]

The absurdity is just too much fun

[Hott Butt Mud]

I hope he goes to Cleveland. I think that would make this a cool story, bro.

[milton]

The Twitterverse has been very entertaining the past couple days.

@Lebron's Lawn

[Tippster]

[Danno]

a lot of people, apparently

[Hugh Conway]

I'm confused as to what moral high ground means in Hartford.

it's the glass ceiling yer jerking off behind while peeping on Erin Andrews. duh.

[BmillsSkier]

it's the glass ceiling yer jerking off behind while peeping on Erin Andrews. duh.

Mmmmm.... Erin Andrews....

Is that why she left?

[BmillsSkier]

LeeBron to the Cavs. Well ok then.

http://www.si.com/nba/2014/07/11/leb...land-cavaliers

I'm Coming Home, letter by LeBron James

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.

I'm more surprised that SI.com got the scoop and not the Heat-humping tools at TMZspn. That in itself is a coup. Do they still publish a magazine?

[milton]

...and Cleveland rejoices!

[spook]

haha. he'll probably need microfracture surgery in the first 3 months of the season.

[Kinnikinnick]

...and Cleveland rejoices!

As well as everyone who wants to turn on ESPN or any sports news and hear about something else other than Lebron.

[Bobby Finstock]

First Jim Gray and now this gap toothed crackah.

Bronbron got no love for the brothas.

[Benny Profane]

Lord, I am so happy that's resolved. Now let's talk about football. And more football. All fucking year, 24/7, football.