[torontoraptors10Participant]

LeBron Hopes Cavs’ Fans Accept If He Ever Returns To Franchise

Feb 16, 2012 2:14 PM EST

While practicing in Cleveland on Thursday, LeBron James talked about the possibility of playing for the Cavaliers again.

"You can’t predict future," said James. "If I decide to come back hopefully the fans will accept me."

James also talked about the reaction to his decision from Dan Gilbert.

"He said what he said out of anger. He probably would want to take that back but I made a mistake too."

Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/219051/LeBron_Hopes_Cavs_Fans_Accept_If_He_Ever_Returns_To_Franchise#ixzz1mZpcE6WI

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Cavs’ fans would you want the King back in Cleveland? What about everyone else? What do y’all think?

[surveParticipant]

 Of course Cav fans would want him back.  Would I want to see him play for them again?  I could care less one way or the other.  The fact is, he said this a long time ago, he said it right after the decision.  first of all, who cares?  its politically correct talk and a hope for Lebron to adjust his image and keep his appeal.  honestly, if I play for a team, I wouldnt think of discussing another team in the media, even as a possibility.  I think you should only comment on the team you are with, after thats over, then its different.

[BA30Participant]

Since there are no guarantees in professional sports and you can’t guarantee a championship to this starved sports city, not a chance. Even with a guaranteed championship he would basically have to relinquish his "crown" and admit that not only did he handle the decision wrong, but he flat out made a mistake going to Miami. For now, we have moved on from that fiasco and are now building the team (emphasis on the word team) out of high character players. Lebron does not fit the mold. 

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

He should focus on his current team the Miami Heat..And let this talk of going back to Cleveland die!! Unless he plans to Go back there when his current contract is up in a few years and not when he’s a 36 year old looking to recapture his glory….

[bball guyParticipant]

 Hmmm would I take the best player in the NBA back to my team? Yeah I would

[BA30Participant]

I never took for granted that we had one of the best players in the NBA for that period of time. I watched Lebron for 7 straight years and hardly missed a game including playoffs. I don’t care what the all-mighty commissioner David Stern or anyone else says, Lebron James quit. In all the playoff series and games before that Boston series I never saw Lebron give up. He didn’t always get the job done, but he always gave it his best. He made a decision during the game 4 loss to Boston that he was leaving Cleveland and never looked back. You can talk about the 19 rebounds and the triple double he had in game 6 all you want. I know what I saw with my own 2 eyes and he flat out quit.

[torontoraptors10Participant]

I can see it now, "The Decision…. Part Two"

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 If LeBron wins titles in Miami he will go back to Cleveland I don’t have any doubts.  That doesn’t mean he made a mistake by going to Miami at all because Cleveland was a train wreck by the time he left.  They couldn’t find the right pieces for the life of them to put around James.  By going to Miami it allows James to win a title and do something he’s wanted to do which was team up with his friend and fellow superstar Wade.  They really like playing together although their games aren’t good fits.

But if James’ wins a title or 2 in Miami then he’s got that monkey off his back.  He’ll be able to go back to Cleveland and settle some unfinished bizzness.   You know he’s going to feel incomplete if he wins in Miami and has a chance to go back to Cleveland as a free agent and help them finally win one but doesn’t take the chance.   

Plus Cleveland would be a much better situation going back then it was when he left.  Who knows in 5 years when his contract is up Kid Kyrie will be all grown and possibly a top 5 PG and Tristan Thompson could develop into Kenyon Matino 2.0 so he’d be going back with a great supporting cast just in time to push them over the edge.

James didn’t sign a lifetime contract with Miami and he knows he owes Cleveland and his home something, I truly believe he’s planning on going back but not because Miami isn’t working because he had it planned from the beginning.

[BA30Participant]

 Ok I can disregard your entire post outside of this:

"that doesn’t mean he made a mistake by going to Miami at all because Cleveland was a train wreck by the time he left. They couldn’t find the right pieces for the life of them to put around James."

 

You act like they had 0 talent on their roster. Since when is a team with the best record in the eastern conference and 1 of the last 2 years in the NBA a train wreck? That statement is a complete falacy. They could have won with the team they had, Lebron just couldn’t figure out how to lead them to the championship and gave up. Plain and simple.

[surveParticipant]

 You can say he quit, I wont argue that, I have no opinion, you are entitled to yours and you very well may be right.

However, even if he did, nothing can ever compare to what he brought to the city and his impact to that franchise.  When he signed with the Heat, they said that meant more to the Heat franchise than an actual championship.  The Heat franchise is benefitting from his presence more than when they won the championship.

[surveParticipant]

 "You act like they had 0 talent on their roster. Since when is a team with the best record in the eastern conference and 1 of the last 2 years in the NBA a train wreck?"

Since they lost their best player and became the 1st team in history to go from the best team in the league to the worst in 1 year.

[surveParticipant]

 "They could have won with the team they had, Lebron just couldn’t figure out how to lead them to the championship and gave up. Plain and simple."

well damn, you may as well say he was the 2nd coming of Christ.  he had to do it all and figure out how to WIN the championship (because he did lead them to the championship game)

even if he quit, what was Cleveland before he got there? after?  You should cherish the time he was there, when attendance was up and you had the best player and the best regular season team.  You should cherish the NBA finals appearance because whether he quit or not, the Cavs wont taste that kind of success for a loooooooong time.

[aamir543Participant]

If he gets his ring, than he very well might go back to right his wrong. He wants to be loved, and if he grought a tittle tot Cleveland after everything thathappened, he would be th most immortal sports figure to ever grace teh planet.

[BA30Participant]

If you actually paid attention: Not only did they lose the best player in the league, but they were without their 3 best players for a bulk of the season. Mo Williams played only 35 games due to injury and then we traded him to the Clippers for Baron Davis who only played 15 games for the Cavs. Varejao only played 31 games and sat out the rest due to injury. Antawn Jamison only played 56 games. It is very easy to go from best to worst record.

[surveParticipant]

"You can talk about the 19 rebounds and the triple double he had in game 6 all you want."

you are kind of hard on him.  I can think of about 29 other teams at that time that wouldve loved to have had a player who could produce those types of numbers while in full "quit" mode.

the fact is, he carried that team as much as he could, but in team sports, sometimes its not enough.  I never agreed with the Miami decision, but I felt his time in Cleveland had run its course.  Also, I dont believe he had full confidence in the organization to do what it took to assure they would have the best chance.  

Timing plays a huge part in this as well.  Also, they were so good after his 2nd year…no more lottery picks.  He did what he could.  I dont think he will go back, I just think he is talking.  I think he has a certain resentment for the org and the city.  The only reason he would be saying stuff like this is because like K-Perk said about him the other day….he just wants people to like him.

[surveParticipant]

Mo Williams was absolutely ecstatic to get out of there.  Didnt he play early in the year?  Werent they losing like hell when he was playing?   Was Davis supposed to improve the team???  I thought he was just used to clear space for LAC and acquire their pick in the draft, which turned out to be a sweet deal didnt it?  Jamison is great player, but yet and still, he is only a piece, he needs star power around him.  

So forgive me if I dont agree that it is EASY to lose 42 more games than you did in the previous season without absolutely sucking as far as talent.

[surveParticipant]

 you are right, he would probably be the GOAT if he won rings in Miami and Cleveland.  A great story if it were to happen, but highly unlikely.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 Yeah like I was saying that team was a trainwreck by the time he left.  They only lost 2 players and went from the best team to the worse team because one of them players was James who happened to be the only player that mattered.  You could of put James with 4 D-Leaguers who played good defense and the Cavs would of still had one of the best records in the league because that’s how great he was playing in Cleveland.

And when your 3 best players are Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison, and Andy what are you seriously gonna win? That’s the type of talent they put around James to win titles?  It was never gonna work and they just kept reaching out on limbs like signing Shaq thinking every aging vet was the missing piece.   

Now Jamison and Andy are healthy and playing better then they have in years and you got Kyrie Irving whose head and shoulders way better then Mo Williams was and they’re still not gonna make the playoffs because Jamison and Andy aren;t the type of players to elevate a team to anything special.

A great comparison is the Bulls look at what they’ve managed to put around Rose.  You got Noah whose like Andy but way better, you got an aging PF in Boozer whose better then Jamison in every way.  Then you got Deng…who did the Cavs put around James that was anywhere near as good as Deng, Jamario Moon?  The Cavs brought in Anthony Parker whose nowhere near as effective as Rip Hamilton.  And the Bulls still aren’t the favorite to win the East with all that talent around their star player.

The Cavs management surrounded James with the most pathetic ensamble cast ever nobody blamed him when he left.  Like Surve said I think you guys were expecting Jesus instead of just greatness.  It’s a team game James couldn’t do it all tho he tried.  What he did to the Pistons to get to the championship that year was legendary, he literally single handedly won the game.

No superstar has ever won a title by himself that’s just a fact.  Every superstar has already needed another star to win anything.  James didn’t have that star and the Cavs weren’t ever going to be able to get that star with their cap situation, the fact they didn’t have any picks or any assets to trade for that star.  That was a big thing too the Cavs had virtually no assets to trade for anybody even remotely good even after the Wiz giftwrapped them Jamison.

James knew this and he also knew everybody was judging him on his zero championships so that’s what ran him out of town.  Kobe doesn’t win anything without Shaq then Pau.  Duncan doesn’t win without Robinson, Parker, and Manu.  Yet the world expected James to win with Mo Williams who comes off the bench in L.A. now?  That’s just not fair at all.

[DunksNJordans23Participant]

 "I’m taking my talents to Cuyahoga County"

[surveParticipant]

 You made some killer points.  While I wouldnt say the Cavs were the absolute worst at decision making, they really showed no ingenuity.  Only luck by getting James as the #1 pick.  Thats IT!  They thought Mo would help and he did, but everyone knew he wasnt a star when he came there, it was wishful thinking.  I thought Jamison would help but Brown always struggled with the offensive continuity and meshing his teams offensively.  

My biggest problem though and you guys can hate me for saying this,  but when they signed Andy to that contract, I felt that was the dumbest move and I saw the writing on the wall then.  Let him walk.  Let him get his max deal elsewhere.  He is nothing special, yet they treated him like he was.  Yeah, I know some people are saying he couldve been an all star this year and this and that, but the fact is, as a GM, I keep him for as long as I can, but when his contract is up…and we dont have a title already, he has to go.  There were others they couldve targeted.

They made a lot of small dumb moves, skimping on cash, trying to get value players instead of trying to lure big talent to play with the greatest player on the planet.  They couldve done it, but the organization started to get a bad rap.  They didnt have Jerry West, they had Danny Ferry making the moves.

Why would Bosh…or Wade…or any other superstar go to play with him in Cleveland when they couldnt get to the finals with their best teams?

I take what I said back, yeah, he may return to Cleveland, but you better believe it will be once he has nothing to prove to anyone….and just hope he has something left to give.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 I forgot that Lebron can opt out of his contract in 2 years.  And he said "If I decide to return…" which makes it feel like he’s certainly not planning to stay in Miami for the rest of his career.  So with Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, and whoever they draft this year still on their rookie contract but playing at a high level the Cavs would certainly be in a position to sign him and also have a great squad around him.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 @Surve yeah that contract they signed Andy too I hated too they overpaid him.  I liked Andy as a player but they were making him seem untouchable.  He’s not that good he’s just a glorified hustle player who actually has skill to be more but doesn’t.  Before this year he’s never even averaged over 9ppg or 9rpg but he was suppose to help LeBron win a title?  

And who can forget when they gave all that money to Larry Hughes?  Again, what were they thinking.  Yes I know Hughes put up numbers in Washington before he went to Cle.  but it didn’t take a basketball genius to know he wouldn’t mesh well with James because Hughes couldn’t shoot.  Hughes was a slasher and facilitator just like LeBron and his impact on a team was mitigated because Cle. didn’t need his skill set.  The Cavs needed shooters with James and they never really got them.  Wally Z?  Dannie Gibson?  Paul Pierce got Ray Allen.  

I think the chips started to fall apart as early as Boozer leaving.   The signs were there in the begining.  They should of took whatever it took to keep Boozer in town him and James would of be dynamite together.  

Or how about the rumors that they wouldn’t come off JJ Hickson for Amare.  What?  They wound up trading him for Omri Casspi, but he was too important to trade for Amare?  I think James and Amare would of made a finals run together that was when Amare still had some juice left.  

Yeah the Cavs really blew it.  The whole situation reminded me of the A.I. era in Philly where they just kept bringing in all the wrong complimentary pieces only A.I. was impossibly hard to compliment still they could of done better.  Ironically Andre Iguodala would be the perfect compliment to A.I. but they traded him before they could mesh.  You have to do whatever it takes when you have players of that greatness to surround them with the right players even if it means asking the players themselves.

 James like A.I. was so dominant that they were bound to lead their teams to atleast one finals appearance regardless even with a trash team because guys like that tend to catch fire and just make history one year.  But you can’t realistically expect them to do it every year.

But man Cleveland would be rocking again if Lebron opted out in 2 years and went home.  I truly believe he wants too and knows he has unfinished bizz but like I said before I said this when Lebron signed with the Heat that I thought he would still go back and end his career in Cleveland if he could.  And if Miami wins a title this year but loses next year or don’t even make it the year after that I could see Lebron easily opting out.  Cuz Wade IMO is a hall of fame version of Larry Hughes, he may be a great player but he’s not a great fit next to James.

[marcusfizer21Participant]

I really like Mr. 19134’s point of view…

[torontoraptors10Participant]

You know what’s funny….

Didn’t the Suns offer a package of Amare Stoudemire for J.J Hickson? I think the Cavaliers rejected that trade

[RafterParticipant]

ugh, Cavs fans are still hurt by ‘the decision’. As a fan, i expected that he’d leave because he’d been in the city for a long time and he did so much without much help, Varejao, Mo Williams, Jamison and Shaq helped but they never were legitimate second options to ease the pressure from LeBron. What i didn’t expect and neither did the rest of us to see that he’d go to Miami, play side-kick and sh*t on us in the process, he showed no respect to the Cavaliers, the city and the fans, he did make a speech about the Cavs but it was very robotic and wasn’t as heart-felt as it should’ve been.

Dan Gilbert’s reaction was correct maybe not to that extreme but fundamentally, he spoke for every Cavalier fan venting how humiliated he felt. I know from the outside looking in, this sounds very chlidish, ‘did the Cavs fans expect him to stay?’ ‘Those are real fans for you’ ‘ they’ll  be jumping off the bandwagon anyway’ etc etc but when you lose one of the best players in the league in a way like that it hurts more then you’d expect, i wouldn’t burn his jersey that was little too far.

I don’t want LeBron back, he had great career but i’d prefer that book to be closed, the Cavaliers are going through a transition stage, Irving and Thompson have been great pieces added and building in the draft is what the Cavs’ front office is doing, this is creating a new direction. I would like his jersey retired because he did so much for the franchise.

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