It is official, LeBron James is coming home! Welcome back to Cleveland, King James. Great day for us Clevelanders!

lebron is the best all around wrote:

dkny64 wrote:

I certainly don't think he handled the announcement of that Decision in the right way, but that's a different issue.

.

His only mistake was not letting everyone know the ONLY reason he was doing the announcement the way he did it was to RAISE OVER 2 MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA.

There are ONLY three reasons people did not like the announcement

1. They did not know about the fundraising reason.

2. They hate children

3. They are idiot moronic Cleveland fans who deserve to never, EVER, win a championship in any sport.

Brad Pitt could raise $2M for charity by making a public announcement he's leaving Angelina Jolie and choosing a new partner.

Or LeBron or Brad Pitt could just reach deep into their pockets and donate the money themselves without dissing anyone in the process.

dkny64 wrote:

not delonte wrote:

Yes, but did you know that LeBron is the only NBA player in history to play on the same team as his mom's boyfriend?

I'd never heard this business about LeBron's mom dating one of his teammates. And that teammate was...?

The poster's handle is a clue.

You can make the argument that Lebron raised awareness for the boys and girls club which in many ways is more important than digging into his own pocket to donate.

And as I have said before, how come no one ever blames ESPN/ABC and Jim Grey for “the decision” ?

And why is the media and public always obsessing over where Lebron is going then turn around and blame him when things are blown out of proportion ?

Big bang wrote:

And why is the media and public always obsessing over where Lebron is going then turn around and blame him when things are blown out of proportion ?

In this year's instance, there are tons of rumors flying that he's going back to Cleveland. LeBron and his people haven't said anything to counter this. He clearly knows all that is going on around him, and that he is raising the hopes of Cleveland once again. If he's not planning on going back, the admirable thing to do would be to either decide quickly or let the word out that you're not coming back/no decision has been made. He hasn't done any of that. So while the media is to blame for raising the volume and creating the hoopla, LeBron has the power to stop it at any moment.

Man, if he doesn't go back to Cleveland after all this, he's really going to be a villain in a lot of people's eyes.

Factor wrote:

dkny64 wrote:

I'd never heard this business about LeBron's mom dating one of his teammates. And that teammate was...?

The poster's handle is a clue.

Got it - thanks. Missed this completely back in 2010. What a weird rumor [+ weird story if actually true.]

And how do you know Lebron is not interested in Cleveland ? Maybe he is interested in all offers.

If he then chooses not to go to Cleveland its not out of spite. Its because a different team made him a better offer.

Unfortunately people like you and many in the media are already accusing him of spiting Cleveland. You are the classic definition of irrational hate.

Also why does Lebron have to keep cleaning up the mess made by the media ? Cant he just relax and rest during his time off ? Why does he have to react every time gossipers start spreading rumors ?

LeBron is a public figure, and he gets paid a lot of money not just for being a great basketball player but also for being a public figure. He's also been through this before and seems to have a pretty clear sense of how he wants to handle the media circus. And if he stays in Miami and people in Cleveland are pissed, he'll deal.

It always strikes me funny that "the media" want to portray LeBron as a Cleveland guy. He's an Akron guy, and although the two cities aren't very far from each other, they are separate places. I'd be curious to know how the reaction in Akron compared to the reaction in Cleveland when he went to Miami in 2010. Maybe it was the same, but I wouldn't be surprised if people in Akron were more supportive of his doing whatever he thought best for himself and his family.

Why do you add random spaces before your question marks?

SI reporting it's a done deal with Cleveland.

bball fan wrote:

LeBron James is announcing later today that he will return to the Cavs. It has not been officially announced yet, but I have a source who is close with LeBron James' camp. Cleveland is his destination. Great day for us!

OP nice job, and congratulations. I'm wondering if you can explain, maybe not directly, who your source is or how you know him?

batettteer wrote:

I agree that LeBron has the potential to be in the top 10, but I don' think that he is there yet. In no particular order, I have Wilt, Kareem, Russel, and Jordan as the top 4, and I'd have a hard time arguing with you on any of them. Next you'd have Magic and Bird, then it starts falling off.

It's already been decided on these boards that Larry Bird is the Greatest NBA Player of All-Time.

Kevin Love to join him in Cleveland.

James, Love, Irving, Wiggins...

Another all-star team. It really won't matter what other teams have.

Meanwhile, ppl love deadbeat dad Larry Bird, Magic- who put his family in danger & MJ- who cheated on his family for 10 years. But hey, you don't approve of the way LeBron raised $3M for the Boys and Girls Club.

batettteer wrote:

A lot of people have mellowed on their disdain for LeBron in the last year or so. A lot of this is because it's pretty clear he's not headed towards the "greatest of all time" category anyway. He'll likely end up in the second tier, with Shaq, Kobe and a slew others, if he continues on his path. Maybe he'll prove people wrong and win several more championships as the main cog of a solid, but not handpicked with superstars, team and re-enter the GOAT conversation, but I don't see that happening.

There was never any reason to have major "disdain" for LeBron. In fact the only reason of any substance was when he played subpar in some big playoff games early in his career and didn't seem to want the ball in key moments against Portland. All the other reasons were silly and about jealousy or just being a hater. Really.

And as far as "win(ning) ..championships " on a team "hand picked with superstars" as you claim he did with Miami.....holy LOL! He joined a team that already had Dwayne Wade, and then the immortal Chris Bosh joined them. And the rest of the team??? Noooooobody. bosh is one of the softest "stars" in recent memory. "SUPERstar" ?! Hilarious. So basically he joined a bad team that already had one very good player, wade, but a guy who gets hurt a lot, and then they added a soft "big" man. he's not allowed to join a team with another star player?? That made you mad and cry foul??? Bizarre nonsense.

But now you are satisfied because he will be back on another bad team with no other big names? And if they sign a star and win some championships, what then, you will be hating James again? Bizarre.

Best post ever.

The people insisting on hating LeBron are 100% seriously the ignorant people of America. In 4 years, I STILL have not heard a good reason to hate him, while liking deadbeat Bird & cheaters MJ, Magic- the latter who put his family at risk.

Cleveland could not be a more pathetic city. The guy destroys you four years ago in the most embarrassing way and now it's like you won a World Cup because he has decided to come back. Such a sad, weak city is the perfect place for bron bron.

Submariner wrote:

Why do people always say he "took the easy way out" by going to Miami? He's still playing just as hard as he always did. Nothing is 'easier'. Actually, he just went to a place where he had a BETTER CHANCE OF WINNING.

Whoa

Exactly. Dumbest reason ever to dislike an athlete. I liked him MORE because he went to Miami. I only disliked him when he seemed to be passive/make mistakes in really big games. For 2-3 years though he erased those doubts. This year's finals a few creeped back in.

He's no Jordan. I thought he might be heading there but no. No shame in that though, no one is or ever likely will be.

No, I don't, but I agree with you that if the worst thing LeBron ever does in life is an ill-conceived TV show that generated a good bit of cash for a good cause, he's a good guy [certainly better than me], and I too have more respect for LeBron as a person than I do for Magic, Bird or MJ.

I keep thinking of Clark Kellogg as all of this has been going down. True Cleveland guy, great player coming out of HS - not quite LeBron great but pretty similar size and skill set - very good college player, was well on his way to being a very good, maybe even great pro but career was derailed by injuries, has always struck me as a very decent guy.

Thanks. And we clearly agree on this topic as do many others on this thread.

And yea many overlook Bird's deadbeat Dad history. Joining a team with another star player is a much bigger crime against humanity!