The decision 2.0 has been made. LeBron James is returning home to rejoin his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. James will sign a two-year, $42.1 million contract with the Cavs as he will join a young nucleus that includes three former No. 1 picks in All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, last year’s No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett, and arguably the most hyped NBA prospect since LeBron James in Andrew Wiggins.
It’s no secret that LeBron James has been the most successful NBA player in the last four years after winning two championships and two MVP trophies in 2012 and 2013. But I thought he only won two championships with the Heat. What happened to not three … not four … not five … not six … not seven. Granted, I don’t think anyone realistically believed the Heat could win seven titles. However, I do think many believed he would stay more than four years with the Heat.
James returns to his former team in Northeast Ohio, which has had the worst winning percentage in the NBA over the last four years. From a basketball perspective, I question the fit. He joins a team that has hired three head coaches since James left in 2010. The Cavs also haven’t been what you would call a stable franchise as they have swung and missed on players they’ve acquired such as Anthony Bennett, Andrew Bynum, Jarrett Jack, Luol Deng and Spencer Hawes to name a few. The Cavs front office has a lot of work to do in order to make this team a championship contender.
In a Sports Illustrated exclusive, James said, “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.”
What does that tell you? It says LeBron James believes this team isn’t ready to win a championship right away. He turned down an opportunity to continue competing for championships with the Miami Heat to join a young team in Cleveland. This decision could potentially prevent James from matching Michael Jordan’s six elusive titles.
As one of James’ biggest fans, he has done wonders for the NBA. I don’t know where the league would be without him right now. Returning home and winning a championship for the city of Cleveland, who haven’t won a major sports championship since the Cleveland Browns won an NFL championship in 1964. This would complete a fairy tale that no one else could tell. I believe James’ image has improved since going back to Cleveland, but personally I felt he should have stayed with the Heat for a little longer.
He will face five big challenges in Cleveland:
1. The Eastern Conference – All right, call me crazy by saying that the East is a good conference. Although, it has improved this summer. The Chicago Bulls hope to have a healthy Derrick Rose this season, and they also got better by bringing in Pau Gasol. You can’t count out the Indiana Pacers as they look to retool their team this offseason as well. The Washington Wizards are a young and upcoming team that added the man James said was his biggest rival in Paul Pierce. The East has gotten better, and that will be a tough obstacle to overcome.
2. The Pressure – Cleveland is begging for a championship. They will be patient with James for a couple of seasons, but if he can’t deliver by then, there are going to be angry fans in Cleveland. With the East being as bad as it is, James needs to take advantage now while he can.
3. The Miami Heat – Yeah, I said it. The Heat don’t have a good shot to win a championship this year, but James will always have his former team in the back of his mind. The Heat will still be contenders after they re-sign Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Miami also signed former All-Star Luol Deng, and picked up two quality role players in Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger. Miami has James as their No. 1 target.
4. Helping the Cavs – The Cavaliers are young, and James must get the most out of their young guys. Kyrie Irving has struggled defensively in his young NBA career. Dion Waiters is becoming and chucker and a volume shooter. Anthony Bennett had a historically bad rookie season for a No. 1 pick. Lastly, Tristian Thompson has yet to take his game to the next level. James said he would mentor these young players, and he is going to have to do that if Cleveland wants to win an NBA championship.
5. The San Antonio Spurs – This team is James’ No. 1 nightmare right now. Not a day goes by when he doesn’t think about the Heat’s humiliating five-game defeat to the Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals. If the Cavaliers come out of the East, expect the Spurs to be one of the favorites to meet him in the Finals once again.
