Cleveland 'Come Home LeBron rally with James' free agency approaching

[Hoopz2332]

Well, with James' free agency approaching this summer, the people of Cleveland would like for James to forget all of that and return to his home state.

The "Come Home LeBron" rally will take place when the Miami Heat visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday and another will be organized for the Heat's March visit, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.

To gather supporters, the rally organizers will pass out 2,000 T-shirts and any fan who takes a picture in the shirt and tweets @comehomelebron will be eligible to win 2014-15 Cavaliers season tickets.

Another phase of the "Come Home LeBron" campaign will come in the form of billboards around the city, one near James' alma mater St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and another on Interstate 71.

At this point, some three years and two titles removed, it's unlikely that James loses any sleep over fans burning his jerseys in the streets of Cleveland. I'm sure he hasn't forgotten it, though.

And, to be fair, not every Cavaliers fan railed against James, but there was frustration throughout the city and some left over resentment still exists. Now, if he were to decide to return to Cleveland, that would all go away in a heart beat.

But what is there in Cleveland from a basketball standpoint to lure James back? Kyrie Irving is an All-Star guard, but he has his faults, as do all players. Every other player on that roster is exponentially more flawed than Irving, and team chemistry could also be an issue with reports of a players-only meeting gone awry hitting the Internet not long ago.

You have to appreciate the effort of fans, though this probably isn't a fight worth fighting.

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2013-11-24/lebron-james-cavaliers-heat-decision-jersey-burned-dwyane-wade-chris-bosh-kyrie-irving-mike-brown

http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/michael-jordan-laugh.gif

[Uncle Drew]

:facepalm

This is embarrassing.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BZ2VmrjIcAEjXhh.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BY67yZjIUAAGbta.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYE7uC3CAAA8YxM.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BXiD8TZIAAAncVU.jpg

[Trentknicks]

This would be one of the most pathetic things ever done by a fanbase, however, I think they get a pass because let's not act like every other fanbase wouldn't do the same.

[moe94]

Not a good look at all.

[DropStep]

Lmfao but at the same time Lebron has the ability to change up any franchise, so I guess fanbases are gonna get a little desperate.

[iDunk]

Lol why would LeBron want to play with Marbury 2.0?

[moe94]

Lmfao but at the same time Lebron has the ability to change up any franchise, so I guess fanbases are gonna get a little desperate.

Why would he ever go back to Cleveland, though? How deluded do you have to be to think there is even a remote chance of it happening?

[fiddy]

Lakers 2014 :party:
Cleveland get ready to burn more tshirts

[coin24]

Why would he ever go back to Cleveland, though? How deluded do you have to be to think there is even a remote chance of it happening?

This. I can't think of a single reason to leave Miami for Cleveland..

[Greg Oden 50]

They Need A Leader To Led,and James Is Not The Answers,cause He Never Been A Leader

[chips93]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QBztzfuiysw/UX_n5hjAFUI/AAAAAAAALk8/Dd90-fKkVKw/s1600/Dukie.gif

[Doranku]

I'm embarrassed to be from around the Cleveland area. Shameful.

[PJR]

LeBron is already home. Right in Coral Gables.

[CelticBaller]

They burn his jerseys, boo him and claim they will a title before him, and when he does they want him back? Pathetic. If I was a Cleveland fan I'll be ashamed of the management and the city

[TheReturn]

Did anyone actually expect something else?

[DukeDelonte13]

I love how some small group of dorky fans does this and all of a sudden its a reflection on the entire fanbase as a whole.

But as others have said, any other fanbase would have had something like this happen too if Lebron left and had a chance to come back.

Didn't the heralded Laker franchise/fans have a "please don't leave us" campaign for Dwight Howard?

[eriX]

I love how some small group of dorky fans does this and all of a sudden its a reflection on the entire fanbase as a whole.

But as others have said, any other fanbase would have had something like this happen too if Lebron left and had a chance to come back.

Didn't the heralded Laker franchise/fans have a "please don't leave us" campaign for Dwight Howard?

isnt that how fan base of every organisation work? :confusedshrug: one small group = the image of the everyone else

[xoracle55]

LeBron is already home. Right in Coral Gables.

Right on man!!

Home is where the heart is.

I wonder how James must be feeling seeing all these desperation from the Cleveland fans..he must be have a certain degree of guilt..

[MetsPackers]

If Miami completes the 3peat there is a 0% chance LeBron leaves in free agency

[DukeDelonte13]

Right on man!!

Home is where the heart is.

I wonder how James must be feeling seeing all these desperation from the Cleveland fans..he must be have a certain degree of guilt..



He don't care. Majority of cavs fans don't care anymore either. Most people moved on, ESPN/Mainstream sports media don't want either side to move on.

[guy]

Still not as bad this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJG5Sp6UQFQ

[LBJMVP]

:facepalm

can't believe our fans are doing this.

most of us arent like this though.

[brandonislegend]

Hey at least if LeBron goes back to Cleveland "LeBron23" on this forum will have to try to act like he was really a Cleveland fan all along.... :lol

[tmacattack33]

:oldlol:

[STATUTORY]

Hey at least if LeBron goes back to Cleveland "LeBron23" on this forum will have to try to act like he was really a Cleveland fan all along.... :lol

:roll: it must suck have to change your entire wardrobe every 3 years

[PleezeBelieve]

He's coming back

[Mr. Jabbar]

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/640/962/d91.gif

[Kblaze8855]

I love how some small group of dorky fans does this and all of a sudden its a reflection on the entire fanbase as a whole.

[QUOTE]
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer is running a poll asking Cleveland Cavaliers fans,

[Mr. Jabbar]

in a sense, these fans are much like their former hero, no self-respect, would sell themselves for shortcuts

[CavaliersFTW]

National media is fabricating some isolated stans into a thing that it really isn't. There is no big campaign going on to get him back. If anyone is pushing for him to return it is probably some people from Akron (Lebron's real hometown) and some scattered stans who Cleveland Cavaliers fans HATE because we AGREE that they are being pathetic. I commute to Cleveland for 35 minutes on the shoreway every single day, and I have never once seen a sign or billboard indicating we're trying to get Lebron back, nor have I ever seen a Cavaliers fan wearing some shirt that says "come back!" or w/e pathetic thing is being exposed here. Trust me, there isn't a push by Cleveland cavaliers fans to get him back. There is however, a push by national media to make Cleveland look bad by showing Cleveland's most pathetic Lebron stans (again... people who Cleveland Cavaliers would AGREE are pathetic). If Lebron comes back, great, he's the best player in the world. But this city and people like me are not begging for him to return.

[chips93]

They burn his jerseys, boo him and claim they will a title before him, and when he does they want him back? Pathetic. If I was a Cleveland fan I'll be ashamed of the management and the city

you realise a fanbase isnt one big homogenous being right?

i doubt the losers who burned his jersey, are these same losers begging him to come back.

[chips93]

And that was in March. I bet it comes out 60/40 by now.

Its not too small a group....

its one thing to want him to return, and its another to put in time, money and effort to try get him back.

i want him to come back, but im not gonna sacrifice my dignity for him.

[RedBlackAttack]

This is hilarious. Can I get national attention for NOT wanting James back? I doub they'll be writing that article anytime soon.

Who's to say this kid is even a Cavs fan? He probably started following the team around 2003, I'm guessing.

[crisoner]

For the Cavs fans that want him back why do this? It didn't work out last time did it? Dude is staying in Miami and will have his statue there someday.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

in a sense, these fans are much like their former hero, no self-respect, would sell themselves for shortcuts
http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/files/2013/06/dwight-howard-stay-with-lakers.jpg

[moe94]

^^hahahha


Who's to say this kid is even a Cavs fan? He probably started following the team around 2003, I'm guessing.

Are you going to act like 99% of Cav's fans weren't born after the lottery was won for LeBron? He changed their entire culture.

[RedBlackAttack]

^^hahahha



Are you going to act like 99% of Cav's fans weren't born after the lottery was won for LeBron? He changed their entire culture.
The vast majority of those "Cavs fans" went with him to Miami... which is fine. I hold no ill will toward those people.

There's no doubt that James had a huge impact on the visibility of the NBA in Cleveland. That goes for outsiders and insiders alike and for better or worse.

But, this is utterly pahetic on so many levels. Also, go back and watch some of the Cavs playoff games from the late-80s and mid-90s. This city has always had a passion for the Cavs.

[Kblaze8855]

its one thing to want him to return, and its another to put in time, money and effort to try get him back.

i want him to come back, but im not gonna sacrifice my dignity for him.


Well im sure nobody really thinks most Cavs fans would.

I love Jordan but I wouldnt have paid a dime to put up a billboard asking him to stay.

[Hoopz2332]

LeBron returning to the Cavaliers? 'It could happen,' Anderson Varejao says




http://imgick.cleveland.com/home/cleve-media/width620/img/cavs_impact/photo/13845624-mmmain.jpg

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – There is hope. The Cavaliers don't like to talk about it, but if you catch them at the right time, in the right mood, they will admit that they sometimes dare to dream.

LeBron James might really come back someday to play for his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers.

At least if you listen to those who have known him longest.

"It could happen," said Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao, the last remaining teammate of James' on the Cavaliers. "'Bron is from Akron. Akron is not too far from here. Eventually in his career, he probably wants to play at home."

So Wednesday's first hosting of the Miami Heat this season really might be the Cavaliers' first in-person courtship of James, who is expected to be a free agent in 2014. But the Cavaliers also understand that they must first right this 4-10 season before turning any attention to whether the once-favorite son might return.

"We are playing for us. We can't control that," Varejao said. "Whatever happens with LeBron happens. We are just trying to figure out what we have to do to be a better team."

The list of what the Cavaliers must improve upon already is long: offensive ball movement, closing out games, learning how to play with 7-foot center Andrew Bynum, and settling on a starting lineup.

To that end, injured shooting guard C.J. Miles practiced for half of the contact portion of practice Tuesday, and his status will be determined prior to Wednesday's game against the Heat. If Miles is unable to play, coach Mike Brown said he would start Matthew Dellavedova for the third straight game.

So that unease with this current version of the Cavaliers is why Brown shrugged off any questions about his former player James, whether he could see him returning to Cleveland, and whether he's ever dared to imagine James returning to the Cavaliers.

"He plays for the Miami Heat right now," Brown said. "He's done a fantastic job with the Miami Heat, just like the rest of those guys. They've been to the Finals three straight years. Erik Spoelstra's done a heck of a job for that team. We've got a long road ahead of us here. But the guys are working hard, and we've seen steady improvement here as a group. We gotta stay the course here and know that, for us, it's about rolling up our sleeves and getting after it more than anything else."

The Cavaliers, though, still are learning how to win, and there might be only one way to achieve that skill.

"What it takes is maybe a couple close wins so you can get that winning taste back," Varejao said. "Then everything will be fine."

Then, maybe, James will see what Cleveland still has to offer? Sometimes the Cavaliers allow themselves to think about it, more than three years after he jilted them with The Decision.

"Going back to that, I think the way he left was wrong," Varejao said. "But regardless ... He helped me a lot, helped my game and helped me as a person. I have nothing against him. It could happen."

:oldlol:

[RedBlackAttack]

Andy can barely speak English. Take those quotes with a grain of salt.

[ROCSteady]

Still not as bad this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJG5Sp6UQFQ

Good God.

I've never seen anything so funny and pathetic from sports fans. It was funny to see "Cleveland's Finest" tagline at the beginning then go on to prop up The Browns Dawg Pound Guy and some chick from The Real World :biggums: Don't leave out the Norton Furniture Pitchmen all pullin strings in Cleveland

All those professionals should have politely declined.

I know the video was tongue in cheek but the way they sang that was so lame and so much effort was put into it. Whoever wrote the lyrics should feel like a giant loser.

Thanks for showing me this pearl though. I had no idea such a thing existed.

[All Net]

Despite what happened why wouldn't you want the best player in the world to sign with your team?

[RedBlackAttack]

Despite what happened why wouldn't you want the best player in the world to sign with your team?
Because I've moved on and have no desire to root for him again, perhaps? I simply couldn't do it... I'd have to abstain from the NBA if it were to happen.

I don't know why people find it so hard to understand how/why it is difficult to root for a player you don't like, regardless of how good he is. Seems pretty cut and dry.

[PleezeBelieve]

Again, he's coming back

[ROCSteady]

:facepalm

can't believe our fans are doing this.

most of us arent like this though.

Hey man.. it's for struggling economy, not pride. It's bidness.

[Lebron23]

Again, he's coming back


maybe they draft lebron james jr. and bryce maximus james when they turn 18.

[ROCSteady]

Again, he's coming back

And you will do Eminem numbers in 2014.


Never say never but y'all have the same owner who dogged him, a tumultuous team identity (from outsider perspective) & he can pick whatever city he chooses while possibly winning 3 titles inna row.

I really doubt he comes back to Cleveland. That would mean Lebron is loyal above everything else. James will have a calculated approach to his career, for notoriety and mass consumption. I gained a bunch of respect for James after he matured, added a post game and got the basketball part finished but I still think he's about his expanding his personal brand more than anything at the end of the day.

[RedBlackAttack]

And you will do Eminem numbers in 2014.


Never say never but y'all have the same owner who dogged him, a tumultuous team identity (from outsider perspective) & he can pick whatever city he chooses while possibly winning 3 titles inna row.

I really doubt he comes back to Cleveland. That would mean Lebron is loyal above everything else. James will have a calculated approach to his career, for notoriety and mass consumption. I gained a bunch of respect for James after he matured, added a post game and got the basketball part finished but I still think he's about his expanding his personal brand more than anything at the end of the day.
Seems like his "maturing" happened to coincide with his team winning the championship. J/S

Things are pretty easy to handle when you're on the winning side. We saw how he handled losing. It wasn't pretty.

[Mr. Jabbar]

http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/files/2013/06/dwight-howard-stay-with-lakers.jpg

no fan had to do with that shiet, like we were high on him after a shity season and playoff sweep :oldlol: , it was a dumb FO attempt to hold on a guy who can't make a free throw

[ROCSteady]

Seems like his "maturing" happened to coincide with his team winning the championship. J/S

Things are pretty easy to handle when you're on the winning side. We saw how he handled losing. It wasn't pretty.

I noticed a difference in the way he conducted himself the season before his first title. His game changed too. He NEVER had a post game with his gigantic frame until after losing to the Mavs and taking all the criticism for deferring. That was still in Miami.

It wasn't like that was the first time he tasted the Finals either as motivation. The loss against Dallas was uglier and more humiliating than the one vs the Spurs in '07 and he got ugly backlash from that. Lebron had many successful seasons in Cleveland, you know that. It's not like he was 'losing' as you put it, just not getting rings. There was no ring in Miami that first season either.

James simply turned a corner it seems to me, I was not a fan of him at all until he refined his game, got some balls and also didn't come off like an entitled teen in interviews. To me, he filled in all the voids of his personality and game. In return, his team won a title.

[RedBlackAttack]

I noticed a difference in the way he conducted himself the season before his first title. His game changed too. He NEVER had a post game with his gigantic frame until after losing to the Mavs and taking all the criticism for deferring. That was still in Miami.

It wasn't like that was the first time he tasted the Finals either as motivation. The loss against Dallas was uglier and more humiliating than the one vs the Spurs in '07 and he got ugly backlash from that. Lebron had many successful seasons in Cleveland, you know that. It's not like he was 'losing' as you put it, just not getting rings. There was no ring in Miami that first season either.

James simply turned a corner it seems to me, I was not a fan of him at all until he refined his game, got some balls and also didn't come off like an entitled teen in interviews. To me, he filled in all the voids of his personality and game. In return, his team won a title.
But, he basically said "my life is better than your's regardless if I win or lose" after the Dallas series in 2011. I didn't think that was a mature way to handle things, but that's just my opinion.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRcoD8JU_oo#t=2m50

Again, I thought the maturing happened to coincide with the winning (of championships). That's always been the expectation on James, being that he's a great player, especially with that team in 2011 against an opponent more comparable to his Cleveland era teams.

I can't help but wonder if you'd see a similar response if he lost in 2012 or 2013. Guess we'll never know.

[moe94]

He basically said anyone who makes less money than him is irrelevant and his fans ate it up. :coleman:

[The-Legend-24]

:roll:

[ROCSteady]

But, he basically said "my life is better than your's regardless if I win or lose" after the Dallas series in 2011. I didn't think that was a mature way to handle things, but that's just my opinion.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRcoD8JU_oo#t=2m50

Again, I thought the maturing happened to coincide with the winning (of championships). That's always been the expectation on James, being that he's a great player, especially with that team in 2011 against an opponent more comparable to his Cleveland era teams.

I can't help but wonder if you'd see a similar response if he lost in 2012 or 2013. Guess we'll never know.

I meant during the following season. I still heavily disliked him when all that superiority crap went down. I don't know the guy but he seems to have much more clarity and those failures and getting persecuted by fans/media seemed to have humbled him as much as someone like Lebron James could be humble.

When you have politicians, clerks, city representatives taking time to sing a cheesy song to get you to resign in the city, how humble can a young dude actually be?

[coin24]

Not sure why he'd even consider going back, the teams a mess..

[poido123]

LeBron is already home. Right in Coral Gables.

I'd like to see Lebron leave, just so I could see how Heat fans would react :oldlol:

They gave Cleveland fans a 'too bad so sad' treatment when Lebron got up and left.

[coin24]

I'd like to see Lebron leave, just so I could see how Heat fans would react :oldlol:

They gave Cleveland fans a 'too bad so sad' treatment when Lebron got up and left.

It'll be back to pre decision, heat will have 2 fans and the rest will be back to being "die hard cavs fans":facepalm

[poido123]

It'll be back to pre decision, heat will have 2 fans and the rest will be back to being "die hard cavs fans":facepalm


:lol

[I<3NBA]

there'd have to be a change of ownership for Lebron to come back. if Gilbert sold the team to Lebron, Lebron would definitely come back.

[Hoopz2332]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BZ2VmrjIcAEjXhh.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BY67yZjIUAAGbta.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYE7uC3CAAA8YxM.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BXiD8TZIAAAncVU.jpg


http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc489/niokulis/Laugh.gif

[JtotheIzzo]

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc489/niokulis/Laugh.gif


"Hahaha, yeah Magic, I went back for a year before heading to LA, and them fools ate it up. Destroyed the team's future too!"

:lebronamazed: :lebronamazed: :lebronamazed:

[Meticode]

"Hahaha, yeah Magic, I went back for a year before heading to LA, and them fools ate it up. Destroyed the team's future too!"

:lebronamazed: :lebronamazed: :lebronamazed:
That was pretty corny.

[PleezeBelieve]

So much reverse fail in this thread :roll:

[Straight_Ballin]

there'd have to be a change of ownership for Lebron to come back. if Gilbert sold the team to Lebron, Lebron would definitely come back.

No, he came back because Gilbert sucked his c0ck.

[NumberSix]

I still cant believe this actually happened.