I'm Calling It: 2014 LeBron Goes Back to Cleveland

If you look at the Miami Heat, they're going to need to rebuild their entire supporting cast in 2 years. Shane Battier, Ray Allen, Udonis Haslem, Mario Chalmers and Mike Miller will all either be at the ends of their career and/or contracts.

Then there's the big question of Dwyane Wade's health. He's clearly slowing down and is going to have to be limited going forward. Who knows how long that knee is going to hold up. While, Chris Bosh is nice, you don't sign somewhere just to play with him.

If you're LeBron James, do you resign for this situation? I don't see how you do. Regardless of how you felt about The Decision, no one can dispute it was made out LeBron's desire for rings. Miami won't be in a position to offer LeBron the most rosy situation like they did in 2010.

I've always felt that LeBron wouldn't finish his career in Miami, but it feels like going beyond 2014 now seems even like a stretch.

This leaves me with the real possible destinations for LeBron: Los Angeles or Cleveland.

The Lakers seem fascinating because it would be an amazing move for LeBron. Assuming Dwight signs an extension and the Lakers let Kobe, Pau and Nash simply roll off their payroll, The Lakers would have cap room to go after LeBron.

First you have to imagine a pairing with Dwight Howard and how that might end up being the best player LeBron could go play with. Wade fit that bill in 2010. Besides that though, the actuality of moving from Cleveland to Miami to Los Angles would make LeBron as infamous and talked about as Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.

That would be tempting, but I think Cleveland is the clear choice for LeBron. In two years, Kyrie Irving very well might be a top 10-15 player. Tristian Thompson, Dion Waiters and two more years of high(ish) draft picks will have Cleveland in a good cap situation and with a ready made team.

That all gives LeBron plenty of food for thought, but what will ultimately do it is the story. We all look back now at Magic's 1984 Finals and MJ losing to the Pistons repeatedly as apart of their career narratives. "They had to lose and feel pain, before they could become great." You can already see this with LeBron now.

Imagine LeBron wins, say, just one more ring in Miami. Now, in 2014, he's a two time champion, legacy as one of the greats intact. What makes the biggest impact? Winning another ring for the Lakers or going back to Cleveland as a champion and trying to win it all where it all began? Imagine if he succeeds.

Tell me you can't already envision the interviews of "I left a boy and came back a man." The Oprah segment writes itself.

No matter what you think of LeBron, he's not an unmotivated player. He wants to win and wants to have a legacy. I don't see him chasing rings with the veracity that MJ and Kobe have. Leaving Cleveland, winning rings in Miami, going back to Cleveland and winning another ring... You add that to the career numbers that will be eye-popping (I'm thinking 30,000 points, 8,000 rebounds and 8,000 assists) and 4 or 5 MVPs awards, that's a historic career.

Could LeBron really resist that?

i never felt like he would finish his career in miami. hes either going back to the cavs or maybe the nets.

sixers

bynum
hawes
lebron
turner
holiday



:bowdown:

So he bails on yet another team after 4 years of being there :lol

What's to say that the Heat won't make moves to bring in more talent.

[QUOTE=longtime lurker]What's to say that the Heat won't make moves to bring in more talent.[/QUOTE]

How do they? They won't trade Wade and even if they did, what could they get back now? Trade Bosh? I guess, but that's only shuffling the deck.

Go to Toronto, LeBron.

CavaliersFTW has an epic conspiracy theory regarding this starting Dan "Da Gawd" Gilbert. Shame on you for lacking originality.

[quote]The Lakers seem fascinating because it would be an amazing move for LeBron. Assuming Dwight signs an extension and the Lakers let Kobe, Pau and Nash simply roll off their payroll, The Lakers would have cap room to go after LeBron. [/quote]
Gosh.

You could be right.

The NBA is so lame sometimes. Why does every great player have to play for the Lakers? Since the 50s, like half of them have been Lakers. It's so stupid.

So you write all those players that are coming off the books, and yet you don't think Miami will go after another player(s) to continue to be successful? We have one of the best GM's and talent collector in Pat Riley. You think Miami just doesn't look ahead and plan for the future and surrounding Lebron in the coming years? There main goal is to keep this team winning, and with Lebron there already, its a guaranteed 50 win team. Add Bosh, who you severely underrated and its a championship caliber team.

Bosh and Bron are gonna be there way after 2014.

90% chance LeBron opts out, only to resign with Miami to a 5 year max deal. Dude cleary is lovin South FL life. And he has grown pretty tight with Riley and Micky Arison.

Chances are Lebron will stay with Miami. I'm pretty sure Lebron even said he never wanted to leave Cleveland but he felt like he had no chance to win there because of the dumb management. Miami's management is great and one of the best in the game so I doubt Lebron will leave.

Lebron is not as disloyal as most people think.

He'll come down here to Australia and play for the Sydney Kings for $56,000.

[QUOTE=iggy>]sixers

bynum
hawes
lebron
turner
holiday



:bowdown:[/QUOTE]
[IMG]http://www.forumsextreme.com/images2/sFun_hailtheking.gif[/IMG]

So a LeBron stan unintentionally admits LeBron is a frontrunner. :lol

All these people writing off Wade so early again. :oldlol:

Apart from that, I would ideally like to see him go back to Cleveland again, after getting two rings in Miami, and the legacy "champion" monkey off his back.

But just as LeBron stans are quick to write off Wade, they need to worry about LeBron as well.

In order for him to be just as good in two seasons, he needs to go either one route or another. The reason MJ was still dominant at 33, 34, and 35 was because he adapted his game to his limitations.

To this day LeBron still forces the issues sometimes thinking he's 22 - 25 years old again, able to move at high speeds on that huge frame, stop and start on a dime. Sometimes you can watch him having trouble coming to grips with his loss of explosion off the dribble.

LeBron either needs to drop weight, so he can continue to be a penetrating, do all super Point Forward.

Or he needs to develop a consistent jumper, specifically from mid-range, keep the weight he's been at from 2011 - ... further develop and work hard on footwork and post game, learn to play off the ball, and set picks and roll. And basically become a full time PF ala Karl Malone, the way his body and mannerisms seem to be heading.

Otherwise, I wouldn't want to see an old, slow and plodding LeBron James trying to pound the rock, and drive with defenders stuck to him like glue because he's so slow, being point guard for Cleveland ... when you have Kyrie Irving in 2014 entering his prime.

Lebron should come to the Warriors...


Steph Curry
Klay Thompson
Lebron James
David Lee
Andrew Bogut

lebron and dwight?

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/bigvoo/DAMNNNNNNN.gif[/img]

Hes not leaving Miami. And would Gilbert take him back? I dont think hed ever be trusted or accepted back in Cleveland. Dont be surprised if Pat Riley goes after a big man. If Bosh had a Bynum, wow, lookout. Its over.

I keep seeing this pop up, and I still don't understand why people think he's just going to leave Miami because he ditched Cleveland.

[QUOTE=SpecialQue]I keep seeing this pop up, and I still don't understand why people think he's just going to leave Miami because he ditched Cleveland.[/QUOTE]

LeBron has always felt like a mercenary in Miami to me. He's not a "heat" player. He just h happens to play for the heat. He'll be there while things are great, but I don't see the connection to stay there when better options exist.

And I hope I'm wrong about Wade, but I don't think it's getting better from here.

[QUOTE=Kurosawa0]
And I hope I'm wrong about Wade, but I don't think it's getting better from here.[/QUOTE]
Neither do I ... he's a 30 year old SG without a consistent jumper, who plays for the foul now instead of the basket.

But people act like he's garbage, dude had an off year put up 24 / 5 / 5 injured, yet was still clearly the best or 2nd best SG in the league.

Oh, and went off for 40 in a critical playoff game.

:oldlol:

People talk like he's Pete Meyers now

[QUOTE=Kurosawa0]LeBron has always felt like a mercenary in Miami to me. He's not a "heat" player. He just h happens to play for the heat. He'll be there while things are great, but I don't see the connection to stay there when better options exist.

And I hope I'm wrong about Wade, but I don't think it's getting better from here.[/QUOTE]
Life in Miama>Cleveland it's not really close and that's a fact all this is pure speculation. He will most likely stay in Miami but if he leaves its not to cleveland. I love shattering players way of thinking and personal life tho

There is still Bosh. Bosh is an all-star level player; he's not doing much now because their game is Lebron, then Wade, then setshooting, and Lebron, not Bosh, is their main high post option. They've got two years to get one more really strong young player, and that may be enough. All-stars and great roleplayers have a way of drifting to teams with great players on them... see the kind of help Kobe's always had.

Without Wade, or with Wade in a diminished role, Bosh is scoring 22-24 a night once he gets used to it.

Cleveland management suck. even if Lebron wanted so much to come back as the prodigal son, he'll only come back if management changes.

Miami already won 2 NBA Championships in the last 6 years. They are already a winning franchise. Same number of championships as the Knicks and the Rockets. It's now much easier to recruit some players from the free agent market because of the influence of Riley and LeBron.

Wade will be fine. He played fewer games than some of his contemporaries. He will bounce back next season. Miami won an NBA Championship with an injured Wade.

My days as a fan of the NBA would be numbered.

As if the media didn't kill him before....

Almost 100% certain he'll be headed to LA, either as a Laker or Clipper

[QUOTE=Kurosawa0]LeBron has always felt like a mercenary in Miami to me. He's not a "heat" player. He just h happens to play for the heat. He'll be there while things are great, but I don't see the connection to stay there when better options exist.

And I hope I'm wrong about Wade, but I don't think it's getting better from here.[/QUOTE]


do you really believe that Lebron is a mercenary here?? I severely doubt this notion considering the friendship between Wade and he. Also, the Heat organization is one of the finest and very loyal. Riley will do everything to keep Lebron after 2014, and he probably will. It'll come down to Lebron ultimately, but the incentive to stay with the Heat is there.

It's easier to get star players to come to Miami than Cleveland. Pat Riley and Mitch are on another level when it comes to bringing in talent. Dan Gilbert just couldn't get it done.

[QUOTE=PJR]90% chance LeBron opts out, only to resign with Miami to a 5 year max deal. Dude cleary is lovin South FL life. And he has grown pretty tight with Riley and Micky Arison.[/QUOTE]


Windhorst just did an interview where he said how much moving to miami made lebron realize how much he liked NE Ohio. He still lives here in the off season.

Do i think Lebron will come back? Nope.

[QUOTE=ihoopallday]It's easier to get star players to come to Miami than Cleveland. Pat Riley and Mitch are on another level when it comes to bringing in talent. Dan Gilbert just couldn't get it done.[/QUOTE]


It's easier to get big name free agents when your star is committed to your team. If Lebron would have committed we probably would have gotten somebody. Players didn't wanna sign because nobody knew what Lebron was going to do.

it depends on how good Kyrie, Waiters, and Tristan are. We'll be picking lottery again this year and I expect to go after sf, or c. If Kryie is as good as us Cavs fans hope and the rest are decent, then I can see it. I be telling everybody he coming back in 2 years anyway

[QUOTE=Kurosawa0]LeBron has always felt like a mercenary in Miami to me. He's not a "heat" player. He just h happens to play for the heat. He'll be there while things are great, but I don't see the connection to stay there when better options exist.[/QUOTE]

do you have any actually facts to back up your 'feeling' that lebron is only a mercenary?

if i have a 'feeling' that blake griffin will sign for the cavs, is there any reason others should believe me, and think griffin will come to cleveland?

i need more proof, than a 'feeling'

Seriously....

[url]http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=255389[/url]

bron and dwight in LA

I don't see him ending his career with Miami... but i don't see him back with with Cleveland either...

Howard will forever be vilified in Orlando for being a flip-flopping drama queen. Tmac quit on Orlando, then Houston. Why would anyone actually think that a person who quits on his franchise would actually be welcomed back?

Too many posters here conflate "bold" predictions with "stupid" ones.

Didn't Lebron say numerous times to reporters last season that he would love to finish his career in Cleveland? And that he feels he didn't finish things well there and wants a second chance? And that he feels bad about how he left his hometown fans and still wants to stick to his promise of bringing them a championship? I don't think Lebron returning to Cleveland is a far fetched as everyone thinks. At the same time I don't think there's any conspiracy theory going on, just Lebron maturing and realising he made a douchebag move with how he handled his free agency and how he notified Cleveland about his decision to leave.