CLEVELAND – LeBron James is an “astute businessman” not given to leaving $25 million on the table. He does not want to be immersed in another rebuilding situation and is much in love with his native Northeast Ohio.
In a Post poll this week before the Knicks’ visit to Cleveland tomorrow, those were reasons offered by six of Cleveland’s most influential sports voices on why James will spurn the Knicks and re-sign with the Cavaliers if he becomes a free agent in 2010.
Is the Cleveland literati in denial? If James bolts, their city becomes irrelevant again.
TERRY PLUTO (Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist): “I’d say it’s 80 percent he stays, 20 percent he goes. Of the 20 percent, it’s only 10 percent he goes to New York. I know it’s hard for people in [New York] to believe, but this guy actually likes Cleveland and Akron. … Unless the Cavaliers’ organization falls apart, odds are overwhelming he stays.”
TOM WITHERS (Cavaliers beat writer, Associated Press): “James’ chances of winding up in New York hinge on how the Cavaliers do in this year’s playoffs. For James to be considered among the game’s greats … he must win multiple NBA titles, so he’ll need to be with a team that has a reasonable chance every year. James is not going to join a team that has to rebuild around him. … Despite his riches, he’s not going to leave $25 million on the table just to play in a big market.”
MARY SCHMITT BOYER: (Plain-Dealer Cavaliers writer, author of several Cleveland sports books): “I am sure of two things: 1. He’s an astute businessman; and 2. He is very, very tied to the Northeast Ohio community.”
MIKE SNYDER (Sports director, WTAM Radio): “There’s a 90-percent chance that LeBron will remain in Cleveland. … As long as the Cavaliers continue to make every effort to surround him with the best supporting cast, he can have it all.”
BRIAN WINDHORST (Plain-Dealer Cavaliers beat writer): “Market size plays into it, and LeBron being at home isn’t as much an advantage as Cavs fans want to believe. But the guy already makes more endorsements than anyone in the league and is already on billboards in Times Square and cover of Vogue.”
BOB FINNAN: (Cavaliers beat writer, Northern Ohio’s News-Herald): “He stated earlier that he wants to go to a team that can win multiple championships. That team might be in Cleveland. I would not be shocked if he signs an extension this summer to stay with the Cavs.”