WELL, LeBron James didn’t exactly mean at that political rally that he would stay in Cleveland, only that he always would consider it fondly.
“That’s the way I was feeling at that time,” he said last night. “Home is always going to be home, and that was what I was basically letting them know.”
That will shake ’em in Shaker Heights, get blood pumping again in New York. It even briefly put the shovel that has yet to hit the ground at Atlantic Yards to work exhuming the Nets’ hopes at signing James until he said this:
“We all seen the cutting of the ribbon, but that’s the last thing we saw with the Nets moving to Brooklyn,” he said. “I’m not sure if that’s still in the works, but I’m not invested in the team, so I can sleep good at night.”
He sleeps better than do his pal, part-owner Jay-Z, and Bruce Ratner. Now that the Nets won’t be in to Brooklyn in time for James’ 2010 free agency, they can only hope that before he dropped 31 in a 106-82 rout at a depressingly under-capacity Meadowlands, King James excitedly noted that there soon will be indoor skiing there.
If it turns out James has always wanted more than anything else in the world a Chinese teammate, the Nets will get him over any of the 18 teams projected to be under the cap in July 2010, plus the Knicks, who still have 19 months to unload Zach Randolph.
What would it take to get LeBron here? The key to Moonachie? Suddenly, this post-career chance for a third term as New York Mayor? Neither poses a problem for our local franchises.
So keep a light on for LeBron, just in case a player who earned an NBA run-away high $25 million off the court in 2007 makes the bad call – for himself, too – of turning out the lights for good on the NBA in Cleveland.
“Unless Nike steps up with some massive, eight-figure, Michael-Jordan-equity-type of deal to have him in New York, LeBron is not going to make more money there,” said Chicago-based sports business consultant Marc Ganis. “And in this economic climate, we don’t know where Nike will be [in 2010].
“Another $2 million a year from Sprite isn’t going to make a difference when the CBA [collective-bargaining agreement] will allow the Cavaliers to pay him more [$133 million to $102 million] than any other team. And he gets a tremendous amount of attention already in Cleveland.”
The 9-2 Cavs, who have added a significant scoring and passing option in Mo Williams to a team that took Boston to Game 7 last spring, will have the cap room to offer fellow big-time 2010 free agents Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire a chance to play with James. Certainly beats the opportunity to play with Danilo Gallinari.
“When I decide to make a decision, it’s where I can win multiple championships,” said James. “This is the best team we’ve had since I have been here.”
Also should be the best one for him in 2010, no matter if he’s already won a championship.