A lot of mail came in following my prediction that LeBron Jameswill ultimately re-sign with Cleveland in 2010. Like LeBron, I believe in giving the people what they want ... so here we go again ...5 unanswered questions about LeBron• What are the odds Miami is LeBron's landing place? No state income taxes. Space for a maximum contract. And a friend to play with named Dwyane Wade. Does this make all the sense in the world or is there only enough space, ego-wise, for one superstar?
--James Greenberg, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Any basketball fan (who can look beyond selfish rooting interests) would love to see James and Wade together in Miami or New York, where Mike D'Antoni's offense would create phenomenal possibilities for those two playmakers.
But it's not going to happen for a lot of reasons, starting with this one: Wade would be the second option behind LeBron, and I don't think it would be selfish of Wade to be ambivalent about taking on a subservient role at this promising stage of his career. He's 26 and entering his prime years, and there's nothing wrong with his preferring to compete against LeBron rather than defer to him. That's a good thing, in fact.
When they're in their 30s and they have all of the youthful battling out of their system, maybe then they can try to play together, like the three stars in Boston. Doc Rivers has said many times that Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen probably could not have teamed together in their 20s when each was trying to fulfill his potential. And we all know how it played out for the Lakers between their two "alpha males," as Kobe Bryant referred to his divorce from Shaquille O'Neal when each was in his prime.
• How would you assess the job Cleveland's front office has done building a team LeBron would want to stay with beyond this year? Take him off that team -- are they a playoff club? Does a team like the Knicks have just as many young pieces with potential?
--Tim, Bronx, N.Y.
You've put your finger on the issue, Tim. If James thinks the Cavaliers haven't developed enough talent around him and he doesn't think he'll ever win a championship there, he should leave. Because he'll wind up receiving most of the blame if the team doesn't win one or more titles.
Of course he is going to have certain doubts about the Cavs, because he knows all of the strengths and weaknesses of that franchise inside and out. But he's going to recognize that other franchises will have their negative issues, too, which will remain hidden as he is being recruited. He could go elsewhere only to realize -- too late -- that he walked away from a superior organization in Cleveland. I'm trying hard to avoid "the grass isn't always greener" clich�, but I think that sensibility is going to weigh heavily in his decision.
Please don't compare the Knicks to the Cavs. It isn't fair. The Knicks have spent the past couple of years trimming back their payroll to get under the cap, while the Cavs have been scaling up their roster to complement LeBron. Cleveland's lineup is superior at every position. If James hadn't played a game for the Cavs this season, they would still be far more talented than the 1-8 Knicks.
• So what do you think LeBron was suggesting when he said winning was more important in his decision than a max contract? Would he take less to go play in a place like Dallas? Was he sending a message that the Cavs can't lock him up with offering the most money?
--Jared, Dayton, Ohio
He was creating a larger market for himself. A lot of people -- me included -- figured there was no reason for him to look beyond Cleveland or New York. Fair enough, he doesn't want to limit his options to the Cavs, Knicks and Nets. There are going to be a lot of teams under the cap this summer, and why shouldn't he consider all of them?
That was smart of him to declare last week that he'll make his decision based on the potential to win championships and nothing else, not only because it opens up more competition to sign him but also because a decision to sacrifice a portion of his salary would mitigate the criticism he would receive for abandoning the city of Cleveland.
And you're right, at the same time he continues urging the Cavs to push toward a championship if they want him to stay. They can offer him a better contract than any rival, but that's not going to be reason enough to keep him in Cleveland.
• How far do the Cavs have to go this year to persuade LeBron to stay? Is it title or bust? If they get knocked out before the Finals, is he gone?
--Lee Tindle, Pittsburgh
All of this speculation is going to make the playoffs more intriguing than ever. But I don't know the answer to your question.
It will be an easy decision for him to leave if he loses all faith in the organization -- irreconcilable differences, etc. Will he simply want out of Cleveland? I don't envision it coming to that.
So let's say they lose in the conference finals to Boston or Orlando, or in the NBA Finals to the Lakers or Spurs. Now he has to weigh everything. If he were to move to New York or Chicago or the Clippers (that one I throw in for laughs -- no way would he marry his career to Donald T. Sterling), he'd have to feel extremely confident that he could win championships there. And he'd also have to take into account the damage incurred to his good name after walking out on his hometown.
That's why I think he'll stay in Cleveland, because he has too much going for him there to walk out on that investment. As long as the Cavs are right there with the best teams in the league to give James a chance at the championship, there is no compelling reason for him to abandon Cleveland and thereby absorb a highly negative impact to his reputation.
But here's one perspective I didn't bring up last week. Let's say he wins the championship for the Cavs this season. Does that victory crack open the door for him to move to New York? Maybe it does. Because then people can't complain that James walked out on Cleveland before he accomplished the mission. After he has given a championship to his hometown, he can say that it's time for him to strike out on his own and try something new. And with a ring on his finger, he buys himself a couple of years to turn things around in New York.
Just thought I'd throw that scenario out there. But the bottom line is I still think he's staying in Cleveland.
• Supposedly, part of LeBron's strategy for keeping his free agent options open is to put pressure on the Cavs to improve the team. There doesn't seem to be much more they can do at this point. If he really wants to stay, why not just verbally commit now?
--Al, Parma, Ohio
I have to disagree. The Cavs still need to decide whether to replace troubled Delonte West at shooting guard, and they probably need a mid-range-or-deeper shooter at power forward to create more space for Shaq in the post (see below). So I don't think they're done improving this roster, and there will be players available at the February trading deadline as losing teams attempt to cut costs and improve their lottery position.
The one point that's being missed amid the 2010 mania is that it's a spectacularly good thing for the league. I don't agree at all that James is disrespecting his franchise or causing any harm by raising the possibilities of moving to another team next summer. He had no say over which team would draft him, and he has already signed one contract to remain with the Cavs. After seven years in Cleveland, he'll take a look around and decide whether he wants a fresh start elsewhere. What's so wrong with that?
It's the least he deserves. The player came into the league as the most-hyped draft pick of the modern era and he has turned out to be better than anyone anticipated. The biggest scandal he has created was to walk off the court at the end of last season without shaking hands. Big deal. In the meantime, a lot of people have made money off him, and he has elevated one of the league's worst franchises while creating a feel-good story in his hometown in what has otherwise been a highly cynical era for the NBA.
He's a 24-year-old who likes to wear a Yankees cap. Where is the harm? What is the problem? If he is pressuring the Cavs to build a championship team around him -- or else -- isn't that a good thing? If he wasn't demanding excellence from his franchise, he would be criticized, justifiably, for not showing leadership. By threatening to leave, he is actually trying to create a winning environment in which he can stay.
When he talks about moving to other markets, all he is doing is creating hope in New York or Miami or Chicago. (Everywhere but the Clippers.) He is telling the fans in those cities that he sees promise there, and that they should see it, too. That's a great thing for the NBA. In that sense, James has emerged as an NBA ambassador in this worldwide Twitter age of chat-room speculation and Internet gossip. LeBron gets all of that, and he drives it and exploits it to the benefit of himself and the NBA as a whole. For two years, the anticipation of his 2010 decision has drummed up interest in pro basketball that wouldn't otherwise exist. I am absolutely certain that David Stern is grateful not only for the enduring buzz but also for a superstar who understands the big picture in such a comprehensive way.
This whole 2010 bonanza has turned into a kind of national campaign orchestrated by LeBron. If you look at it for what it is -- a harmless cottage industry designed to increase public interest in LeBron as well as the entire league -- the end game becomes easier to discern. I'm going to stand by my posting of last week: Unless something disastrous happens to change his circumstances with the Cavs, I think LeBron James is laying the groundwork to remain in Cleveland. The happiest of all endings.
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