Finally, after many days of anxiously waiting, LeBron James has finally made a decision. He is going home. The King is returning to his kingdom. Cleveland is once again relevant in the sports world. It was felt around the country LeBron would be going home, and this is more than just a homecoming. This decision is not just about basketball, it’s bigger than that. LeBron did not only do this for himself; he did this for his friends, his family, and the entire city of Cleveland.
The Decision 2.0
For some people, this decision was very surprising. Once this past NBA season had started, many felt that LeBron would remain with the Miami Heat. I was one of those people. I always thought he would return to Cleveland, but not this soon. I figured he’d stay in Miami maybe another three or four years. But after this past NBA Finals, there had to be doubts in James’ mind. He had no help. He played well, but you just can’t win a championship by yourself. It’s a team effort. This Miami Heat team started to look like the Cleveland Cavaliers before the decision. If I were in LeBron’s shoes, I’d have the same doubts. Chris Bosh only had a few good games this postseason. With Dwyane Wade, you could never tell what kind of game you were going to get from him. The supporting cast wasn’t helping James at all. It just wasn’t looking good for the Heat. But when a team reaches the NBA finals for four consecutive years, there will be a point in time where the team just can’t take any more. They’re going to shut down. And we finally saw the Miami Heat shut down. You could tell that James really wasn’t sure if he would be able to commit to this team for the rest of his career.
However, you simply can’t take away from the amazing run this Miami Heat team had. Despite being the most hated team in the league, with no one wanting them to succeed, they still succeeded. They were able to reach the NBA Finals for four consecutive years, something that had only been done three times. They were the back to back champions, oh so close to a three-peat. LeBron James was finally able to raise the Larry O Brien trophy. Not once, but twice. This Miami Heat run will be one to remember for the ages, no one will forget this. It was the biggest story in basketball for four years. And now, it comes to an end. Don’t worry, Heat fans, Dwyane and Chris are staying. It’s not the end of the world. The Miami Heat is a first-class organization, and they completely respect LeBron’s decision. If you are a Miami Heat fan, there’s no need to burn LeBron’s jersey. He promised championships to Miami, and he delivered. He just felt it was time to go home. And you can never bash on someone who simply wants to go home.
For Cleveland and the whole state of Ohio, this is their golden moment. The moment they’ve been waiting for. The man that built Quicken Loans Arena will no longer be in the visiting locker room, this time for good. A lot of people are not surprised that LeBron is coming home, but some are in shock. Why would someone want to go back to a city that burned his jerseys and disgraced him? Why would someone want to go back to an owner that wrote a letter to Cleveland calling LeBron a coward and phony? Most people would never want to go back to this situation. Well, it’s different with LeBron. For LeBron, this is more than just the city he plays basketball in. It’s his home. He’s a kid from Akron Ohio who promised to put Cleveland and the state of Ohio on the map, and he did.
While it seems that Cleveland fans don’t necessarily deserve to have LeBron back, they actually do. Cleveland has not won a title in any of the major sports in about 50 years. LeBron changes all of that. He could finally be able to bring a championship to his home, and we all know that title would mean more than the two he won down in South Beach. If LeBron is able to win a title in Cleveland, it’d be one of the biggest stories in the sports world. And with Cleveland inking Kyrie Irving to a five year extension, the future is going to be very bright in Cleveland. Let’s not forget about Dion Waiters and Andrew Wiggins. LeBron has a lot of young talent around him with not much experience, but he understands that. He wants to help this team develop to its full potential. He wants to make Kyrie Irving one of the best point guards in the league, which I feel he will be able to do. Having LeBron back in Cleveland will also make life a lot easier for new head coach David Blatt, who has already had success overseas, and is to be succeeding in the NBA as well.
Ha, you guys thought I forgot about Dan Gilbert huh? It’s a little hard to forget him. After Gilbert wrote “the letter” and left it on the Cavs website for four years, it seemed almost impossible for LeBron to come back. But people make mistakes, and LeBron actually did make a mistake. To go out on national tv and to leave your team like that is just awful. Also, let’s not forget that The Decision was how Dan Gilbert found out that LeBron was headed to Miami. LeBron didn’t even call him before to let him know of his decision. Both of them made mistakes and owned up to it. As soon as LeBron and Dan Gilbert started their meeting, the first thing they did was admit to their mistakes. And that was the right thing to do. There may always be a little friction between the two, but there will be a sense of respect.
Although it hurts for some to see LeBron returning to Cleveland, the NBA just seems better now. When LeBron was in Cleveland for his first term, the NBA was so exciting. Everyone was watching around the world. I’m not saying that changed when he left for Miami, but something just didn’t seem right. Now, things have just locked back into place. LeBron James is writing a story in sports like no other. You really can’t write a script like this. And with Adam Silver running the NBA, the league is in great hands. Can next season get here already? The world is waiting to see LeBron back in a Cavaliers jersey.
He’s coming home. Tell the world the King is coming home.
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