Which city is the sporting home of America? The obvious choice would be New York City; however, in recent times there have been some new contenders for the throne. Kansas City threw its hat into the ring firmly, as the Chiefs destroyed Tom Brady and the New England Patriots and set a crowd noise record in the process, and the Royals made a fairy tale run from late wild card contenders all the way to game seven of baseball’s World Series. However, the city of Cleveland headlines the list at the moment.
The rise of Cleveland was spurred by the trades made in the NFL draft by the Browns, which eventually saw Johnny Football drafted to much volume, a major film staring Kevin Costner about the franchise, and the return of Lebron James, the modern day prodigal son, who after taking the Miami Heat to four NBA finals has come home to the Cavaliers. He is probably the best basketball player in the league today, and some would argue of all time, so the question that has been posed is can the Browns or the Cavaliers deliver a championship to the city of Cleveland? Despite a reasonably successful and certainly exciting start to the season, nobody really feels the Browns are in a position to challenge for a Super Bowl leaving the Cavaliers and Lebron James to deliver.
This is obviously a great burden to bear for anyone; but, if you want to be considered one of the best of all time, this is the challenge that Lebron needs to meet. Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain, for example, have done just that for the Bulls and the Lakers respectfully during their eras. With the Bulls, Jordan had Scottie Pippen and likewise, Lebron is not alone with his quest. The Cavaliers traded for Kevin Love from the Timberwolves and already had a no.1 draft pick in Kyrie Irving. So what are the chances that Lebron James will bring a title to Cleveland?
It’s true that the additions of Lebron James and Kevin Love should automatically push the Cavaliers into playoff contention, even if the first game ended in defeat to the New York Knicks; however, to win the title the Cavaliers are going to have to win the east, probably an easier task than the West in terms of quality teams, but this is by no means a given. Although the Miami Heat, having lost James, are not the force they once were and the other recent powerhouse in the East, the Indiana Pacers are suffering the effects of the Paul George injury, the Chicago Bulls are a team to be weary of. They are a legitimate threat if Derrick Rose can stay fit for the entire season after showing a return to fitness and form in the preseason. The Bulls made some smart investments in the off-season including a huge pick up in Pau Gasol coming in from LA and the reining defensive player of the year, Joakim Noah. With everything being equal in terms of injuries, the Bulls are Lebron’s biggest threat in the East.
Out west there are several contenders but it is very difficult to look past the San Antonio Spurs, the defending champions. They are a team that everybody thinks is too old, but basically does nothing but win. Following them are the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers with Kobe returning amid injury concerns, and Chris Paul and the Clippers. There is also the Golden State Warriors with Steve Kerr now on board as coach, OKC even though Kevin Durant, the reining MVP, is out injured, and ignore the Rockets and Dwight Howard at your peril. Overall, the quality of the west is high even without throwing in wildcards like the Phoenix Suns.
So the question remains, can Lebron bring a title to Cleveland? In my honest opinion the answer is no, or at least not this season. Even though he may not make the finals I could see him adding another MVP to his trophy case. It is far too early to predict at this stage but I will anyway. The NBA finals will once again go through San Antonio and Chicago, but I would not be surprised to see the Cavaliers break through in the 2015-16 season.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @RobbieNewell. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Main Photo via Getty Images
