Other than Chicago, the same is pretty much true anywhere he'd go in the East and he apparently doesn't want to go west. I don't think the media has been pushing for this at all. Most of them jumped off the Cleveland bandwagon early in this process until Broussard let something slip last Friday (I think it was Friday). He said that everyone thought it was Miami with Phoenix and LA still in the running and then with an obvious "I have a secret" grin, he said but "don't count out Cleveland".
He followed his Cavs statement with a disclaimer about it being unsourced but it was clear to me that he believed he had real information that he wasn't at liberty to disclose. Since then every other reporter has quickly jumped back on the Cleveland bandwagon. At this point, I'm convinced he's either going to Cleveland or he's doing this for a little Gilbert payback. And I highly doubt he's doing it for payback.
As for whether they'll be a contender, they have more assets now than they did when James was last in Cleveland. AFAIC, they are easily a playoff contender right now and it won't take much to make them a championship contender from there. Look at what happened to them when he left, they went from 61 wins to 19 that first season without him. Clearly he's worth quite a few games even if he's the only addition.
Steve
They weren't saying Cleveland in the beginning of course. They were saying Miami. The media started their push with denying everything except Miami. Which was absolutely ludicrous if we were to believe championships were the motivator. They clearly were either being idiots or pushing an agenda.
But then when Cleveland wasn't eliminated, and they starting figuring out Miami hadn't and couldn't really do anything realistically to bring James back and their narrative couldn't be legitimately backed at all, the media went full on Cleveland.
They've been pushing it hard since then. That's my point, they quickly jumped on the Cleveland bandwagon, because the media wants that story. I don't think they all have secret information they can't tell us. Maybe Woj does, probably not though. Especially since Lebron likes to keep everything close to the vest. But everybody jumping on the bandwagon is them trying to make it true. They want that story. They are pushing that story, sans potentially Woj, even though they don't have information to say anything.
Cleveland definitely have more assets now then Lebron left, but three #1 picks will do that, and in the east they are a playoff team because all you need is 35 wins in a weak conference, but that doesn't mean they'll be legitimate contenders until those young players with talent mature.
These are the same players who kept them in the lottery in the East sans James. This is the same organization that besides #1 picks, hasn't been able to build anything. Will David Griffin change this? I don't know, but I didn't see a lot of young talent in that 2007-2010 years come up through us when he was vice president of basketball operations, though he clearly wasn't the lead also.
It's pretty weird to say a team with potentially 3 #1's (sans Love) is worse then our team, but it's the truth. Because that's all they have, and it's all they are going to have to improve the team, whatever is left of them, if any after Lebron and/or Love.
We have more realized talent, plus the ability for Lebron, another top guy, and could trade for Love without gutting our roster. That's so much better then Cleveland has to offer basketball wise, it really isn't close. We could be championship contenders year 1, not 3 or 4 like Cleveland.
We also need to see how much of their roster and picks are gone to make signing Lebron and/or get Love happen. Take away the pieces to make that happen and Cleveland's roster starts taking a nose dive and they'll be in cap hell with limited options to improve. Maybe Lebron will fill out the holes with Ray Allen and people like that, but he can do that anywhere.
Basically all he can do is hope those Cleveland #1 guys pan out and become the superstars they were supposed to be by being selected #1. If they don't, he's screwed. They can't just become decent, they have to become stars. Otherwise he doesn't have a Wade and Bosh next to him.
The story really doesn't make that much sense cap wise. They need cap relief just to get Lebron, ditching 6-8 million and if they want Love they'll need to gut their team for another 15+ million, because all told they'll need to move over 20 million, probably something like 21-24 million in cap plus whatever assets to sweeten it. Wiggins will only count about 4-5 million or so of that, and he can only sweeten one trade offer, and I think they'll need multiple trades, or a massive three or four team deal.
We need to see those trades made, and if they wait until after we know publicly, the cost of everything is going to go up, because everyone knows they will be desperate to make it happen. Lebron/Cavs would be in a rock and hard place. They may need to get rid of Wiggins just to clear space to get Lebron, and that would blow up the Love plan.
I'm sure they'd do good in the East, because any decent team could, we would of been 3rd in the East, but to win a championship you have to play good playoff basketball and then beat a team from out west. I don't see how Cleveland is there, or anywhere near there even with Lebron. Again maybe in year 3 if everything works out, but eastern playoff basketball won't prepare those young guys to win against the team that comes out of the west, and if they can't make the finals, they won't even have that experience they needed for subsequent seasons. He'd actually have more luck in the next two season trying to stay with Miami with Bosh and Wade, hands down. Miami is a better situation then Cleveland the next 2-3 years.
If we are out, like I said early on then I wouldn't mind getting in on that trade action, but the media has clearly been selling the fairy tale story, and they want that story to continue, so I'll just wait for actual confirmation. The Suns so far aren't commenting, we just hear the same people, most of which were all about Miami early on, and thus were wrong.
Now they're onto the fairy tale reunion theme. I'm hoping Lebron makes the best basketball decision, as we clearly are it. But I understand fully the pull of family and friends, not to mention the media. But if he says he made the best basketball decision coming to CLE, then it's clear he's only lying to himself and believing everyone else's bs.
It's not, and it's quite clear it isn't. If he goes back, he better say family and friends, and that championships aren't everything. It's not a championship roster even with those young guys.
Otherwise he's going to look foolish, to those who aren't drinking the kool aid. Because that's what it'll be, family and friends, which is fine by me, if that's what he wants. But if he thinks it's family+friends+best basketball decision, then he's lying to himself or allowing others to get him to believe in fantasy.
One that he won't be able to change for another four years, and at that point, his dream of being up there in number of championships with other greats will be almost impossible to achieve. Family, friends, and media can sell a narrative, but they can't give him more championships. Also if he doesn't deliver and he leaves again searching for championships, watch out.
