Lebron back to Ohio?

[RedTeamGo!]

According to ESPN, the holdup is the letter that Dan Gilbert wrote 4 years ago.

Not looking good for Cleveland.

Not looking good for Chris Sheridan's career, either! Haha

That Dan Gilbert letter should be an example for everyone from all walks of life:

Never ever ever ever EVER burn bridges.

There is absolutely nothing good that can come out of burning bridges.

[Caveat Emperor]

The letter is nothing more than a convenient and plausible excuse for LeBron to float publicly that absolves him of all responsibility for -- essentially -- using Cleveland (and his possible return) as leverage to exact the best possible deal from Miami or wherever he ends up.

He (or he via his people) played Cleveland for a fool again. This time, though, he got smarter about leaving himself an out for why he did it.

[RedTeamGo!]

The letter is nothing more than a convenient and plausible excuse for LeBron to float publicly that absolves him of all responsibility for -- essentially -- using Cleveland (and his possible return) as leverage to exact the best possible deal from Miami or wherever he ends up.

He (or he via his people) played Cleveland for a fool again. This time, though, he got smarter about leaving himself an out for why he did it.

LeBron doesn't need leverage. He is going to get a max contract wherever he signs.

[bucksfan2]

That Dan Gilbert letter should be an example for everyone from all walks of life:

Never ever ever ever EVER burn bridges.

There is absolutely nothing good that can come out of burning bridges.

Dan Gilbert is worth $3.9B I don't think he cares about burning bridges.

There are plenty of professional athletes who play with owners that they don't see eye to eye with.

Personally I don't think the letter is a hold up. I think these beat reporters are doing whatever they can to drum up new news. LeBron and his camp have always been very tight lipped, when ESPN leads and stays on LeBron for entire hours they need something to talk about.

[Caveat Emperor]

LeBron doesn't need leverage. He is going to get a max contract wherever he signs.

It isn't about LeBron's money -- it's about how the rest of the team's money gets spent.

[improbus]

It isn't about LeBron's money -- it's about how the rest of the team's money gets spent.

Letter or not, there are 29 teams that would do anything LeBron says to get him on their roster. Cleveland dumped a number of players at the hint of LeBron coming back. The Spurs are the only team I can think of that wouldn't demolish their roster and do whatever he says (and they would be foolish to do so) to get him.

[improbus]

Has anyone considered this scenario if LeBron bolts to Cleveland? Someone has to tell Udonis Haslem to his face that he lost millions of dollars for nothing by opting out. I would like to meet the person brave enough to do that, because that is not me.

[Sea Ray]

This whole scenario is one of many reasons why I'm not a fan of the NBA. It's the players running the asylum and the word manipulating might not even be too strong a word to use. The players can get together and decide which team they want to make the NBA's favorite. It's not a matter of GM's building a team. It's not a matter of coaches coaching. He who lands LeBron and Co wins. This has got to make it suck to be a fan in the NBA.

[tomnuetten]

This whole scenario is one of many reasons why I'm not a fan of the NBA. It's the players running the asylum and the word manipulating might not even be too strong a word to use. The players can get together and decide which team they want to make the NBA's favorite. It's not a matter of GM's building a team. It's not a matter of coaches coaching. He who lands LeBron and Co wins. This has got to make it suck to be a fan in the NBA.

of course the chance that the team wins rises big time, but the past did show that multiple superstars chosing a team isn´t a guarantee to win it all...

[improbus]

This whole scenario is one of many reasons why I'm not a fan of the NBA. It's the players running the asylum and the word manipulating might not even be too strong a word to use. The players can get together and decide which team they want to make the NBA's favorite. It's not a matter of GM's building a team. It's not a matter of coaches coaching. He who lands LeBron and Co wins. This has got to make it suck to be a fan in the NBA.

I couldn't disagree more. I love that the players have the power in that league. They should. It is their career, not ours, not the GM's, not the owners. Why should I care about the job done by middle-managers?

[RedTeamGo!]

It's not a matter of coaches coaching. He who lands LeBron and Co wins.

The San Antonio Spurs disagree.

[Slyder]

The San Antonio Spurs disagree.

Dallas Mavs also.

[improbus]

The San Antonio Spurs disagree.

I like how the Spurs are the example of "team" and the "anti-superstar" team. They have a top 10 all timer and a bunch of future Hall of Fame guys. They certainly play well as a team but it isn't like Miami was an iso-ball club. They were 7th in the league in assists in 12-13 and were almost pathologically unselfish. Really, the teams were almost statistical mirrors of one another. The difference in 13-14 was that Miami's role players fell off a cliff. It wasn't some referendum on star ball.

[RedTeamGo!]

I like how the Spurs are the example of "team" and the "anti-superstar" team. They have a top 10 all timer and a bunch of future Hall of Fame guys. They certainly play well as a team but it isn't like Miami was an iso-ball club. They were 7th in the league in assists in 12-13 and were almost pathologically unselfish. Really, the teams were almost statistical mirrors of one another. The difference in 13-14 was that Miami's role players fell off a cliff. It wasn't some referendum on star ball.

I was responding to his "He who lands LeBron and Co wins" comment.

[improbus]

I was responding to his "He who lands LeBron and Co wins" comment.

It doesn't guarantee winning. Nothing does. But he has been in the Finals in 5 of his 11 seasons, so your chances are as good as anyone. Them's good odds.