Well, this is interesting.
I’m currently writing this from somewhere in downtown Cincinnati, where I’ve been since this morning handling a few things. Once I finished, I decided to grab a bite at a spot down here. There’s like 5 TV’s in the restaurant and every single one is tuned into ESPN. Why? Because just like the rest of the basketball world, they too are waiting for LeBron James’ ‘Decision’.
I log into Twitter and the first thing I see is “WELCOME HOME @KINGJAMES!!!” via my friend Ashleigh’s account.
Now, people have been reaching and telling bad jokes about the situation all week, so I pretty much dismissed that tweet altogether. Then I saw a frenzy of similar tweets, followed by a link to an article/heartfelt open letter by LeBron himself on SI.com, and that’s when I knew it wasn’t a hoax. LeBron James really did return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
My phone has been going crazy since LBJ made his choice. Everyone who knows I’m a die-hard Cavs fan, from my mom to my ex girlfriend (who was there for the first ‘Decision’) to my barber, has hit me up on some “Y’all got LeBron back! How you feel?! What’s good?”
Well, truthfully I feel a lot of ways.
First off, let’s be perfectly clear: I was never a person who hated LeBron for, four years ago, making a decision he felt was best for his career. He was a free agent, who had the right to sign anywhere he wanted and he did just that. I wasn’t burning jerseys in the street, defacing posters or any of that other shit.
Was I salty he left? Of course. Who would be okay with having the best player in the world on your team and then losing him? That sucks.
Did I disagree with how he went about things back then, along with some unnecessary comments he made? Absolutely. However, LeBron James choosing to play for the Miami Heat didn’t move me at all. I was a Cavs fan before we drafted him and will be a Cavs fan long after he retires.
As for his return, I’m kind of indifferent.
On one hand, it makes the city of Cleveland look stupid as hell. Burning jerseys, casting hexes on radio shows, threats of physical harm to LeBron, and of course the infamous letter from Comic Sans Dan (Gilbert). For four years, LeBron James was practically Satan himself in the eyes of Clevelanders. I never understood why, but it was always so much deeper than basketball. Now he’s back and everyone loves him as though they never reacted like bitter exes when he left. Cool.
On the other hand, as a lifelong fan of Cleveland basketball, this is a good day for us. Of course we have LeBron again, but we can’t forget about guys like Kyrie Irving, and the number one draft pick Andrew Wiggins. Not to mention the potential signing of Kevin Love. The future looks bright for us, and by the looks of it, we’ll soon be able to say “This is our year” and not get laughed at.
What I’m most happy about though, is the economy in Cleveland, which will once again thrive thanks to LeBron James, Johnny Manziel and even fence-ridin’ ass Drake, who I’m sure will be endorsing the city a lot more these days. I make fun of bottle girls in Ohio all the time, but I think I’m gonna chill because by the looks of it, they’ll be making more money than me if they play their cards right.
I just hope everybody learned from these last four years. LeBron James did, and the letter he wrote to SI was indicative of that. I can respect it. Cleveland basketball fans? Let’s never do this again. No more theatrics. No more weird shit. I’m pretty sure LeBron will retire here, but in the event he doesn’t, let’s just relax next time. It’s just basketball.
Heat “fans”?
I didn’t forget about you. If you were “a Heat fan before LeBron”, I expect to see you continuing to cheer them on this season, sans The Big 3. It’s still Wade County right? You guys are funny. Too much pride to admit that you don’t really mess with basketball like that and you just follow who’s winning. Nothing wrong with being a LeBron fan, but just say that. Don’t act like you been a Heat fan from day one. It’s cool, though. Everybody’s bluff got called today. Good luck next season.
Go Cavs!
