“I’m coming home.”
Those three words (four if you say I am) alone made the frigid weather of Cleveland suddenly warmer. And this time around, it is not because they are burning someone else’s jersey. It’s because a prodigal son chose to come back after spending his riches and running through hard times.
LeBron James is back in the wine and gold. And order in the universe is restored. Somewhat.
Does this mean championship for the Cavs? Of course not.
Does this mean the bandwagoners are now Cleveland fans for life? Rightly so.
But from a basketball standpoint, what do we have here? LeBron, Andrew Wiggins, Kyrie Irving, Anderson Varejao, Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson, Anthony Bennett, anyone else? Maybe Mike Miller is coming aboard, being one of LBJ’s favorite shooting partners. Then Ray Allen can put off retirement for at least another year and bring his Jesus Shuttlesworth act to Northeast Ohio.
But here’s the catch, James is only on board for two years. What does that mean? Two years to build a championship team Dan Gilbert. You guys bombed it during his earlier years. Time to get it right.
A fan holds a sign welcoming LeBron James back to Cleveland, before a baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Cleveland. James announced earlier in the day he will return to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
This homecoming reeks of second chances. And we’re not complaining. It’s just the way it is. LeBron forgiving Gilbert, wanting a second chance to run the Cavs and rightly this time after learning from the Miami Heat how it is to be a champion.
For Gilbert, it’s time to bite on LeBron’s prime years. You cannot do what you did with regards to the team pre-decision. And Mo Williams is far down the drain compared to Kyrie Irving. They tried to cash in on Larry Hughes and that failed miserably as well.
At the forward spots, James could possibly play four to accommodate Andrew Wiggins at the three or are they going to be trading Dion Waiters soon? And what about Bennett? Have they answered the question whether he is a power forward or a small forward? And then there’s the hole in the middle...
...which cannot be plugged by a mere Varejao. Imagine if they drafted Nerlens Noel instead of Anthony Bennett. We wouldn’t be even debating about it right now. All the serviceable centers are gone out there. And no, Andrew Bynum doesn’t deserve a chance this time around.
In the end however, the Cavs still have LeBron. And that’s all that matters. Let all the questions answer themselves as the season moves along I guess.
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