LeBron James has chosen-and Cleveland will once again bear witness to the best player in the NBA on a nightly basis. After weeks of speculation King James told Sports Illustrated that he is returning to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers after four straight NBA Finals appearances and two titles.
Some thought Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's diatribe against him upon his leaving in 2010 would be a roadblock for James' return, but he addressed that in depth with SI. "The letter from Dan Gilbert, the booing of the Cleveland fans, the jerseys being burned -- seeing all that was hard for them. My emotions were more mixed. It was easy to say, "OK, I don't want to deal with these people ever again." But then you think about the other side.
"What if I were a kid who looked up to an athlete, and that athlete made me want to do better in my own life, and then he left? How would I react? I've met with Dan, face-to-face, man-to-man. We've talked it out. Everybody makes mistakes. I've made mistakes as well. Who am I to hold a grudge?"
James leaves his superstar teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to join a younger point guard in Kyrie Irving and the 2014 No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins. Last season James averaged 27 points seven rebounds and six assists.
His versatility should allow him to be the chief Cavs' playmaker and lessen the burden on Irving to run the entire offense. James is nominally a small forward, but he's also capable of playing power forward and leaving Wiggins at the small forward spot. Wiggins averaged 17.1 points and 5.9 rebounds at Kansas in his freshman season.
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