As the 2014 NBA free agency period looms closer, LeBron James' public relations crisis management team stands on alert.
If LeBron James leave the Miami Heat to go to another team, Sports on Earth suggests, he could become the NBA equivalent of former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens - without the steroid controversy.
Sports on Earth explains that Clemens starred for four different baseball franchises - the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Houston Astros - making him a respected baseball star without a real fan base.
"So then, what the hell is Roger Clemens?" Sports on Earth asks. "There is no easy answer. He's a singularly great pitcher, who travelled around the league laying waste to lineups like a one-man Hun army. And that's really all there is, in terms of clear definitions. Clemens is one of the best pitchers ever and loved by no one. He is his individual achievements.
If LeBron stays with the Heat, his story is simple enough: He carried some overmatched Cavs teams as far as he could, left to play with his friends in Miami and fully realized his potential. We will remember him primarily for his accomplishments as a singular-form-of-Heat. But if he leaves, he won't necessarily be unloved like Clemens, but the narrative of his career will be a pastiche with an inconsistent cast of characters, and the only through-line will be the ebullience of his talent."
ESPN.com recently suggested the Los Angeles Clippers as a possible destination for King James after the season.
While not giving any direct evidence linking James to the Clippers other than the fact that Chris Paul is godfather to James' son, Bryce, and James' friendship with coach Doc Rivers, ESPN did quote two sources, one labeled an associate of James' and the other just one close James, who did little to stop the speculation that he'll leave the Heat after the season.
"This time is going to be different," the source close to James told ESPN about James' view of free agency. "If LeBron decides to look at other options it won't just be teams with cap space. He has 30 options if he wants them."
The James associate added, "LeBron is not thinking about free agency right now; he's totally focused on the season. In the summer he knows he can get to any team he wants to."
The James associate had the better answer if he would've stopped after the first sentence. But both sources suggested that James knows he has another decision ahead.
And his handlers better have a better exit strategy than he did in 2010.
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