To say LeBron James‘ time with the Miami Heat was a failure is a failure in itself to understand why he left Cleveland in the first place. In the four years he played in South Beach, the Heat made it to four straight NBA Finals, winning two. As we all knew before, LeBron went to Miami to win championships and he has succeeded on doing so.
Now, he can begin the next chapter in his illustrious career as he announced his return to the Cavaliers. Despite meeting with other teams after the free agency period opened up, LeBron made it a two man race between the Heat and Cavs. Who was willing to offer more? Not just in salary but in roster make-up. The Heat couldn’t offer much at this point, especially if they wanted to sign him with a max contract, all while bringing back Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Cleveland, on the other hand, will now have four former number one picks in LeBron, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins. The last team to claim that was the 1986-1987 Los Angeles Lakers, who had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and Billy Thompson. That same team went on to win the NBA Finals that year.
Can the Cavs go on and win it all just like the Lakers? Adding LeBron has made them, once again, into an automatic contender. But there may be a piece or two management will attempt to pursue to finish the puzzle that was broken 4 years ago.
Does that mean LeBron is now forgiven? I wouldn’t see why not. Does this mean LeBron has forgiven the Cavs management? Obviously. His heart has always been in Ohio and he has learned that he can now bring a championship home as the Cavs have finally begun to build a team to fit his needs. Talking about championships, one Las Vegas sportsbook has made the Cavaliers the 4-1 favorite to win the NBA Finals while the Heat dropped to 50-1. Is another ring for King James in the near future?
Here’s the Cavs projected starting 5:
ESPN
Photo Credit: Lori Shepler/AP