There you have it… LeBron James is returning to the team, city and state he turned his back on four years ago. Can’t fault a guy for righting a wrong. I also loved the essay. Well done.
Now… what does this mean for the Celtics? The Cavaliers are replacing the Heat as the front runner in the East. Bovada has them 4-1 favorites to win the title. With Bosh likely bolting for Houston, Miami will be lucky to contend for a playoff spot. We still need to see what Legend does with Indiana’s roster and if Melo opts for Chicago.
There’s a lot of speculation that the Cavaliers will now pursuit Kevin Love, with Andrew Wiggins being the key chip in any deal. And the lack of Wiggins name in LeBron’s essay is only fueling the speculation:
I see myself as a mentor now and I’m excited to lead some of these talented young guys. I think I can help Kyrie Irving become one of the best point guards in our league. I think I can help elevate Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. And I can’t wait to reunite with Anderson Varejao, one of my favorite teammates.
I wouldn’t read too much in which players are mentioned in LeBron’s essay. The Cavaliers do have assets (Wiggins, Waiters, Bennett) and expiring contracts (Varejao) to make Minnesota an offer it can’t refuse.
But as Pat Riley knows, Cleveland will need more than James, Love and Irving to win a title. I’m not sold that Love-to-Cleveland is definitely going to happen. So keep on praying, Green Teamers. For some strange reason, I remain optimistic that Love eventually plays for Boston.
Aside from pursuing Love, we can look for Danny Ainge to pounce on other teams looking to shed salary as they make moves in free agency. Ainge has Bogans $5 million non-guaranteed contract and a $2 million TPE (via Courtney Lee deal with Memphis). Can’t have enough assets…
Let’s take a moment to poke some fun at Miami, shall we?
The Miami Heat’s opener next season will look like… pic.twitter.com/53fG9Cebl8
— Nigel Int’l D. (@Nigel_D) July 11, 2014
I’m also curious if Dwyane Wade will remain a punk and cheap shot artist on a 35 win team?
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