LeBron has teams fighting over King’s ransom
By Anthony Olivieri
PA SportsTicker Pro Basketball Editor
If you haven’t noticed, LeBron James has a chance to do some special things in 2009.
You know, the guy in the Nike commercial who sends chalk into the stratosphere with a catchy tune playing in the background. Him.
The reigning scoring champion and the NBA’s version of a 6-8 Mack truck rolling down the lane. Surely, you’ve seen one of his games, right?
The 23-year-old phenom and hopeful billionaire who entered the NBA with overwhelming expectations that somehow have been met - and may end up exceeded. Ring a bell?
OK, fine. The guy everyone is after in 2010. That’s how he is best known - and rightfully so.
James is perhaps the best player in the NBA and, in fact, has a good chance to return to the Finals this season.
But no one cares about 2009 - they can’t wait for the decade to end.
In this campaign, however, his Cavaliers (24-4) are off to their best start in franchise history, punishing their opponents and allowing James to sit and watch from the bench in the fourth quarter.
Cleveland, which sits behind only the juggernaut Boston Celtics in the improved Eastern Conference, has a legit shot at a title - which no doubt would give LeBron a reason to stay home.
The Cavs are trying to take advantage of LeBron’s services while they can, with his MVP-caliber season serving as a backdrop to his impending free agency in the aforementioned summer of 2010.
The league’s most-coveted commodity, James can deny the $17.4 million player’s option on his contract and be a celebrated addition to the open market.
It has been considered a foregone conclusion that James would do just that, making himself available to the highest bidder - of which there are many, including the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets and Detroit Pistons.
Those anxious clubs, however, should be forewarned - James may want to play out his career in Cleveland.
Of course, he is a native of nearby Akron, has professed his love for northeast Ohio and has a chance to become the most prominent athlete in the state’s history.
If that’s not enough, he may be responsible for bringing a long-awaited title to Cleveland’s depressed sports scene.
“You play out this season of course; I will consider it,” James told the Cleveland Plain Dealer last week. “The direction we are headed is everything I expected and more.”
The same can be said for Cleveland fans, whose wildest dreams no doubt have come true since James has come aboard.
So, will he stay or will he go?
It’s unclear … but what’s certain is that LeBron - with some help from his friends - has turned 2010 into the most piping hot stove in recent memory.
As baseball’s offseason signing spree continues, the NBA sets up for one nearly two seasons away.
Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson and others have turned 2008-09 into one big tryout for the future.
Unfortunately, those who worry about what’s to come cannot enjoy the present.
LeBron, for his part, doesn’t seem to have a problem focusing on the task at hand. His potential suitors are a different story.
Teams are scrambling to set up their salary-cap figures and even making trades that are only beneficial two years down the line - maybe.
Meet the Knicks, who have placed all their eggs neatly in LeBron’s basket. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as if they have a backup plan.
Who can blame them? If you go all in with a short stack, you better have a chance to win a big pot.
Forgive the gambling metaphors, but the odds of James climbing to the top of the NBA heap are much greater in Cleveland than anywhere else.
Consider the group of tough-minded defenders, the trio of sharp-shooting guards and the slick point guard that surround James. The Cavaliers finally resemble a team rather than LeBron and four other guys needed to fill out the lineup.
As the Celtics have proved, it takes great players to win a championship, but those players have to share a 5-as-1 mentality - not 1-and-4.
So for all the general managers out there ready for the quick fix in 2010, take 2009 to repair what you already have - especially if that long-awaited treat may disappear in a puff of smoke.
Especially if the Candy Man is back … in Cleveland.
