LeBron James was only stating the obvious when he told Larry King that Cleveland has "the edge" in signing him, Bud Shaw writes in his Spin column.
So LeBron says Cleveland has "an edge" in signing him? Other than announcing that he had already signed a contract with the Cavaliers or planned to head to Chicago or New York, this was the least he could say, says Bud Shaw.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Top story in this week's spin: You can only hope it's not the same edge the Cavs had as the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
LeBron James told Larry King that Cleveland has the edge over his other suitors because the fans have been so wonderful to him and because he enjoys such a great comfort level here.
To quote an acquaintance whose wisdom and perspective come both from her gender and from being born and raised a Cleveland sports fan:
"Sounds to me like he's saying, 'I hope we can still be friends.'"
James hasn't gone about much of this the right way. He played poorly, then told fans he'd spoiled them. He talked about his team after Game 6 in Boston but meant his handlers.
Then again, he's 25 years old. He was never recruited out of high school, so he's making up for it. Lunch is on Warren Buffett. Ohio's governor is serenading him on a video. The President of the United States is giving him career advice. It would be difficult not to let that go to your head.
(For example, if I were him, I wouldn't stop at talking to Larry King. I can assure you of that. For the next month I'd be prepping for the royal treatment awaiting me in July by speaking only to people named King. I'd do the interview with Larry, go to a horror movie with Stephen, hit the casinos with Don, hang out with B.B. Only when I'd exhausted that list would I move on to Prince.)
Because James turned eerily quiet when the season ended -- and some would say, even before that in Game 5 -- his comments to King that seemed so obvious were seen by some as encouraging.
But Cleveland has such a built-in advantage -- the Cavs can pay him as much as $30 million more than anyone else, his support network is so strong here, the team was built with his input -- it's fair to have expected him to come out even stronger by now.
Like what? Something simple like, "I want to win a title for this owner and these fans and it would take an incredible situation elsewhere for me to leave, especially the way this past season ended. I'm not closing out that possibility, but that's how I feel."
Careful LeBron ... do you really want to be compared in interview cageyness with this guy?Instead, his silence when he made an appearance as a slam dunk judge in town over the weekend felt a little like Art Modell's "moratorium" on speaking about stadium issues.
(James cannot possibly rank with Modell if he leaves. I've heard that comparison. But c'mon. The thing about free agency is, you know, the free part. Modell made off with the No. 1 sport in town, snapping in two a sports tradition that tied generations. James would be leaving behind a basketball franchise that was No. 3 before he arrived.)
Whatever encouragement one took from James admitting Cleveland's obvious edge is just as easily mitigated by his talk of wanting a situation where his team can help him win "multiple championships." And he wants a team that can do so "not just because of LeBron James."
That was not the Cavaliers at the end of the season. You could just as easily conclude he's looking to team up with another headline act.
Whether that's Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade or Derrick Rose, I don't know. But I'm going way out on the limb, and say after the past two postseasons it's first and foremost not Mo Williams.
You didn't hear this from me, but...
My contribution to the LeBron James Daily rumor mill -- and by "rumor" I mean I just made this up:
Seems that after a friendly post-interview game of H-O-R-S-E turned ultra competitive, a Nike rep confiscated the CNN tape of Larry King going baseline, dunking on James and screaming "Boom goes the dynamite fella."
If only Elin were so lucky.
Tiger Woods, who defends his title at the Memorial starting Thursday, reports he is no longer suffering from the pain in his neck.
SPINOFFS
Phoenix Suns star Amar'e Stoudemire says top free agents could decide to take less money in order to play together but that most of the players "want to secure their future." And, everybody knows, you need at least $17 million a year to do that...
Former Browns' GM George Kokinis is returning to the Baltimore Ravens front office. Or so he would have them believe...
King asked James if he were "the ringleader" of the free agent cartel. To which a smiling James said, "I'm the ringleader." OK, but shouldn't a ringleader have, I don't know, a ring?...
NBA Finals predictions: Phil Jackson will doze off at least once during a 13-0 Boston run. Ron Artest will make Rasheed Wallace look calm and well-grounded. The Celtics will win in six...
The Angels' Kendry Morales broke his ankle in a celebration at home plate with his teammates. In consultations with the American Medical Association concerning injury prevention, the Indians decided to cut down on that risk by scoring as few walk-off runs as possible...
A Yahoo.com column accuses James of trying to upstage the NBA playoffs by doing an interview with King. I think the NBA already did that by dragging out the playoffs to the point where everyone outside of Boston and Los Angeles already thought they were over...
YOU SAID IT
"Bud:
"Put Kobe in Cleveland and LeBron in L.A. and tell me who wins a title." -- Chris
That's easy. Whichever team I pick against.
"Bud:
"Why don't LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and those other guys just form their own league and be done with it?" -- Tom H.
Athletes are notoriously tight with their money. Sources tell me negotiations for a league of their own ended at their first summit -- in Geneva I believe -- when they could not agree on who would pay for the T-shirt cannons and LeBron's talcum powder.
"Bud:
"Will 'The Choosing One' be able to pick up a pen to sign a contract with anyone with that bum elbow of his?" -- Chas
Every year, LeBron adds something new to his game. Signing lefty while wincing is the focus of this off-season.
"Bud:
"I believe this year marks the 30-year anniversary of the disco albums being destroyed in Chicago. Should LeBron defect there, any chance the PD sponsors a LeBron 'jersey burn' affectionately dubbed 'The Passing of LeTorch?'" -- Mike
The only plan I've heard in the event James leaves is not PD-sponsored. It's Mike Polk's next video, "Please Stay, Jawad."
"Bud:
"Before they start a ballgame in Arizona do the managers meet at home plate and exchange green cards?" -- M. Meteer
First-time "You Said It" winners receive a T-shirt from the Mental Floss collection.
"Dear Bud:
"I can't recall which Celebration Camp Kendry Morales attended. Was it Bill Gramatica's or Ted Ginn Jr.'s?" -- Michael, Put-in-Bay
Repeat winners receive a coupon for $2 off any surgery of their choice.