Having experienced true sports abandonment between 1996-1999, how exactly could anyone say James' departure would rival that of Modell?
UPDATED: 4:20 p.m.
View full sizeLeBron James plays catch with friends following a 2009 NFL game between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James and Art Modell should never share the same sentence.
OK, so they just did.
But purely to address a discussion that popped up Monday night when I sat on a panel with Plain Dealer colleagues on Time Warner's "More Sports and Les Levine."
In the event James leaves, the argument went, he'll immediately rival Modell for first place on Cleveland's Enemies List.
I didn't get it.
Modell ran off to Baltimore with the No. 1 team in town, breaking hearts and a lease as he went. James is exercising his free-agent rights. He'd be leaving behind a team that ranked third behind the Browns and Indians before he arrived.
He's provided an unprecedented seven-year ride. (And one unforgiveable ending in the Boston series. No argument there).
You could make the case he'd be going against everything he says he stands for if he leaves. His "Loyalty" tattoo. His professed affection for the town and its fans. His appreciation for an organization he compliments for building a contender around him.
His brand, in part, is built on that "hometown guy playing for his hometown team." Winning a title wherever he goes would easily replace that, however.
Much as fans here have railed against Cleveland athletes leaving for money, James would be leaving for less money under the existing NBA salary structure. Does that count for him or against him?
Is he a pariah if he leaves now because of the way the season ended? What about in three years? Would it be OK then?
Or is anything less than "born here, raised here, plays here, retires here" reason to scorn him? I can't see how.
If he goes, I'm pretty certain the Cavs will field a team, and that owner Dan Gilbert won't suddenly let everything go to seed. He has too much invested to let it become the forlorn franchise it became in the seasons leading to the drafting of James.
Like I said in Monday's column, I think James enjoys a comfort zone here that he covets. I think he stays for three more years.
Having experienced true sports abandonment between 1996-1999, how exactly could anyone say James' departure would rival that of Modell?
At least with a straight face.