Obama says he would enjoy seeing James as a Chicago Bull, prompting columnist Joe Posnanski to tell the president he should realize Cleveland's emotional attachment to James.
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers goes to the basket between the Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah and Luol Deng.Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated's SI.com is a former Northeast Ohio resident.
Remembering what it was like to be a Cleveland Browns fan in 1995, he begins an SI.com column writing:
I got a letter once from a football fan in Baltimore who wanted me to know he hated -- HATED -- the fact that his city had stolen away the Cleveland Browns. He hated it because he remembered what it felt like to lose the Baltimore Colts. He hated it because he knew how much the Browns meant to Cleveland. He hated it because it was wrong, and he knew it was wrong, and if he could have somehow voted against it he would have voted against it.
Most of all, he wrote that he hated it -- and this is what separated this letter from some of the others -- because he knew in his heart that his hate was going to fade quickly and he was going to become a huge Baltimore Ravens fan anyway. He felt guilty about it, but such is life. The Ravens were in his town.
Posnanski is concerned that Cavaliers star LeBron James will leave Cleveland after July 1, when he can choose to become an unrestricted free agent. Thus, Posnanski is a bit perturbed that President Obama told TNT's Marv Albert that James would look good in the red and black of the Chicago Bulls. Posnanski finishes his column:
LeBron staying or going is not like a team staying or going, but it has many of the same emotions. And maybe it's not too much to ask the President of the United States to sense the emotions, to feel what's right. I think of that letter: I don't blame the guy in Baltimore for becoming a huge Ravens fan. And hey, if LeBron James goes to Chicago, celebrate all you want. Throw an all-night party in Lincoln's Bedroom. Have them shoot fireworks over the Washington Monument. Party like it's 1776.
But in the meantime, maybe you can think for a moment about how many emotions his hometown has invested in him, how much he means to a Great American City that has had to endure a lot, how great a story it would be if LeBron James could stay in town and bring a championship to a hometown after all these years.
In other words:Dear Mr. President:
I say this with the deepest respect for you and the Office: Boo!
Cavs coverage
Keep track of LeBron James and the Cavaliers in The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com/cavs.
On board
Plain Dealer Cavaliers beat writer Brian Windhorst writes that despite the firing of coach Mike Brown (Windhorst's report of the firing here), the team is, at least for now, keeping some of Brown's assistant coaches (Windhorst's report here).
Following Windhorst's lead, ESPN.com reports on the status of the Cavaliers' assistants. So too, does Jim O'Donnell, who writes for the Chicago Sun-Times about the Cavs assistants, including personal LeBron James favorite Chris Jent:
The 40-year-old Ohio State alumnus has been James' personal shooting coach since 2006. If James stays with the Cavs, an even higher profile for Jent might be a primary demand.
''If LeBron stays,'' a source familiar with James said, ''Jent could wind up as the team's new head coach.''
Undrafted out of Ohio State, Jent checkerboarded through a five-year professional playing career that included stays with the Houston Rockets (1993-94) and New York Knicks (1996-97). He also played in Australia, Italy, Spain and Greece.
The 6-7 California native then began an NBA sidelines odyssey that crescendoed when he succeeded Johhny Davis as interim coach of the Orlando Magic for the final 18 games of the 2004-05 season. Under Jent's direction, the Magic finished 5-13.
More James chatter
Other stories about LeBron James include:
The Chicago Tribune comments that the Bulls - considered among the contenders to land James - won't hire a coach based on any demand by James.
ESPN.com features several polls regarding James.
Amidst speculation that teams considered in the running for James - such as the Cavaliers, Bulls and New Jersey Nets - would pursue Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson to fill their vacancies and thus lure James, too, we find reports by Dave D'Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger and Howard Beck of the New York Times.
Mike Lopresti writes for USAToday.com that the NBA playoffs continue, even without James.
Tim MacMahon wonders if Cowboys owner Jerry Jones can help Mavericks owner Mark Cuban convince Cowboys fan James to play for Dallas' NBA team.