LeBron Stays. Brown, Ferry Go. What's Next?
By Cody Norman
Nine days. Just nine more days before July 1st – otherwise known as the day that LeBron James may be openly recruited by every NBA team on the planet without facing $100,000 fines from the league. The scary thing is that James has yet to even hint toward which team he is going to choose this offseason. Does he stay in Cleveland? Or does he go to New York, Chicago, or pretty much anywhere that he so chooses to go? That remains to be seen.
A few weeks ago, I wrote a Should I Stay or Should I Go? segment that summed up all of my arguments for the King continuing his reign over Cleveland. He likes the attention that comes with being coveted by nearly every team in the league; therefore, it would be foolish of him to fess up and say, “Ah, I was never going anywhere. I’m staying home” now. He’d be a fool to turn down all the free dinners and trips around the world to speak with the league’s top executives. I understand that.
But the fact remains, LeBron James will remain in Cleveland this offseason. He may have never attended a college or university but the guy is an extremely bright individual. He knows what is best for him and his family. He knows what’s best for his brand. And he knows what’s best for his career. That is staying with Cleveland.
Now, since we’ve been taking it easy this offseason as I’ve tried not to get too caught up with all the drama, let’s recap the few moves Cleveland has made this offseason:
Mike Brown is Fired
Brown was let go after failing to advance to the NBA Finals this season simply because he did not make adjustments when the season was on the line. He beat his head against a brick wall – also known as Doc Rivers – and came out a loser on every account.
Danny Ferry Resigns as General Manager
It is rumored that Ferry was looking for the same amount of power as he was given when he first signed a contract with Dan Gilbert and the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the uncertainty surrounding LeBron and the Cleveland coaching staff, Gilbert was unwilling to hand over the keys to his franchise. Ferry wasn’t happy. So he quit.
Tom Izzo is Heavily Recruited, Rejects Cavs Offer
After taking a long look at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ offer sheet, Tom Izzo rejects the Cavaliers offer that would have doubled his salary at Michigan State. Prior to Cleveland, the Chicago Bulls are said to have made an offer at the Spartan coach – which was also rejected – so it may have had some correlation to LeBron’s interests.
Cleveland Turns Coaching Pursuit to Byron Scott
Dan Gilbert sets his sights on Byron Scott to be the new Cavaliers coach. Scott will likely wait until the Lakers and Clippers fill their coaching vacancies before making a final commitment but his style of offense would certainly be a great fit for a player like LeBron James. The only downside is that his offense has been run through an extremely talented point guard in the past – not Mo Williams.
**I don’t mean that as a bash on Mo Williams. He’s just a score-first kind of point guard in comparison to Jason Kidd and Chris Paul, who were both very successful with Byron Scott.
Cleveland Does Not Hold a 2010 Draft Pick
Though the Cavaliers do not have a 2010 draft pick, they did send a recruit to the workouts. That leads me to believe that they are looking to make a move through which they can acquire either a solid, young point guard or a young, talented big man. My vote is for Chas MacFarland of Wake Forest – he kind of reminds me of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao mixed together. He’s a strong physical defender but he can step out and knock down a jump shot or two. But, of course, that all depends on how high of a pick they can acquire.