There was no TV special.
There was no talk about bringing talents to a location.
There were no promises of winning NBA championships.
It was, by all available standards set by LeBron James, a very dry, anti-climactic announcement about leaving South Beach and heading back to Cleveland.
I give him kudos for making this decision although it’s buffered by the fact there is a lot of cash waiting for him when he shows up. He did leave quite a powerhouse in the Heat to return to his roots and a team slowly making some noise after being a group of mimes since the King exited stage south.
There are plenty of little stories surrounding his migration from sunny Miami to cold, blustery Cleveland where they have not won any sort of championship in major sports since the 1964 Browns took the NFL crown.
Along with some serious talent King James brings with him some hope for a city which has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and winter.
The basketball team has some very talented youngsters, three of which are Canadians and all are there courtesy of LeBron leaving to go to Miami.
Now he joins his offspring of sorts and it will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
The Heat lost the finals to San Antonio which was the poster child for team play and this is what Cleveland fans are hoping has been planted in their town.
The trick is to get the right chemistry between the young studs on the Cavs and the veteran James in order to satisfy the lofty hopes of the fans.
I would suggest ticket prices might also be somewhat lofty but that’s another story.
Many of those fans who will buy those tickets are now digging around to find the James jersey they hid away four years ago. There are those who are digging into their wallets to buy a new James jersey because the old one caught fire somehow.
The Cavs marketing department is drafting up a thank you letter to LeBron as we speak.
No matter how this plays out though, the fans of Cleveland should bury the hatchet with James, right next to where they buried his old jersey no matter what you might think of the man. The player is a true superstar and now he has a new stage to bring his talents to.
sports@reddeerexpress.com
