“You don’t know him like we do. He only hit us that one time because he loves us. We ask that you respect our privacy at this time as we rebuild our lives together.’ – Cleveland Cavalier fans
When I left Cleveland, I was on a mission. I was seeking championships, and we won two. But Miami already knew that feeling. Our city hasn’t had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what’s most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio. I always believed that I’d return to Cleveland and finish my career there. I just didn’t know when. After the season, free agency wasn’t even a thought. But I have two boys and my wife, Savannah, is pregnant with a girl. I started thinking about what it would be like to raise my family in my hometown. I looked at other teams, but I wasn’t going to leave Miami for anywhere except Cleveland. The more time passed, the more it felt right. This is what makes me happy. To make the move I needed the support of my wife and my mom, who can be very tough. The letter from Dan Gilbert, the booing of the Cleveland fans, the jerseys being burned — seeing all that was hard for them. My emotions were more mixed. It was easy to say, “OK, I don’t want to deal with these people ever again.” But then you think about the other side. What if I were a kid who looked up to an athlete, and that athlete made me want to do better in my own life, and then he left? How would I react? I’ve met with Dan, face-to-face, man-to-man. We’ve talked it out. Everybody makes mistakes. I’ve made mistakes as well. Who am I to hold a grudge? I’m not promising a championship. I know how hard that is to deliver. We’re not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I’m realistic. It will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010. My patience will get tested. I know that. I’m going into a situation with a young team and a new coach. I will be the old head. But I get a thrill out of bringing a group together and helping them reach a place they didn’t know they could go. I see myself as a mentor now and I’m excited to lead some of these talented young guys. I think I can help Kyrie Irving become one of the best point guards in our league. I think I can help elevate Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. And I can’t wait to reunite with Anderson Varejao, one of my favorite teammates.
Say what you want about Lebron James, but he doesn’t owe Miami shit and he doesn’t owe Cleveland shit. This is the greatest player in the NBA and he’s about to sign his FIRST NBA maximum contract. Let that sink in. The man who led the Miami Heat in basically every statistical category that mattered, went to four Finals in four years, won two NBA titles, but he’s blasted for doing enough. What exactly do you want him to do? Clone himself four times? Invest in a technology that will make Wade 23 again? If anything, the Heat owe him some money. I don’t know how Mario Chalmers cashes his game checks in good conscious and Dwayne Wade looks like he just got shot in the knee cap every time they play, but he’s more than willing to let Lebron take the blame if they lose. And Chris Bosh still hasn’t found vunerable spot in the raptor cage. Cavaliers will never win a championship with Lebron, because they have a shitty roster full of “athletes” who can’t play defense, but who cares? They seemed pretty happy to get the #1 pick in the draft three of the last four years, because they considered that lucky. No, you should consider that an abject failure. So winning 50 games a year will more than good enough for them since they’re so easy to please. I’m just happy for Miami Heat fans. They don’t have to pretend to know anything about basketball now and they can show up 30 mins late to the game without somebody pointing it out on national television.
