LeBron's extension means a title
One can only assume what happened in Cleveland Saturday. Maybe the church bells rang out; maybe the organists played “Alleluia.”
If it did not happen, perhaps it should have. The Cavaliers’ LeBron James agreed to sign a five-year extension with the club. The contract means many things.
First and foremost, it means Cleveland will win a World Championship. I can see my fellow Clevelanders shiver in fear. Yes, I said it. The Cleveland Cavaliers will win an NBA Championship.
Keep him away from motorcycles. Don’t let him star in a remake of The Dirty Dozen. Make sure he doesn’t get traded for Harvey Kuenn. If LeBron stays healthy, he will deliver the city’s first major title since 1964.
Friday, I was driving back to my home, listening to a national sports talk show. The host was talking about LeBron wanting to go elsewhere. It was as if the national media wanted LeBron somewhere else. It was talked about on ESPN, and just about everywhere else.
Carmelo Anthony agreed to an extension with Denver almost as soon as it was offered; Dwyane Wade did the same with the Heat. LeBron got his offer July 1, and waited. Why the delay?
Maybe Spike Lee offered him a movie deal if he agreed not to sign. Maybe Jay-Z was giving him a tour of Brooklyn and telling him he could build him a recording studio in two years. Maybe Phil Jackson was teaching him meditation. Perhaps the delay was just another twist in Cleveland’s bizarre and unfortunate sports history.
In the end though, LeBron simply allowed the drama to build. He pledged himself to his hometown team for the next five years. Instead of going to a bigger market, LeBron will keep his 31.4 points, seven rebounds and six assists a game in Ohio.
And eventually, he will give the people of Cleveland something new. Or something old. After the last championship (by the Browns) Cleveland fans could have celebrated by taking in an exciting new film: A Hard Day’s Night.
I wasn’t there for that. Generations of Clevelanders have no idea what a championship feels like.
LeBron will fix that.