Cavaliers Front Office Appears To Be Learning From Their Previous Mistakes

 At the end of the movie, The Wizard of Oz,  Dorothy is told to click her heels three times and repeat, "There is no  place like home" and she would find herself back in Kansas, something she thought  at one point would never be possible.

 For Lebron James, returning home to  Ohio to play basketball, had to be the furthest thing from his mind after enduring  the nasty backlash from fans, media and Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert, when he  decided to leave Cleveland some four years ago in search of a championship.

 Gilbert used the words, 'traitor  and coward' in a letter he penned to describe James, who left Cleveland after  seven years of service, to join Dwyane  Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. In four years with the Heat, James played in four  straight NBA Finals, winning two and accomplishing his goal of becoming a  champion.

 After experiencing all that success,  James still seemed drawn to the idea of wanting to return home and attempt to  bring a title to the championship thirsty city of Cleveland.

 Perhaps Gilbert and the Cavaliers front office at some point knew  without James they would have no chance in the near future to challenge for a  title. Then the unthinkable happened when Cleveland received a second chance or  a "do over" after James decided to return home to play next season.

 Some relatives have issues and  disagreements that sometime last for years but after awhile even the most severe  situations often dissipate, with family members coming back together, forgiving

and trying to move forward.

 Perhaps not forgetting what  happened but finding a way to at least co-exist because they have a common  bond. In this case for both parties, the bond is wanting to bring a championship to Cleveland, because they believe that  the loyal fans deserve it.

JAMES SPOKE REAL TRUTH DURING THE NBA FINALS POST GAME CELEBRATION

By Charles Farmer

 In high school, Lebron James was dubbed “King James aka The Chosen One” because of his superior basketball skills.

With having such a label on his back, the expectations for James have been high and continued to grow since he made the jump from high school straight into the National Basketball Association. Somehow he has found a way to craft his talents which have propelled into becoming a Superstar and the current face of the league.

There have always been critics of James, but the intensity of that criticism was perhaps at its highest when he exited Cleveland after a seven year stint for Miami, hoping to improve his chances of winning a title. After his departure James was labeled a traitor, quitter, soft, a follower, etc., by many.

In his first year in South Beach, the Miami Heat lost in the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks and the next season, James was forced to face the reality of while he made a change in location which provided a better supporting cast, his team still fell short of winning a title.

 The question I pondered was how would James respond after experiencing such adversity and ridicule?

His answer to his critics was simple, win. Since leaving Cleveland; James has reached the NBA Finals three years in a row and won two consecutive championships.

James was asked an interesting question during the post game celebration of his second title.

Question – How when everybody is coming at you, do you keep your head and perform at the level you do?

James answered,

“Listen I can’t worry what everybody says about me, I’m Lebron James from Akron, Ohio   from the inner city and I’m not even supposed to be here. Shrugs his shoulders – That’s enough every night I walk into the locker room I see a number 6 with James on the back. I’m Blessed – so what everybody says about me off the court it don’t matter. I ain’t got no worries.”

 Keep in mind the question was posed in front of an international audience with people from across the world watching on television. James answered the question honestly, instead of using a politically correct answer which made everyone feel comfortable. He made a statement that many other successful athletes, particularly men of color would love to say but have been afraid to express their true feelings in fear of the back lash they may face from sponsors or media types that would not like what was said.

 The comment says a lot about how far James has progressed into becoming his own man and a person that is comfortable in his own skin even in the public eye.

James’ truthfulness also showed how he refused to become one of the statistics that are often used when referring to African American men in this country.

 For instance James could be unemployed, along with the 42.6 percent of Black youth and 13.5 percent of African Americans in America or incarcerated in a society where African American men are imprisoned up to seven times as often as white men.

 Contrary to belief being successful and wealthy does not change who a person really is. The cash flow might put a mask over an individual, but at the end of the day, their history, background and past remains the same.

 If he never wins another championship, James has already accomplished a feat by winning two titles that others like Hall of Famers including Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, George Gervin and Dominique Wilkins were never able to achieve.

 Perhaps former NFL veteran Marcellus Wiley, now a co-host on ESPN’s Sports Nation said it best in referring to James’ career. Pardon the paraphrasing here, James’ critics has a moving finish line of satisfaction and what greatness is when it comes to his career.”

 The main points of James’ critics have made include the assumption he could not win titles, could not shoot a jumper and was not a clutch player, while also being compared to the player many consider the greatest of all time in Michael Jordan.

 For those still not buying into what I have described in this column, here is a stat to chew on, Michael Jordan won his second ring at age 29 and James captured his at 28.

The critics of James will remain, but as he continues to improve as player and build upon his legacy, their arguments are losing legitimacy very quickly.