# LeBron to return to Cleveland **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 11, 2014, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875 "2014-07-11T17:15:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/201 "2014-08-07T19:11:17Z")
Yeah, but given the choice between $$ and love, all rational people choose $$! Seriously, what can you do with $20M that you can’t with $10M (dollar amounts used to prove point). Either dollar amount is a figure you and I can’t fathom. Winning is just his legacy, what gets him in the history books. Beyond that, all about the Benjamins baby. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/202 "2014-08-07T19:14:43Z")
What is your thesis at this point? Is it that you do not like LeBron James. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/203 "2014-08-07T19:14:59Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Yeah, but given the choice between $$ and love, all rational people choose $$! Look at Carmelo Anthony’s contract and look at LeBron’s contract. Spot the difference? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/204 "2014-08-07T19:34:59Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Ok, I’ll explain it this way: LeBron, like everyone with money, doesn’t particularly care what people think of them, as long as the $$ keeps rolling in. And when people catch on, they have the means ton walk away, and tell you to pound sand. But you just said that he did what he did because he “desperately wants people to like him”. So which one is it? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/205 "2014-08-07T19:49:28Z")
All LeBron cares about is money! Money and championships. Money and championships are the only two things he cares about! And having people like him. The three things about which LeBron cares are money, championships, and having people like him. I’ll come in again. ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/206 "2014-08-07T20:43:42Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Karma may not have been the ideal word. I don’t understand why you draft a guy, only to turn around and trade him. Were you complaining when the Celtics drafted Jeff Green, only to turn around and trade him for Ray Allen? That seemed to work out ok for Boston. Re: this trade, it makes sense from a risk-management perspective. Yes, the Cavs could have rolled the dice on Minnesota caving on a lesser deal that didn’t include Wiggins, or Love entering free agency next summer. But this way they’ve landed the best player available on the market, at a position where they had a need (as opposed to Wiggins’ position), and it’s hard to argue with that. The team is still pretty flawed, especially on defense, at at center (Anderson Varejao, games played, last four seasons: 65, 25, 25, 31). When Varejao inevitable goes down again, we’ll either see Brendan Haywood or a funky small-ball thing with Love at center that averages 120 points scored and 119.9 points allowed. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/207 "2014-08-07T22:48:52Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > MOD:.picked OKC off top of head. Point stands, LeBron doesn’t give a rat’s ass about Cleveland. He only cares about how many times he can have Ben Franklin staring back at him, and how many titles he can win. Remember the pep rally in Miami? He wants to beat Jordan. What kind of asshole wants to win championships? Keep those douchebags away from my teams. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/208 "2014-08-07T23:03:45Z")
Yook: he’s all about money, like any capitalist, winning can’t be spent. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/209 "2014-08-07T23:18:26Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Yook: he’s all about money, like any capitalist, winning can’t be spent. Now you’re mixing the wrong with the incomprehensible. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/210 "2014-08-07T23:53:46Z")
**Marley23** has shown (repeatedly) that LeBron didn’t return to Cleveland for the money. So, making as much money as possible can’t be any higher on his list of returning to Cleveland than #3. I think he felt that by returning to Cleveland he could stand no worse a chance of winning a championship than by staying with Miami. He also had family issues which told him to return to Northern Ohio. I don’t think you should minimize that. He truly IS a hometown kid who loves his hometown and the people here. He wants to spend the rest of his life here with his kids and extended family(and his inner circle of friends/associates who were marginalized in Miami). I got $50 that says he stays with Cleveland and retires here. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/211 "2014-08-08T03:57:13Z")
My overall point, I guess, is that LeBron, and celebrities generally, know the public naively believes that they aren’t craven greedy bastards. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/212 "2014-08-08T04:01:37Z")
Sam-His sycophants were marginalized because the Heat are well run organization that don’t tolerate crap. LeBron is on record saying that the organization’s unwillingness to bow to his whims vis-a-via these people is a major reason why he left. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/213 "2014-08-08T04:03:23Z")
Unless they win a title this year, he’s 1-and-done. FTR, I think they do win it. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/214 "2014-08-08T12:32:22Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > I got $50 that says he stays with Cleveland and retires here. I’ll have to disagree with you on that. Who’s to say that in 3 or 4 years that Cleveland doesn’t start hitting the wall, Lebron wants a change (again), and he leaves for another team? And if he brings a championship (or two) to Cleveland, and it’s a Steve Nash-in-his-late-run-with-the-Suns kind of thing where the fans can see it…he might be able to leave with no reprecussions > [@etv78](#): > > Unless they win a title this year, he’s 1-and-done. FTR, I think they do win it. I also disagree on this (man am I negative today…). He said himself it’ll be a long road and it might take a year for him and Love and Irving to really gel. They’ve got too good a thing going there to abandon it now. Besides, he didn’t leave the Heat when they lost in their first championship did he? and this trio is better than he had with the heat IMO ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/215 "2014-08-08T13:03:08Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Sam-His sycophants were marginalized because the Heat are well run organization that don’t tolerate crap. LeBron is on record saying that the organization’s unwillingness to bow to his whims vis-a-via these people is a major reason why he left. What record would that be? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/216 "2014-08-08T13:19:11Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > LeBron is on record saying that the organization’s unwillingness to bow to his whims vis-a-via these people is a major reason why he left. Not to my knowledge he isn’t. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think it’s weird that you think he’s desperate to have people like him but also think he’d say something so blatantly diva-esque. _The Cavs_ said this was one of the reasons he left, but from what I remember it was an anonymous smear by a Comic Sans joke of a franchise. This is a move straight out of the Red Sox playbook, by the way, so you of all people ought to be able to see it for what it is. It’s a crass PR move that is supposed to turn the fanbase against a player so the fans don’t get angry at management for losing or trading him. Instead of ‘he left because we couldn’t build a good enough team around him,’ the conversation becomes ‘he left because we were principled and wouldn’t give him all the perks he wanted.’ This tactic seems to have infected other franchises, too, since the Yankees did it with Cano and the Phillies seem to have tried to do it with several players. > [@etv78](#): > > Unless they win a title this year, he’s 1-and-done. He signed a two-year contract, but why let the facts get in the way? ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/217 "2014-08-08T14:28:41Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > He signed a two-year contract, but why let the facts get in the way? Like a stopped clock, he’s actually right about that (that LeBron could leave after one season, not that he will): the '15-'16 year in Lebron’s contact is [a player option.](http://hoopshype.com/salaries/cleveland.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/218 "2014-08-08T14:48:07Z")
My mistake. That said, I think it’s unlikely he goes anywhere considering all the hometown rhetoric in his essay and the fact that the rest of the Cavs core is young and stable: Kyrie Irving is entering the first year of a five-year deal and Love is also expected to sign a five-year deal. ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/219 "2014-08-08T15:01:49Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > My mistake. That said, I think it’s unlikely he goes anywhere considering all the hometown rhetoric in his essay and the fact that the rest of the Cavs core is young and stable: Kyrie Irving is entering the first year of a five-year deal and Love is also expected to sign a five-year deal. Absolutely; furthermore, LeBron wrote in his SI essay Cleveland wouldn’t win the title this season, so the notion of him then leaving because they didn’t win the title is pretty silly. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875/220 "2014-08-08T15:18:22Z")
> [@Human\_Action](#): > > Absolutely; furthermore, LeBron wrote in his SI essay Cleveland wouldn’t win the title this season, so the notion of him then leaving because they didn’t win the title is pretty silly. He did say that, but I’m not sure how much it means. He may have just been trying to tamp down expectations or forestall exactly this kind of speculation. And since the proposed Love trade sprang into the news almost the second LeBron made his announcement, it’s possible he and the Cavs (or the Cavs’ management and the Wolves) already had an idea they could make this trade happen and that the process of making the team into a contender would not take all that long. As many people noted, he mentioned playing with Irving and Thompson and Waiters and Varejao in his essay, but didn’t include Wiggins and Bennett. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lebron-to-return-to-cleveland/692875.md?page=12)