Le Basketbawl

So now that LeBron has talked about all these unsubstantiated rumors, all this talk will now end, right? Come on now, you know that is not going to happen. Even as I am writing this there is some columnist punching holes in this scenario. They are asking why didn’t LBJ just flat out say he is committed to finishing his career in Cleveland? Because James is far too savvy to paint himself into a corner. Dwyane Wade will not do it in Miami. Carmelo Anthony certainly is not going to do it in Denver.

Will The Statement By LBJ Quell The Rumors Of His Leaving Cleveland?

Sunday the “Cleveland Plain Dealer” reported that Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star forward LeBron James, may be willing to negotiate a contract extension with the team this Summer. If so it would put an end finally to the cottage industry that has sprung up among so called NBA “experts” who have been predicting since the end of last season, that LBJ would be signing with any one of a number of teams, none of them being Cleveland.

The paper’s NBA beat writer Brian Windhorst says James has already given that scenario some thought. James said “I definitely want to keep an open mind, I will look at everything. (Extending his contract this Summer) is a good point. I think me and my group have pretty much made good decisions so far, and we’ll look at the options and go from there.”

Windhorst also reported that LBJ has an option to extend his endorsement deal with Nike for three years after the original deal ends in 2010. With the economy in tatters, it may behoove James to exercise the option, as he may earn more that way than with a new contract.

James words to Windhorst validate what I have been writing since the end of last season, that he will re-sign with the Cavaliers. In the same article that prefaces this column James expressed his frustration with the constant barrage of questions he was getting already from everybody. James said on Media Day to the assembled reporters “ Go on the Internet and look at every time I have been asked am I happy in Cleveland and see my response. I’ve never given any indication that I was leaving or didn’t like being here. Every time I am asked the question; I love being here, I love playing in front of these fans, my family is here, I grew up 30 miles away; I never gave any indication that I did not like playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.”

But still the questions came day after day, when ever a move was made in the Association it was to get James. The Knickerbockers, the Pistons, anybody and everybody but Cleveland was in the running according to the so called “experts.”

I spoke with a young man a couple of weeks ago, who is looking to get into Sports reporting. I told him that it really comes down to two things; First you have to develop the ability to phrase a question in a diplomatic way. You can ask the toughest questions to an athlete if you ask them tactfully. The second thing is even more important; You have to be a good listener. By listening to what the person is telling you, it could open up an avenue that you did not even know existed until that very second.

Unfortunately after spending over a decade in locker rooms in the NBA, MLB, and the NFL, I have seen too many reporters who have their own agenda when they walk through the door. A reporter in a locker room is a conduit, a pipeline. When I go into a locker room, I am your eyes, your ears, and am asking the questions I hope you want answers to. A reporter in a locker room is not there to be a star, or a personality. When I hosted radio talk shows, I was a personality, not in a locker room.

Nothing has been finalized, and there could end up being snags before this comes to fruition. But the bottom line is the Cleveland Cavaliers are now one of the best teams in the Association, and barring injury they will only improve. Why go to New York and a rebuilding project, and face a hostile media? If LBJ wins an NBA Championship in Cleveland, he not only will be King James, he could be Mayor James.