The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Younger roster could sway James to stay
The Cavaliers’ roster became younger — and more expensive — with their recent trades. When the calendar hits July, it might be the best choice for free-agent to be LeBron James.
The difference in the Cavaliers since the trades of Feb. 8 is nothing short of remarkable. But the most important question concerning the franchise still lingers: Will LeBron James leave for another team in July, or will he stay with the Cavs at least one more year at a salary of $35.6 million?
The Cavaliers have beaten the Celtics and Thunder decisively, both on the road, since Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert, Dwyane Wade and Channing Frye were traded and Larry Nance Jr., George Hill, Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson were acquired at the trading deadline.
James is smiling and seems energized by the changes, but he still is keeping everyone in suspense about his plans beyond this season. Maybe that’s part of the reason he’s smiling.
James played for the Cavaliers from 2003 to 2010, made “the decision” to leave for Miami in the summer of 2010 and then played four years with the Heat.
James announced “I’m coming home” in an essay published on July 11, 2014, in Sports Illustrated, in which he outlined his reasons for returning to the Cavaliers beginning with the 2014-15 season. The most important line in that first-person story is this one:
“I always believed that I’d return to Cleveland and finish my career there. I just didn’t know when.”
Even as he was preparing for his first season with the Heat, in the back of his mind he was thinking about returning to Cleveland and “finishing my career there.”
James, 33, was asked on the first day of training camp this season whether his plan is still to finish his career here and he said it hasn’t changed, adding this is just the way he goes about his business.
Trying to read the pulse of the public, it seems most fans would not have blamed James for leaving if the Cavaliers had remained stagnant with Thomas, Crowder, Rose and the rest. But now that general manager Koby Altman made moves to make the Cavs contenders for a second NBA title, the sentiment seems to be that James is better off staying here if his main interest is truly in winning championships and not polishing his brand in Los Angeles.
It is safe to say James will never say he is leaving the Cavs during the season. Likewise, he would gain nothing by announcing prematurely he plans to stay.
• Brian Windhorst of ESPN is reporting the Cavaliers’ payroll could exceed $300 million next season, including nearly $150 million in luxury tax, if James signs a new contract or if he exercises his $35.6 million option for next season. Windhorst bases his calculation on the Cavs keeping the Nets’ first-round draft pick, which they avoided trading at the deadline, and re-signing Hood, who can be a restricted free agent this summer.
Total salaries for the Cavaliers in 2018-19 would be $158 million. The luxury tax would be $149 million, taking owner Dan Gilbert’s outlay to $308 million.
Already, the 2017-18 Cavs are nearing a record. The salaries of Nance, Clarkson, Hood and Hill added $10 million in salary while raising the luxury tax to about $50 million for a grand total of $190 million — $3 million short of the $193 million dished out by the 2013-14 Nets.
By next year, $190 million might seem like pocket change to Gilbert.
• The NBA All-Star Game tips off at 8 p.m. Feb. 18. According to secondary ticket seller Vividseats. com, the average price for the event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles is $1,888. The average for a ticket last year when the All-Star Game was in New Orleans was $590.
The only thing more boring than the NFL’s Pro Bowl is the NBA All-Star Game, in my opinion. It is entertaining for about 10 minutes. Then the viewer or fan in the seats realizes a game with no defense is tedious and seemingly will never end.
The NBA this season is using an idea that failed in the NFL when it tried generating interest in the Pro Bowl. It won’t be the NBA Eastern Conference AllStars vs. the West. James, as captain of one team and Steph Curry from Golden State as captain of the other team picked players regardless of conference. Warriors forward Kevin Durant, for example, playing on James’ team, will face three of his Golden State teammates.
The West beat the East, 192-182, in the NBA AllStar Game in 2017.
After a while all dunks start to look the same.
Chasing quarterbacks
The arbitrator did the Browns a favor on Feb. 15 when he ruled A.J. McCarron will be an unrestricted free agent on March 14. The next question to be answered is whether coach Hue Jackson has enough power to persuade general manager John Dorsey that McCarron can be the bridge quarterback the Browns can win with while the quarterback Dorsey drafts develops.
McCarron was a fifthround draft choice by the Bengals in 2014. He played in 11 games in four years and started three, going 2-1 in 2015, while Andy Dalton mended from a thumb injury. McCarron had the Bengals in position to win a playoff game with the Steelers, but two defensive penalties sabotaged that.
Jackson has faith in McCarron, which is why he was so disappointed when an attempt to acquire the former Alabama quarterback fell apart at the trade deadline because the Browns’ front office botched the paperwork.
McCarron, an Alabama native, told AL.com he wanted the trade to go through. He wanted to be the one who prevented to Browns from going 0-16.
“As a competitor, I wanted that opportunity, just to be able to showcase and help a team win ball games,” McCarron said. “I think I would have had some success playing for Hue. I would have loved the opportunity to go up there and get them a win, more than one win. As a competitor, that’s all you can ask for.”
The Browns were ready to trade a second-round pick for McCarron. Now they can use money to outbid other teams that might pursue him. All three Vikings quarterbacks — Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford — will be free agents. Minnesota could show interest in McCarron.
Jackson knows he has to win early in 2018. A 1-4 start after going 1-31 probably won’t cut it with his new boss. Dorsey should listen if Jackson’s faith in McCarron is as strong as I believe it to be.
And for once, if the organization says the plan is to let the rookie develop, no matter who it turns out to be, follow the plan this time.
• Cleveland/Canton is one of five finalists to host the NFL draft in 2019 or 2020, the NFL announced on Feb. 15. The Browns began the process by submitting a bid in August 2017 by announcing the team’s partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton and Greater Cleveland Sports Commission.
“Since even before the establishment of the NFL nearly 100 years ago and the legacies of household names like Jim Brown, Paul Brown, Otto Graham and Lou Groza, Northeast Ohio has been rooted in football and NFL history and has been dedicated to developing the sport we love at all levels of competition,” Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. “With the support of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, Cleveland and Canton are the ideal sites for the NFL Draft due to our region’s unmatched passion and respect for football, as well as our commitment to its future and the next generation of Hall of Fame players.”
The NFL was formed in Canton in 1920, making 2019 the 100th year anniversary. That would make the Hall of Fame the perfect venue for the draft next year.
I didn’t know that
… until I read my Snapple bottle cap
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