Cavs back streaking, and LeBron's summer

The Cavs completed a two game sweep of the NBA's biggest dreamers over the last 3 days with their 111-92 rout of the hapless, and I mean hapless, New Jersey Nets last night.  During the 2 game "show me something to impress me" tour the Cavs completely dominated and outmatched each opponent.  The Cavs at one point were up 49 in the 2nd half against the Knicks on Monday and ran out to a 20 point lead after the 1st quarter of the Cavs dunk contest, errrrr, the Nets game last night. 

I can almost hear the collective voices of each team's front office: "Listen, Lebron (followed by the awkward car salesman laugh) we know we're horrible.  But we did this all for you."

 

Never have I felt better about Lebron sticking around C-Town.  His biggest pursuers all along were the Nets and the Knicks and they still are.  Of course we've all heard the pipe dream of Lebron going to Miami to team up with Wade but I myself never thought they could co-exist.  Each of them are alpha dogs and have every desire of being "the man."  I just don't see this happening.  A million other scenarios have popped up and a million more are sure to come.  But personally as a Cavs fan over the last couple years my biggest concern was him leaving for the bright lights or to team up with his boy Jay-Z.  But seeing as how putrid both of those teams are I just can't see it happening.  Lebron came into a losing culture with the Cavs and it took years to turn the ship around to get to this point.  Of course the Knicks have cap space for two max players.  But then what?




Photo Credit: The News-Herald

You have two great players and to quote Bill the butcher in Gangs of New York "a handful of rag tags?"  They play zero defense and D'antoni's teams never have.  Lebron has developed a love for defense and knows how vital it is to winning.  He comes from a culture in which his coach didn't even install an offense until his team could defend.  The Nets.....well they're 6-54!!!!  Not one time have they won more than one game in a calendar week.  The Cavs are on a 5 game winning streak.  You have to go back to January of last season for the last time they won more than 5 games in a month.  The culture of losing in these places is running rampant and pretty much has been deemed acceptable by their front offices because they believe the end will justify the means.

 

Think of Lebron's current situation compared to the others.  Right now he has a team full of players he loves.  He genuinely enjoys being around these guys.  He has a coach that is young and enthusiastic about defense and will basically let Lebron do whatever he wants on offense as long as he plays D.  He has Danny Ferry who has transformed this roster from a superstar and a "handful of rag tags" into one of the deepest teams I can recollect that features (once Z comes back) 13 players that have a legitimate argument for playing time.  He turned Ira Newble, Donyell Marshall, Tony Battie, Larry Hughes, Damon Jones, Sasha Pavlovic, Shannon Brown, Cedric Simmons and next year's 1st rounder into Mo Williams, Delonte West, Anderson Varejao, Shaq, Antawn Jamison and Danny Green.  We have a PG who at one point clinched a trip to the finals for us and is 2nd in the NBA in 3 pt shooting and he can't even sniff the court.  Then their is the owner.  The true MVP of the trade deadline this year.  Dan Gilbert has built a state of the art practice facility closer to Lebron's home.  He spends money on his team like the 1's are white, 5's are pink, and 50's are blue and its his cash that freed up Ferry to manuever as his has, and he shows now sings of pulling those chips off the table anytime soon.

It seems like a no brainer to me.  Stay home. Win a few titles.  Become immortalized in your hometown (close to it anyway) and bring your grandkids up to the Q to see your statue one day.  Wait...what??? Isiah Thomas endorsed the Knicks to Lebron.  I'm stressed all over again.