“I'm coming home”

(June, 8th, 2015)  By: Ira Barasch.       It took three words for LeBron James to shock the world, three words that made free agency last summer turn into a frenzy. The Cleveland Cavaliers then acquired Kevin Love by actually trading their past two number one overall picks in Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett. He also joined an already blossoming point guard in Kyrie Irving. The beginnings of a super team seemed to be in the making. From James getting his buddies James Jones and Mike Miller to come for reduced salaries, to the Cavs hiring David Blatt from overseas to coach, this team seemed primed.

Yet the struggle that ensued was incredible; Love was not fitting in, his game was just not conforming to LeBron's. Anderson Varejao went down with a season ending injury before even playing in the regular season, thinning their front court dramatically. David Blatt and the team was hovering near a .500 record when January came along. 

Again the team changed, with the Cavs acquiring J.R Smith and Iman Shumpert from the Knicks, and Timofay Mozgov from the Nuggets. Suddenly they were blowing out teams; their record skyrocketed. J.R. Smith looked like his old self, he was playing with confidence and making his shots. Mozgov was finally living up to his potential and looked like a dominant big man and a rim protector. Things started to look up for the Cavs as they entered the post season. Until Love went down with a dislocated shoulder vs. the Celtics, and Irving's injuries started to act up, eventually leading him to fracture his kneecap in the first game of the finals.

So where does that leave LeBron? It seemed like he was playing a five on one at times in game 2 of the finals. Back to carrying the whole team on his back. He has mostly role players around him and no other All Stars. This is dramatically different than when he won his two other titles with Miami. There is no Dwayne Wade to rely on, no Chris Bosh to turn to, and no Ray Allen to make a clutch three. This is all on LeBron's shoulders now, yet it seems so fitting that it should be. This is his team, it's his city, and most importantly, it's his time to prove his worth. Never before has so much been on the line for James as far as his legacy is concerned. This is his chance to pick up a team, practically by himself, and bring them to the promised land, like he wrote about in his article last summer. This is his chance to bring the city he spurned their first title since 1964 when the Cleveland Browns won it all, and complete his tale of redemption after being swept by the Spurs in '07. Finally, this is also his chance to establish a legacy that won't be in the shadow of the older “23” so many compare him to. The time for excuses are over, it's time for LeBron James to officially establish himself as the best player in this generation. If he can overcome the odds, if he can push the distractions and the detractors away, he can finally establish himself to be among the great players to ever play the game.


However for James, who has been blamed for not being a clutch player over his career, this is a huge task. So what will it be LeBron? You said you're coming home. Talk is cheap, and actions speak louder than words. Now is the time to show all the people who don't believe in you, who hate you, an

d root against you, that you are the player we knew you could be when you came into this league. It's not going to be easy, but if you win, the glory is all yours. It's right there for the taking, now we will just have to sit back and see if you can.