Pat Riley, you live by the sword, you die by the sword, pal..too bad; Decision 2

[JBcat]

It shocked me too. To leave a place like Miami -- a Championship organization from top to bottom + strong team around him that just went to the Finals 4 years in a row and won 2 Championships -- an organization that did so much for him. To show no loyalty to that organization? That confuses me.

I understand leaving when a team is failing you. Not giving you the opportunity to win. Having no confidence in things changing. That I understand.

Leaving a first class organization like Miami with a wonderful coach, front office, owner, star teammates, quality supporting cast ... 4 Finals in a row, 2 Championships. Clearly more opportunities to add to their Championship toll in the future ...

That confuses me. I do not understand that.

If as an organization you cannot count on some (any!) loyalty from your star players when you have done everything possible and accomplished so much together ... that is a dark day.

I think it's quite simple.  He wanted to go back home.  It's like if an NBA player grew up a Celtics fan, and wanted to go back playing for his home town even after winning championships somewhere else.

[j804]

It shocked me too. To leave a place like Miami -- a Championship organization from top to bottom + strong team around him that just went to the Finals 4 years in a row and won 2 Championships -- an organization that did so much for him. To show no loyalty to that organization? That confuses me.

I understand leaving when a team is failing you. Not giving you the opportunity to win. Having no confidence in things changing. That I understand.

Leaving a first class organization like Miami with a wonderful coach, front office, owner, star teammates, quality supporting cast ... 4 Finals in a row, 2 Championships. Clearly more opportunities to add to their Championship toll in the future ...

That confuses me. I do not understand that.

If as an organization you cannot count on some (any!) loyalty from your star players when you have done everything possible and accomplished so much together ... that is a dark day.

I think it's quite simple.  He wanted to go back home.  It's like if an NBA player grew up a Celtics fan, and wanted to go back playing for his home town even after winning championships somewhere else.

Youre really buying the going home thing? Let me ask you this if Kyrie wasn't there and they were a bottom dweller would he still ditch Miami to go home?

[Donoghus]

I think the decision to go back to CLE was much about branding as much as anything else. 

"The Prodigal Son Comes Home" idea certainly helps the image.  Especially if he comes back to lead them to a championship.  I think the backlash from the original "Decision" never really went away.  He heard it from fans, other players, former players, media.  That had to have stung. It was really the first time in his basketball career that the overwhelming feedback was negative.  I highly doubt he was used to that. 

I have no doubt that CLE landing the #1 pick helped stir things up in his head about the idea of returning to CLE and how it would help his image & how it would "play" in the media.  I think the move was as much about the idea of redemption as it was about actual basketball.  Landing the #1 pick certainly helped make the "basketball aspect" of the move more appealling.

I think Lebron is a heckuva basketball player.  I'm certainly not someone who you would label a "basher" of the guy.  I've certainly defended for then once on these boards and think a lot of the criticism found here is over the top.  However, let's not kid ourselves that this guy isn't concerned about his self image & his perception in the public. 

[Moranis]

James was always going to return to Cleveland.  Landing the #1 pick just accelerated the process, but he was always going back to Cleveland because he never wanted to leave in the first place.  The Cleveland he left was a total mess and with him on the team he knew it was never going to land the players necessary to become a true contender.  Sure he might have gotten one solely because he is just so [dang] good, but the likelihood was small and he knew it.  So he left to play with his friends and to win.  Once he won he knew he would return and hopefully return to a better situation with better teammates where he wouldn't have to do it all.  Where a guy like Irving can fill up a stat sheet for 57 and carry the team for long stretches.  It is what James always wanted in his hometown team.  He just had to leave to get it.

[GreenGoggles]

James going back to Cleveland had everything to do with repairing his public image and making people like him again.