"Cleveland" is not fathoming his return. The media is fathoming it based on the facts that the Cavs are refusing to take on long-term salary and have stated otherwise that they hope to sign a max free agent in 2014. At no point has anybody associated with the Cavs' organization (or even Cleveland in general) mentioned LeBron's name.MigrainePatrol wrote:Cleveland even fathoming a Lebron return is admitting how pathetic their situation is.
The truth is that the Cavs would have a hard time selling a LeBron return to the general fan base unless there is a public apology/reconciliation. LeBron would have a lot of PR work to do. Nationally, it seems like LeBron was painted as the victim but that, for better or worse, is not how the situation is viewed in Ohio. Say what you want about Dan Gilbert's (unfounded) national reputation but he is viewed as a hero locally not only for standing up to LeBron but also for the jobs he's created, etc. If LeBron decides that it is best for his long-term image and business interests to return to Ohio and mend fences, I think (but am not sure) the Cavs would let him (for their own selfish reasons) but the Cavs would have to do a lot of damage control to appease the fans. If not done carefully, they could win more on the court but completely lose the fanbase, which would be an overall loss for the Cavs; so, for the Cavs, it's not simply a talent evaluation. Any return would absolutely have to be on the Cavs' terms accompanied by an aggressive explanation/apology/reconciliation tour. Once burned by the aloof LeBron, that could never happen again--- if this dude came back, you can bet he'd be doing more mall appearances than Debbie Gibson.
