James staying in Miami

There’s been a fantasy brewing in the NBA for a while now.

In this scenario, a certain sect of basketball fans is convinced LeBron James, four-time league most valuable player and superstar destroyer of worlds, will make a triumphant return to Cleveland after this season, an opt-out year for James in his current contract.

The tale goes that James, who fled the city after seven remarkable, yet unsuccessful seasons for Miami, would return to the Cavaliers, who have stockpiled young talent in the wake of his departure. It would, in theory, be more intriguing for him to play with young, up and comers than the aging lot he’s currently involved with.

I, personally, have to admit it would be a great story. If not a great story, than at least a predictable one that would fall in the wheelhouse of any sportswriter or savvy fan. James was born and raised in Akron, just minutes outside the city, and brought the Cavaliers back to prominence for the first time since the early 1990s. He left that city broken only to enjoy untold riches in a far-off land.

It’s a story that’s been told for ages. It’s literally biblical. The long lost son of the city returns, only for the city to welcome him with open arms.

The story was solidified in the minds of many when on Tuesday the Cavs were awarded the top pick in the NBA Draft for the third time in four seasons, all four following the loss of James. With a budding star in point guard Kyrie Irving, an enticing lineup of young players and the potential to pay LeBron a maximum-level contract, it would fall right into place.

If only it wasn’t Cleveland.

In the speed to jump to a story that feels comfortable, one that would fit into the perfect mold of a story that most of us have read uncounted times, the people jumping to put LeBron back in Cleveland seem to have forgotten a few large factors.

Cleveland fans burned his jersey. They compared him to Benedict Arnold. Worse yet, they compared him to Art Modell, the former owner of the Cleveland Browns that callously moved the franchise to Baltimore.

Forget the talent on the court, that has yet to reach the playoffs or stay above .500 for more than a week. Or that, as the NBA’s best player it would be perfectly normal to see players come to Miami to play with him rather than leaving to start over again. Or that there is a coach and front office in Miami that has proven it can win championships and compete for titles.

It would make more sense, purportedly, to play with a bunch of unproven players for a new coach and a new front office for a franchise that has made the finals just once in its history.

Even if all of that were to be ignored, James would be returning to play for an owner who called him a coward, shameful and selfish and said in an open letter he betrayed Cavs fans and “all of Northeast Ohio.” He followed that up with an erroneous prediction that Cleveland would win an NBA championship before James, and called him a self-declared King that would take a curse with him to Miami.

There’s burning bridges and then there’s what the Cleveland Cavaliers did to LeBron James.

So forgive me while I scoff at the nationally-driven plot line that would be all too easy to follow. Because if you’ve read the full story, sometimes the ending isn’t a shock.