Empty the Bench

So far this year’s NBA Playoffs have been more about looking forward than in any recent seasons. The brackets have been littered with obvious pretenders like Utah, New Orleans, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami and Atlanta. With the exception of the unexpectedly brilliant Boston-Chicago series, the matchups have been mostly snoozers. That doesn’t mean I’m not watching, or enjoying, just that I’ve been itching for the drama of Conference Finals and NBA Finals to kick off. I’ve been looking ahead.

And when it comes to the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James, I’m really looking ahead. I fully expect to see them in the NBA Finals. I’m looking even further.

Cleveland predictably held serve on Tuesday night, easily dispatching their second-round foe Atlanta in Game One. Sure, they had to knock some rust from around the tires after a lengthy layoff. They came out sluggish and it took 22 first-half points from James to lead them to a modest 5-point halftime lead. But after 12 more from King James in the third the Cavs were coasting again. The Godfather theme was playing after deadly Mo Williams treys, Delonte West was dominating with quiet economy at both ends, the super subs were out-hustling the Hawks and Bron was cheerleading from the sidelines with a 21-points edge early in the fourth quarter. It ended in a 27-point route, and the game was never really in doubt. Neither is the series. As we watch the matchup’s four or five games it’s impossible not to look past it.

Of course the Cavs can’t afford themselves that luxury – in the NBA any team can win on any given night. Atlanta proved that against Boston just last year in the first round. But as fans, we can. Cleveland will advance. And barring some kind of epic collapse by the Cavs, a Willis Reed-esque return from Kevin Garnett or Dwight Howard flashing a birth certificate from Mount Olympus (actually, that may not shock me too much) LeBron James will lead his obviously superior team through the Eastern Conference playoffs to the NBA Finals.

And while nothing is a given, looking even further ahead it would be hard to argue that anybody but the Cleveland Cavaliers are the favorite to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy this season. The Lakers are a very close second and it should be one hell of a matchup if it comes to fruition, but given the Lake Show’s lack of killer instinct and the fact that LA’s soft squad will be beaten into the ground in consecutive series by Houston and Denver en route significantly diminishes their chances.

I shouldn’t be, but yeah, I’m looking ahead. Way ahead. What happens to James and Cleveland if he wins both the MVP award and a NBA title this season? What does that do to LeBron’s chances of staying in Cleveland for the long run?

Is a NBA title LeBron’s ultimate “Get Out of Jail Free” card? After the jump…

We all know about Mr. James’ desires of extraordinary wealth, fame and professional success. He hasn’t been shy about it, and he needn’t be. But given those stated desires of megalomania (again, nothing wrong with that), how long can this massive fish remain in the relatively small pond of C-Town?

Clevelelanders are hoping a long time. As Mike Fratello said during last night’s telecast, “This city is hanging its hat on these Cleveland Cavaliers.” The Forrest City isn’t in good shape right now. Major businesses are leaving town, the local economy is struggling mightily, foreclosures are rampant and local politics are embroiled in accusations of impropriety. And, of obviously less import, the Cleveland sports scene has been absolutely abysmal for decades.

Before LeBron came, that is. Now they have a perennial title contender and MVP favorite. So Cleveland sports fans are understandably hoping that the Akron native winning the MVP award and bringing an NBA title home to Ohio proves that their modest waters won’t impeded James from becoming the business, culture and basketball leviathan he wants to be.

I don’t have exclusive access to his psyche, but unfortunately for denizens of the Buckeye State I see it another way. As someone who hails from another of America’s small-market sports cities in Minneapolis I would love nothing more than to see LeBron stay and rack up rings in the Midwest. But I’ve also seen enough to know that world-class athletes can only be expected to give so much, and for so long, before seeking larger waters.

Cleveland is the nation’s 40th biggest stage, and it’s shrinking quickly. Their place in the sports universe is even smaller. The last time a Cleveland team brought home a title was the old Browns back in 1964. The last professional athlete to win an MVP in Cleveland was the NFL’s Brian Sipe in 1980. LeBron isn’t a man who seems content as the big fish in a small pond, and he isn’t just thinking domestically, either. Last summer James even suggested he could play in Europe if the price and business opportunity was right.

LeBron has obvious attachment to his native state and the people that reside there. He’s always shown nothing but class in his desire to make them proud (though also always been noncommittal about his future plans), but one man can only be expected to do so much and stay small for so long. It’s very easy to see how LeBron would think that bringing a title to Ohio should more than fulfill anybody’s wildest expectations for him. I think LeBron would, and perhaps should, view bringing home a title as fair recompense for his release from a sports and media purgatory – that his dues to Ohio have been paid in full.

I think an NBA title this season only expedites his inevitable migration.

Related Reading:
- Only a Matter of Time for Cleveland Cavaliers
- LeBron James’ True Desire to Put NBA Titles Over Mass-Marketing Deals to Be Tested
- Already Crowned King, LeBron James Will Soon Be 2009 NBA MVP Too