LeBron James To Return To Cavs In 2016

It might shock some in the national media, but locally, not many are surprised by the news broke by Cleveland.com prior to the championship parade on Wednesday morning. The Cavaliers made history by overcomin…

After his stint with the Miami Heat, LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers and delivered the championship trophy at the end of his second season with them.

Police in patrol cars and on horseback are attempting to move spectators back so the parade, which was supposed to last just 90 minutes, could resume.

After 52 long years, this was a title town again. To mark the win by the Cavaliers they increased that to 180,000 and eventually to almost 500,000 copies for championship hungry Cleveland fans. He said he’ll be back with the Cavs next season.

Fans stood on rooftops and portable toilets or hung out of office building windows to witness Cleveland’s first championship parade in 58 years, when the Indians knocked off the Braves in the World Series.

James holds an opt-out clause in advance of the July 1 start of National Basketball Association free agency that he still could invoke in order to maximize his contract position going forward.

The fans – many dressed in the team’s wine-and-gold colors – moved into the area in droves at around 9 a.m. trying to find the best location to watch the rally.

“I’m nothing without this city. I’m nothing with you all”, he said. “Get ready for next year”.

However, James, Irving and their teammates, who survived a coaching change midway through the season and finally fulfilled expectations in the postseason, have taken Cleveland back to the top.

There were other raucous moments along the way with Kyrie Irving and a shirtless J.R. Smith hopping out of their vehicles to slap hands with fans and even take selfies. Some of the loudest ovations were for Australian guard Matthew Dellavedova, who couldn’t wipe off his smile while soaking in the ride.

During his remarks, owner Dan Gilbert revealed that general manager David Griffin had written to players after Game 4, telling them not to give up.

James declared his latest intentions in a much more low key way than “The Decision” in 2010, when he announced he was leaving the Cavs for the Miami Heat in a TV special, or in 2014 when he announced his return to Cleveland in a Sports Illustrated essay titled “I’m Coming Home”.

Irving modestly credited James with making his moment possible.

Entering 2016-17, Cleveland is one of three to four teams that have a great shot at winning the 2017 NBA Finals: the Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and maybe the San Antonio Spurs if age isn’t a crippling factor for that veteran team.

It would be intriguing to see James wearing a Knicks jersey and play alongside his good friend Carmelo Anthony, who has yet to win a championship in his career.