Unfortunately, today, we saw LeBron James add more evidence to the mounting pile that this entire journey towards, and eventually into - god let it please come soon - free agency is NOT all about winning.
The latest news of course was that although James respects Tom Izzo as a coach, he has no interest in talking to him about the Cavaliers coaching vacancy. Presumably, this is because James doesn’t want to “tip his hand” as to what his plans might be come July 1st and also because he doesn’t want to be seen as a meddler, who influences personnel and management decisions.
Here’s my problem with LeBron’s approach in this situation. For one, if James is truly concerned first and foremost with winning multiple championships then “tipping his hand” shouldn’t have any bearing on his decision making process. Neither should quieting even a gram of speculation on where he might end up by suggesting that he cares who the Cavaliers coach is. But that’s the trouble with LeBron. Nearly every choice he’s made since he signed a 3-year deal in 2007 has been about leaving his options open and creating hype.
Instead of James worrying about how talking to Izzo might impact the way things play out in a couple of weeks, he should welcome the opportunity to have a conversation with a man who could possibly coach him next year. Even if LeBron is fairly certain he wants to leave Cleveland, shouldn’t he at least chat with Izzo? No one’s expecting Izzo to give James an ultimatum. Izzo doesn’t have the power to do that. But James should want to investigate Izzo for his own sake. James has said over and over and over that his decision to stay in or leave Cleveland will be based on winning. Isn’t the coach an important piece of that puzzle? If LeBron truly wants to explore all of the possibilities that free agency presents, then he should speak with every single person he can. Owner Dan Gilbert has brought Izzo into the fold. Izzo is now a cog in the free agency machine. It only makes sense for LeBron to sit down with Izzo, just like I’m sure he’ll sit down with Avery Johnson in Newark, Tom Thibodeau in Chicago, and Mike D’Antoni in New York.
Secondly, LeBron can say he doesn’t want to influence personnel and management decisions, but the truth of the matter is, it’s impossible for him not to. As a two-time MVP, when he says nothing at all, he’s saying something. James, who’s fond of talking about the responsibility he has to his city and his family to be an upstanding young man when he leaves the safety of his compound in Bath, needs to accept the fact that he also has a responsibility to whatever organization he ends up playing for (let’s not forget that right now he is still a member of the Cavs). I’m not saying that the organization always should - or should always have to - react to James’s opinions and acquiesce to his demands, but he has an obligation to speak, and they have an obligation to listen.
And if James is worried about the growing perception that he negatively influenced the Cavaliers organization while Danny Ferry was in charge - due to reports by Ric Bucher and Adrian Wojnarowski - really, what difference does it make? It’s not like every team in the NBA isn’t prepared to offer him a max deal.
Perhaps that’s the most troubling thing about James’s behavior. Even if “the summer of money” was always about good business, what has its true financial impact been? The results, as far as I can tell, are all marketing-related. Has James made more money on this short term burst of hype than he would’ve made if the Cavaliers had won the title this season? The hype certainly isn’t going to have an effect on the amount of money he’ll make in his next contract. One thing, above all else, still remains very certain. The best business decision for James is to re-sign with the Cavaliers. They can, and always will be able to, offer the most money. I know he believes championships will dictate how much he makes in other areas, and he’s right, but this kind of charade … “Where will I play?! Who knows? Ahhh! It could be your team!” … didn’t contribute to the Cavs winning a title. It may have pushed Gilbert and Ferry towards an “all in” approach, but James’s lack of commitment also hamstrung them in other areas (like signing Trevor Ariza).
We all know how difficult it is for a team to win a championship. It’s never guaranteed. Even the team with the best record in the NBA usually goes in to the playoffs with less than a 20% chance of winning it all. And in fact, maybe that’s what James is doing. Hedging his bets. Maybe he’ll never win a title. Maybe that’s what he’s afraid of. And if he never does come away with a ring, then at least he’ll have the summer of money…
I suppose that, for a legacy, is better than nothing.
