Life After LeBron

I love LeBron James. I think and know he is the one chance our Cavs have at getting a NBA championship in Cleveland. I really want him in Cleveland for his whole career. I do NOT want him to leave for Europe, New Jersey or Manhattan. I will be devastated when he does.

With that said I now want to talk myself and the rest of Cavs nation off the ledge. We are being held hostage by one man. Our team, our owner, our GM, our fan base, our city are being held hostage by this King. We will continue to be hostages to him and his wishes for two more seasons. This one guy who is holding us hostage hasn't won an NBA championship. (I know, I know bear with me) Several teams have won NBA championships since he has been in the NBA without him. It can be done.

Yes, Cleveland....NBA championships CAN be won without LeBron James.

Now, don't take me for an idiot. It took a Dwayne Wade. Shaquille O'Neal. Tim Duncan. Kobe Bryant. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. So you need a or two superstars to do it and Cleveland has none beyond Mr. James. I get that.

But I am getting sick of allowing this man (a man who I truly enjoy watching and do not have any other problem with) hold me hostage like this! Gilbert has a big pocket. Contrary top popular belief Ferry knows what he is doing (see drafting Gibson. Trading nothing for Flip Murray. Getting Gooden and Andy for garbage when Boozer screwed us over. And he can't be blamed that a top tier FA Larry Hughes didn't live up to his billing). They may need to go out and get Wade or Bosh or both when James leaves. They are FAs that year too. In order to win the finals, it would take both with the roster we are looking at now, but why not?

James will leave. But we will still have basketball. Most importantly and my point of this post: Once the Browns are relevant again, who gives a damn about LeBron freaking James?! Shoot, the fumes of a playoff Cleveland Browns season alone can carry me to the draft in April and then training camp in the summer.

My first and most passionate love is the Browns. The Cavs and Indians are just filler until football starts. I mean really. I am not alone in this. So I am done letting LeBron hold me hostage. I will root to the bottom of my deepest basin for him and my Cavs, but I am not going to allow myself to care about his future here anymore. Whatever happens, happens now. I will still root for the Cavs 2011 and on with or without Mr. James.

I just need those men in orange helmets playing a bit north on E. 9th Ave to remain competitive and I'm good. A Tribe run in the steamy summer is icing on the cake!

(If Braylon could just figure out how to consistently catch the balls that hit him in the numbers...but I guess he is a Wolverine. We can only expect so much)