LeBron James announces return to Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James is going back to Cleveland, agreeing to join the Cavaliers franchise that drafted him in 2003, he announced in a story on Sports Illustrated.

Four years and three days after The Decision aired, James is leaving the Miami Heat, choosing to join an up-and-coming Cleveland team rather than stick with the one that has been to the NBA Finals every year since he arrived. The terms of the contract have not been negotiated yet, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, who added that James is expected to sign a long-term deal and Cleveland is (obviously) prepared to pay him the maximum of $88 million over four years. James' words, from the SI story:

When I left Cleveland, I was on a mission. I was seeking championships, and we won two. But Miami already knew that feeling. Our city hasn't had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what's most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio.

I always believed that I'd return to Cleveland and finish my career there. I just didn't know when. After the season, free agency wasn't even a thought. But I have two boys and my wife, Savannah, is pregnant with a girl. I started thinking about what it would be like to raise my family in my hometown. I looked at other teams, but I wasn't going to leave Miami for anywhere except Cleveland. The more time passed, the more it felt right. This is what makes me happy.

James won the NBA championship and the Most Valuable Player award in 2012 and 2013, and disappointingly lost to the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs in 2010 and 2014, respectively. With improved three-point accuracy and a more developed post game, he will return to the Cavaliers a better player than he was when he left, an amazing feat considering he registered a PER of 31.7 in 2008-09 and 31.1 in 2009-2010, two of the best individual marks in league history.

Miami's lack of depth, youth and athleticism was exposed against the Spurs, but it was still an elite team. In Cleveland, James' chances of winning another title next season might not be as great, but there is no shortage of young, talented players. He will team with fellow No. 1 overall picks Kyrie Irving, Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins, as well as recent top-five selections Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. James will also reunite with Anderson Varejao, and the Cavs reportedly are trying to acquire some of the sharpshooters who spread the floor for him with the Heat. There's also the whole Kevin Love thing.

In the story, an as-told-to with SI's Lee Jenkins, James addressed his decision at length, including Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's infamous letter.

To make the move I needed the support of my wife and my mom, who can be very tough. The letter from Dan Gilbert, the booing of the Cleveland fans, the jerseys being burned -- seeing all that was hard for them. My emotions were more mixed. It was easy to say, “OK, I don't want to deal with these people ever again.” But then you think about the other side. What if I were a kid who looked up to an athlete, and that athlete made me want to do better in my own life, and then he left? How would I react? I've met with Dan, face-to-face, man-to-man. We've talked it out. Everybody makes mistakes. I've made mistakes as well. Who am I to hold a grudge?

I'm not promising a championship. I know how hard that is to deliver. We're not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I'm realistic. It will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010. My patience will get tested. I know that. I'm going into a situation with a young team and a new coach. I will be the old head. But I get a thrill out of bringing a group together and helping them reach a place they didn't know they could go. I see myself as a mentor now and I'm excited to lead some of these talented young guys. I think I can help Kyrie Irving become one of the best point guards in our league. I think I can help elevate Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. And I can't wait to reunite with Anderson Varejao, one of my favorite teammates.

James focused on his Northeast Ohio roots, thanked the Heat organization and said he had the responsibility to lead. He'll also lead the NBA into a new era, where Cleveland is once again a powerhouse.

LeBron James is teaming up with Kyrie Irving in Cleveland. (USATSI)

Rockets Poised to Make Texas-Sized Offers in NBA Free Agency to LeBron, Melo

There is a chance, however small, that LeBron James will take his talents away from South Beach next month, reversing his infamous decision in 2010 and torpedoing the Miami Heat's self-esteem—along with their title hopes.

If it happens, executives around the league will rejoice and raise a boisterous toast to the end of the Heat and the superstar model they represent.

Rival execs might even write a few Jimmy Fallon-style thank-you notes:

Thank you, San Antonio Spurs, for making the Heat look ordinary and unworthy of the Chosen One's presence.

Thank you, Dwyane Wade's knees, for eroding prematurely.

Thank you, Father Time, for making the Heat's aging reserves appear better suited for a shuffleboard tournament than an NBA-title chase.

And thank you, 2011 NBA lockout, for producing a labor deal that made the Big Three model nearly impossible to sustain.

If James flees, presumably in search of younger, livelier teammates, it could signal the end of the NBA's Big Three era.

The Spurs have three stars, but two are nearing retirement. The Boston Celtics' Big Three broke up two years ago. No other team currently has three certified stars who are all in their prime.

Given the extreme constraints imposed by the 2011 labor deal, it will be nearly impossible for any franchise to replicate the Heat's roster-building feat of four years ago.

However, one franchise is quietly plotting to at least try to revive the Big Three model. And before you dismiss its chances of doing so, consider the fact that it's the same team that stunned the NBA in each of the last two summers.

Teammates on the 2012 Olympic squad, LeBron James and James Harden could become partners in the NBA if Houston can lure the Heat superstar this summer.

In 2012, the Houston Rockets snared James Harden in a blockbuster trade.

In 2013, the Rockets lured Dwight Howard in free agency.

Now, Rockets officials are aiming for the trifecta, with their sights set on the biggest prize of all: LeBron Raymone James.

A long shot? Perhaps. But the Rockets have defied expectations before.

League sources say that Houston is preparing to make an all-out push to land James when free agency opens on July 1, assuming James opts out, as expected. If the Rockets miss out on James, they will turn their full attention to Carmelo Anthony. Chris Bosh is also on the radar.

There are rumblings that James will start weighing his options this weekend. One rival executive pegged his chances of leaving Miami at 40 percent.

The competition for James' affection will be fierce, but Houston's pitch may be tough to beat.

The Rockets already have the league's best guard-center tandem (Harden-Howard), solid young role players (Chandler Parsons, who is set to become a restricted free agent, Patrick Beverley and Terrence Jones) and an owner (Les Alexander) who is willing to spend. Houston also has all of its first-round picks for the next couple of years as well as a knack for finding talent late in the draft.

Like Florida, Texas has no state income tax, negating Miami's advantage on that front and giving the Rockets a big selling point in their pursuit of Anthony. (A player pays about 10 percent more in taxes in New York than in Texas.)

What the Rockets don't have is salary-cap room. But they could clear about $19 million by unloading a few players, starting with Omer Asikand Jeremy Lin, who are taking up a combined $16.7 million in cap space.

GM Daryl Morey has methodically built the Rockets into a Western Conference power, adding James Harden and Dwight Howard over the previous two offseasons.

However, their contracts are unique and potentially difficult to move:Asik and Lin are each due a massive $15 million balloon payment next season, although they count as $8.37 million each for cap purposes. Then again, their contracts expire in 2015, so the commitment is minimal.

Sources say the Rockets are confident they can trade both players to teams with cap room and thus take back no salary in return.

There is ample interest in Asik, an elite defensive center who could start for most teams. Lin will be tougher to move, although the Rockets could include a draft pick to pair with him as a deal sweetener.

Houston would then need to trade two minor pieces—DonatasMotiejunas and Isaiah Canaan—and waive a few players with non-guaranteed deals to create the $19 million slot. Once they sign a star, the Rockets would re-sign Parsons by using his Bird rights.

The new starting five would be James, Harden, Howard, Parsons and Beverley. That's worthy of title-contender status, even in the ultra-competitive West. Indeed, that lineup is arguably superior to the one James joined in Miami four years ago.

Harden and Howard are a younger, better version of Wade and Bosh. Parsons and Beverley are more talented than any of the Heat's current supporting cast.

Sub in Anthony instead of James, and the Rockets would still have an incredibly dynamic team that would be capable of challenging the Spurs and the Thunder.

Carmelo Anthony is expected to test the free-agency waters by opting out of the final year of his contract with the Knicks next week.

That $19 million starting salary would mark a slight pay cut for James or Anthony, but both are inevitably heading for pay cuts this summer anyway, wherever they end up.

The crowd chasing James will be thick, of course.

Cleveland can offer promising young players—including the No. 1 pick in this year's draft—and the allure of coming home. It's the storybook ending everyone would love (except for those in Miami).

The Los Angeles Clippers can offer their own Big Three vision, withChris Paul (a close friend of James) and Blake Griffin. But their path to cap-room relief is much more complicated than the Rockets', and it would cost them DeAndre Jordan.

The Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers will likely come calling, too. But the Lakers roster is barren, the Bulls' best player is coming off two knee surgeries, and the Mavericks' franchise star—Dirk Nowitzki—is 36.

The Brooklyn Nets are hopelessly capped out. The New York Knicks are cap-clogged and talent deficient.

If the Heat were just another suitor, they would have a tough time selling James based on their roster alone. Miami has no depth, no young talent in the pipeline and little payroll flexibility thanks to the massive salaries of its three stars. But they could all take a pay cut and extend the era.

Or James could flee for greener pastures once again.

The Rockets, as much as ever, will be waiting.

Heat stars reportedly mulling new contracts to add Carmelo Anthony, create Big 4

When the Miami Heat signed free agent starsLeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade in the summer of 2010, it registered as an immense achievement by Pat Riley and his front office and the source of much consternation for basketball fans intent on upholding a certain ideal of competitive balance. If new reports are to be believed, then the Heat have another superstar team-up prepared for this upcoming offseason. Somehow, it's arguably even more daring and creative than the last one.

According to a new report from Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com, the Heat are currently exploring options that would allow the franchise to add current New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony to their preexisting Big Three of James, Bosh, and Wade:

The mere concept would require the star trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to all opt out of their current contracts by the end of the month and likely take further salary reductions in new deals that start next season to give Miami the ability to offer Anthony a representative first-year salary. The Heat also are prevented from making any formal contact with Anthony until July 1 and can do so then only if he opts out of the final year of his current contract. Anthony has until June 23 to notify the Knicks of his intentions, according to sources.

But the success of the Heat's 2010 free-agent bonanza has established them as the NBA's undisputed destination franchise, with owner Micky Arison empowering big-thinking team president Pat Riley to attempt to pull off another coup in the market despite new collective bargaining agreement rules aimed at preventing it. [...]

James' off-court business is booming, thanks to a string of investments paying off massively and the prospect of new opportunities in endorsements and entertainment projects promising to expand his wealth significantly in coming years. [...]

With cooperation from their stars and role players Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen, who also possess player options for next season, the Heat could open up in excess of $50 million in cap space this summer and have the most financial flexibility in the league. The only Heat player locked into place for next season is Norris Cole at a salary of $2 million, though Riley will have to contend with a handful of cap holds for pending free agents as well as their upcoming first-round pick in the draft later this month (No. 26 overall).

It's necessary to note that this report refers to an early planning stage and not a set of imminent decisions by all involved parties. For one thing, the biggest barrier is likely out of the Heat's direct control. If Anthony chooses not to opt out of his salary, he stands to make more than $23.3 million in the last season of his current contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer. If he opts out and re-ups with the Knicks with a new max deal, he would make even more money. Because free agents can earn more money by re-signing with their current teams, signing with the Heat would require Melo to accept a salary at a lower max level even if these plans didn't require him to forgo a max salary entirely. Plus, without the global bargaining power of LeBron, Bosh, and Wade may decide that they won't have such an easy time recouping their money via endorsements and other business deals. Essentially, all four stars (to say nothing of various role players) would have to decide a championship is worth more than ludicrous amounts of money — possibly as much as eight figures in salary per season for each player — left on the table.

No matter the likelihood of this scenario coming to pass, the mere mention of it is likely to rub some fans the wrong way. In 2010, the Heat became villains for a perceived unwillingness to win fairly. LeBron, in particular, was seen as escaping the hardship of sole stardom for the comforts of a manufactured All-Star team in which championships were virtually guaranteed. While the Heat's various challenges and struggles over these past four seasons would seem to serve as evidence that no title is ever assured, the prospective acquisition of Melo would set off a whole new round of criticism, even as each player gets older and commentators ask critics to consider the past Hall of Fame teammates of past greats. James and the Heat have rebuilt their reputations, but this move would not be popular.

On the other hand, it would reinforce the idea that imposing salary cap restrictions is not a particularly good method of engendering competitive balance. During the 2011 lockout, owners used the aftermath of Miami's Big Three acquisitions to push for limitations on player movement and less lucrative contracts overall. If Miami's stars and Anthony all opt for smaller sums of money for a chance to win championships, then they essentially will have molded the same desires and incentives that existed prior to 2011 to the contours of this new collective bargaining agreement. (In fact, it's arguable that artificially limiting earning potential makes it more attractive for great players to take sub-max salaries to win.) What these players will not have done is change the essential facts or spirit of the CBA, which mostly decides the money that players and owners get to earn. Competitive balance cannot be legislated so easily.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/heat-stars-reportedly-mulling-new-contracts-to-add-carmelo-anthony--create-big-4-013631820.html

Heat bounce back, tie Finals with the Spurs at 1-1

The Miami Heat evened the 2014 Finals series, 98-96, against the San Antonio Spurs, Sunday (Monday, PHL time) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio Texas.

Games three and four will be played in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday and Thursday (Wednesday and Friday, PHL time).

A Tony Parker triple gave the Spurs the lead, 93-92 with 2:26 left, but Chris Bosh came up with a pair of big plays, first nailing a triple, which turned out to be the go-ahead basket, and then finding Dwyane Wade for a layup, 98-93, 9.4 seconds left.

After LeBron James finished a vicious dunk to tie the game at 15-all, the Spurs closed out the first quarter on an 11-4 run.

In the second period though, the Spurs’ offense ground to a halt. They shot just 30.4 percent, compared to 57.9 percent in the first period, and that allowed the Heat to catch up. Back-to-back hits by Tony Parker with 2:55 left had the home team up five, 41-36, but they missed their last six shots, to create that tie.

After the break, James missed just one of his seven field goal attempts, to register 14 in the third period alone, but after a Ray Allen layup made it a five-point game, 71-66, a pair of Mills treys swung the lead back to San Antonio, 74-73, under minute left.

A pair of jumpers by Dwyane Wade found the bottom of the net, but a floater by Tony Parker capped of the period, with the Spurs on top anew. - AMD, GMA News

LeBron: Heat ready for challenge

MIAMI -- LeBron James heard Tim Duncan's comments when the NBA Finals rematch was finally set and fully understood them, even though he wasn't bothered by them.

After the San Antonio Spurs clinched a meeting with the Miami Heat, Duncan made a strong statement when he said: "We're excited about it. We've got four more to win. We'll do it this time."

James said he wasn't bothered by the comments and called the entire Spurs organization "professional," but he certainly understood the message being sent.

"They don't like us, they don't. I can sense it from Timmy's comments over the last couple of days," James said after the Heat held an extended practice on Monday. "They wanted this, they wanted us and we'll be ready for the challenge."

After blowing a five-point lead in the final minute of Game 6 last season when the Larry O'Brien Trophy had been wheeled to the edge of the court and yellow tape prepared for the postgame celebration, the Spurs have lived with the disappointment for a year. Which is why Duncan added: "We're happy it's the Heat again. We've got that bad taste in our mouths still."

"[Duncan's comments] don't bother me. Once you get on the floor, you've got to play. We're confident. We're not shying away from them. We want them, too," James said. "I don't think it's personal. Like they said, we left a sour taste in their mouth."

Unlike in the last round when the Heat ended up in a frustrating back-and-forth with the Indiana Pacers, particularly Lance Stephenson, there was no edge in James' tone. After getting back to the Finals in 2012 after a bitter loss the previous year, James can relate to the Spurs and is taking a very level-headed approach into the series.

"They've been preparing for this moment, we have as well," James said. "No one is entitled. This is no one's championship. It isn't ours, it isn't theirs, it's two teams fighting for it."

Heat Head To 4th Straight NBA Finals

The Miami Heat joined very elite company Friday night when the team won a fourth straight Eastern Conference championship title by beating the Indiana Pacers.

The Heat became just the third franchise in NBA history to ever make it to four straight NBA Finals joining the Boston Celtics (1957-1966; 1984-1987) and the Los Angeles Lakers (1982-1985). But Miami is far from done and is poised to join an even more elite group by winning three straight championships.

The last two teams to make it to four straight NBA Finals, the Lakers and Celtics in the 1980’s, won two championships during their four year runs. Miami already has two championships in the can and could three-peat with a victory in the 2014 NBA Finals.

The teams that have won three-straight championships included some of the greatest players in the history of the game, names like: Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant.

The Heat is now on the cusp of joining that elite group if the team can knock off the eventual Western Conference champion, either the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder. Coincidentally, the Spurs and Thunder are the two teams Miami has beaten the last two seasons to win its two straight championships.

The Spurs and Heat have played each other seven times dating back to 2011 and Miami has won five of the seven games, including four last year in the NBA Finals. The Heat and Thunder have played eight times dating back to 2011 and Miami has a 5-3 record against Oklahoma City, including four wins in the 2012 NBA Finals.

Whoever wins in the Western Conference will be facing a Miami Heat juggernaut that is peaking as the team hits the NBA Finals.

How good was the Heat in the Game 6 victory over the Pacers? With eight minutes to go in the game, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade had a combined 63 points. The entire Pacers team had 67 points.

Miami will get the next five days to rest before the NBA Finals get started next week with Game 1 either in Oklahoma City or San Antonio.

LeBron James Breaks Michael Jordan's Playoff Record for Most 25-5-5 Games

LeBron James has something Michael Jordan doesn't: the NBA playoff record for most games with at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists.

In Monday night's victory over the Indiana Pacers, James tallied 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. It was the 74th time he eclipsed the 25-5-5 plateau in the playoffs, so he now owns a piece of postseason history:

King James' record-setting performance came in his 151st playoff game. Jordan's last 25-point, five-rebound and five-assist effort came on May 31, 1998. It was his 173rd career playoff game, which means James accomplished this feat while playing in 22 fewer postseason contests. 

Ergo, James is better than Jordan. 

Relax, he's not. Indulge your sense of humor for a moment. 

What James has done is incredible. It reinforces his individual dominance and, as Pro Basketball Talk's Dan Feldman points out, lends a helping hand to a great, never-ending basketball debate:

"Is LeBron the greatest player ever?

No. Not yet. He just hasn’t played long enough to deserve it. Being the greatest player ever requires both an incredible peak — check — and a lengthy run of being at least very good. LeBron doesn’t quite have the latter yet.

But he’s getting there. LeBron will retire as the greatest player of all time, and the more he passes Jordan in counting stats, the more difficult that will be to deny."

Rather than use James' latest conquest as another means to pose mind-bending, profanity-laced arguments, though, let's just agree to appreciate this for what it is: spectacular.

As Feldman notes, Jordan still holds the edge if you reset the benchmarks to 30 points, five rebounds and five assists; he has 51 of those to James' 47.

But who gives a flying Lance Stephenson? James has appeared in fewer playoff games than Jordan thus far, so he's going to break that record, too. And when he does, it won't change much, if anything.

Both players are all-time greats. There is no debating that fact. They're two of the best. Instead of pitting them against each other right now, let's zero in on the one guy who is still, you know, actually playing.

Enjoy LeBron for who he is, not how he compares to MJ.

Thanks to James, the Miami Heat are one win away from advancing to their fourth straight NBA Finals and five victories away from successfully completing their three-peat. Focus on that. 

You know James is.

"I'm motivated enough to try to get back the Finals," James said of Stephenson's trash talk following Game 4, per USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt. "That's motivating enough, and being one of the leaders of this team, I have to do my job."

His job is to contend for a third consecutive championship now and worry about his ties to Jordan later.

Heat Shouldn't Worry About LeBron Leaving

MIAMI — Well, actually, NEW YORK. 

That's where the Miami Heat were on January 9, to play the struggling New York Knicks. That's where the Madison Square Garden media played to their reputation, trying to coax an unusually loose and loquacious LeBron James into revealing a little about Carmelo Anthony's offseason plans...and, by extension, his own.

A reporter asked James how he had been able to avoid answering questions about free agency this time around, as Anthony couldn't seem to do the same.

Long pause.

Smile.

"See me?" James said. "I don't talk about it."

Was it easier because the Heat were winning?

"No, it's easier that I'm in Miami, and he's in New York," James said. "New York media [are] a little bit different than Miami [media]. You guys don't take no for answer. So...I don't have to deal with that." 

He said that with a touch of smugness, and it led to some snickering from the Gotham press corps, as well as a recoil from this reporter, since it came off like a suggestion that South Florida reporters were soft.

Maybe we are.

Or maybe we just realized, once James clearly set the terms at the start of training camp, that there wasn't much point to daily poking and prodding. Browbeating would lead to silence and stonewalling and thus, nowhere.

With Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, LeBron James is within a series of reaching his fourth straight NBA Finals.

Either way, here were are, in late May, in the Eastern Conference finals, with James chasing his third straight title, and everyone is still looking for any sort of answer about what James will do this summer. But they're generally doing it on their time, not his.

And so, while the four-time MVP is still seven wins from another ring, he can already declare a different sort of victory. Somehow, he has masterfully managed to keep his status from serving as a distraction to the Heat's championship chase in a way he couldn't control the conversation during his last season (2009-10) in Cleveland.

Sure, the Bristol-based carnival barkers have desperately tried to stir the pot with breathless, baseless proclamations, hoping the public forgets about all their misfires about James and the Heat over the past four years. But now, the silliest stuff isn't sticking as it once did, as was evident when the latest flare-up in the LeBron-to-Cleveland angle got kicked aside by the hotter topics of Landon Donovan and Mark Cuban.

After Thursday's Heat practice, James shooed away a question about the Cavaliers securing the top spot in the NBA draft by insisting that he had more important issues on his mind. That's been his consistent answer to the occasional attempts to engage him, and there's no certainty that he'll openly address his future after the Heat play their final game of this postseason, whether in this series or the next.

So no, none of us who regularly cover the team can know for sure, or even be sure that James knows. We can only collect clues while being careful not to make too much of any particular one. After all, few pegged Miami as even a possible destination at this stage of the 2010 spring, not after the Heat had bowed out in the first round. We can only take educated guesses based on incomplete evidence, and the guess here is that James' two most likely actions are either opting in to spend at least another season with the Heat, or opting out to sign an extension that guarantees several more seasons with them.

Simply, I'll be surprised if he leaves, even for a home state about which he still has fond feelings, even with his sidekick (Dwyane Wade) no longer a full-time regular-season player, and even with Pat Riley needing to restructure the aging Heat roster. 

I'll be surprised because James frequently praises his coach, Erik Spoelstra, without prompting, and even repeats some of Spoelstra's phrasing to reporters, reminiscent of the way that Alonzo Mourning always parroted Riley. I'll be surprised because he has seen the strength in organizational stability, and only one organization (San Antonio) has been as stable as the Heat over the past two decades. I'll be surprised because, while free agents will follow him to most places, Miami's high sun-to-taxes ratio has proven an additional inducement to attract the ideal complementary parts. I'll be surprised because when the Heat travel north these days, James commonly complains about the cold. 

After winning two titles with Miami, LeBron James has adopted some of the language used by Heat coach Erik Spolestra.

I'll be surprised because James cares about his legacy, a concern that probably boxes him into at least one more Miami season. If the Heat win a third straight title, it makes little sense to walk away from a chance to win a fourth in succession, something that Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson never did. And if the Heat fall short and he flees, his repolished image will get another scratch, with some certain to see weakness in another run from failure. 

I'll be surprised because he doesn't have many places to go. 

I'll be surprised if he goes to Cleveland after the Screed of Comic Sans, and because of the Cavaliers' comically poor rebuilding work since Dan Gilbert posted that takedown of James on their website. I'll be surprised because that return presents the possibility of making things worse for James there: What if he can't give Cavaliers fans the championships that he gave to Miami?

I'll be surprised if he goes anywhere else, because there simply aren't that many enticing options in major markets, at least until some franchises (Clippers) clean up their acts and others (Knicks) clean up their caps.

Mostly, though, I'll be surprised because some of those closest to him will be surprised. That includes his teammates, those with whom he's spent most of his time for the past eight months, those with whom he tends to communicate most freely. They haven't wanted to touch this topic on the record, at least not honestly and completely, but some have privately pooh-poohed—even eye-rolled—the "leaving" chatter for months. They continued to do so even after Cleveland won the lottery on Tuesday. 

No, James won't talk about his future to the prying press, from Miami, New York or otherwise, and that's been for the best so far. 

But I wouldn't surprised if he's given hints to one, or some, of those who seem so sure.

 By Ethan Skolnick, Miami Heat Lead Writer