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It seems to me lately there’s been some talk about this guy in the NBA, some player named LeBron James. Now apparently this player and his team just lost a disappointing series to the Boston Celtics, and soon he’s going to be a free agent. Apparently, he’s also a very good player, who could very well be an all time great player. There’s been lots of talk about where he should go in free agency, where he actually will go, who would give him the most money, who would give him the best chance to develop his legacy.

Now I don’t know much about basketball, but I do know something else. If this LeBron person wants to develop his legacy, there’s really only one team that makes sense to sign with.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are this team.

A team like the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, or Miami Heat may provide the best chance to win a championship soon, but if LeBron is as good as people say, and he wants to be remembered as one of the all time greats, Cleveland is the place to be.

Cleveland is generally considered to be “cursed” as far as sports go. They haven’t won a major championship in anything since 1964, when the Cleveland Browns won a NFL Championship. The Browns of the NFL and Indians of the MLB are generally considered to be in the bottom quarter of their respective leagues. The Cavs have been the cities only glimmer of hope, and LeBron has been the paramount reason for this. Ever since drafting LeBron first overall in 2003, the Cavs have only gotten better and better, climaxing in the franchises first ever trip to the NBA Finals in 2007. Though the last few years they’ve failed to reach the Finals, the Cavs have still been among the best teams in the NBA.

If LeBron were to leave Cleveland now, many people predict that the Cavs will take a major step backwards. If LeBron leaves, he could possibly go down as one of the greatest villains in Cleveland sports history. If LeBron leaves to join a large market team like the Knicks or Bulls, he could win some championships, and be a great player in their histories, but it’s doubtful he would ever become the greatest.

Now if LeBron were to stay in Cleveland, the Cavs may be able to keep up their success. Generally it’s considered that LeBron had no supporting cast this past season. The Cavaliers were 60-22, and that’s LeBron with no supporting cast. Now imagine if LeBron takes a pay cut from what he possibly could make on the Free Agent market, and says to the Cavs “Hey, I’m giving a hometown discount to you, so now you go out, get me a real team, then maybe I can do something for you”. If he does this, the long term result would probably be a NBA Championship, maybe later than he would get with the Heat or Bulls, but a NBA Championship nonetheless. And it would be a Championship for a city who hasn’t won any championship in 45 years. How does that sound for a legacy?

To the city of Cleveland, LeBron James could become a hero or a villain. He can make whatever choice he wants to with his career, it is his career after all. He can make his decision about whether he wants money or success or a legacy. I don’t know about the formers, but if he’s looking for the latter, Cleveland is the only place to do that.

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