“Really don’t think LeBron James and Cavs will have a third dance together”: Marc Stein elaborates on the logic behind Dan Gilbert, Koby Altman and co not angling to trade for The King

LeBron James is the greatest athlete to represent Cleveland. But it seems that Dan Gilbert and co are now done with recruiting him.

Through 11 seasons of playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James put on the kind of show that perhaps only 1 or 2 other players  in NBA history were able to match. Bron revitalized basketball culture in a city that had stopped short of success for the longest time.

His first spell with Cleveland was all about feel-good vibes, mixed in with faint hopes of contention. It was so great that despite the acrimonious fashion of their split, Cavs fans couldn’t help but welcome their GOAT back with open arms when he returned in 2014.

4 Finals trips and an unforgettable championship run later, LeBron moved on to the Lakers. But for most NBA fans, the lasting image of his career will be that of him holding the Larry O’Brien in 2016.

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However, if Cavs fans want one last dance with The King on their side, they’re probably not going to get it. Even if King James strives his best to return to the land of his greatest triumph.

Marc Stein reiterates that Dan Gilbert and Koby Altman won’t be recruiting LeBron James

One of the pettiest pieces of NBA literature came from Dan Gilbert about 12 years back. The Cleveland Cavaliers owner and financial magnate wrote a spiteful open letter in Comic Sans font, promising Cleveland fans that they’d win a championship without LeBron.

While James and Gilbert put that incident to the side when LeBron wanted to return to the Cavs, things of this nature don’t emerge without some extra fuel. And it seems Dan Gilbert still lets a part of that fuel govern the way he runs the Cavaliers.

Senior ESPN writer Marc Stein wrote a column describing how Gilbert and Koby Altman have now permanently moved past King James in their plans for the Cavs’ future. Some striking quotes by Stein about the situation go thus:

“This franchise, this organization, this ownership, this front office, they’ve had to hear, for a zillion years, ‘you’ve never done anything without LeBron, LeBron is your only path to relevance and success, there hasn’t been a playoff berth without LeBron since ‘98.’”

“If we could get their unfiltered thoughts, I really don’t think they want to remarry LeBron James and Klutch Sports, because when LeBron is with the team, he puts a lot of pressure on the front office.”

“He puts a lot of pressure on ownership. He wants to call the shots, and I don’t think they want to live that life again.

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