Why LeBron James should return home to the Cleveland Cavaliers

In the summer of 2010 a young man suddenly felt discouraged, scared, desperate and hopeless. He had a big decision to make of whether to stick it out where he called home, or to bring his talents elsewhere. “The Decision” was made, and with two-championships now under his belt another decision currently looms.

NBA free-agent LeBron James has kept us all in the dark. The question of whether he’ll return to the Miami Heat or go back to his home-town Cleveland Cavaliers (where he began his career) is still unanswered.

According to Chris Broussard of ESPN the Magazine, James is meeting with Pat Riley in Las Vegas today as he’ll listen to Riley’s future plans for the Heat organization, according to ESPN.com. With Chris Bosh reportedly interested in accepting a max-offer from the Houston Rockets and Dwyane Wade’s declining abilities, Riley has had to work extra hard these past few weeks to entice James to return.

Here’s the big question though: why should he stay in Miami?

By all accounts, James is a man of great character. While yes, he did screw up during the summer of 2010 (announcing it through the media first), it is the belief of many that he never wanted to leave Cleveland. After the Cavs organization struggled to find another super-star for James during his Cleveland tenure (2003-2010), James felt the pressure.

Today's Meeting btwn LeBron and Riley is at 3 pm in Vegas

— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 9, 2014

The current age of the media puts insane pressure on super-stars to win championships. It was not always like this (see Ted Williams and Willie Mays). Now however, if an immortal player wants to top all other legacies in the sport, multiple championships are a must. James pictured himself as a 30-year-old veteran stuck in Cleveland still waiting for his first title. So he escaped and took the easy way out, teaming with Wade and Bosh.

Now that he has two-titles under his belt, he should do what’s right and return to “his” city, “his” team, and “his” legacy which is the Cleveland Cavaliers; and bring a championship to the starved city that has not seen one since 1964 (Browns).

Going to Cleveland would mean teaming with star-guard Kyrie Irving and number-one overall pick Andrew Wiggins. Both players are extremely young and have their entire careers ahead of them. Irving is a great fit as a point-guard who can shoot, and Wiggins would play the opposite wing. Compare this with the aging Wade in Miami and uncertainty of Bosh, and suddenly the Cavs situation looks a smudge more appealing. Despite this, Riley has done all he can so far, including providing some harsh-words publicly. The question of whether those words angered James and already back-fired on Riley has been brought up.

The signs are already pointing in the favor of the homecoming. It was reported about a month ago that Irving wanted to leave Cleveland. Fast forward a few weeks and it was announced he agreed to an extension for six-years and $90 million, according to USAToday. Could Irving already be aware that “The King” is coming? He sure was dancing like he knew something we did not. Add-on the rumors that moving vans have been spotted near James’ Miami home today and the speculation picks up.

If James does indeed return home, the day Cavs fans burned that number-23 jersey on that fateful 2010 would all be forgiven and a wrong would be righted. James never wanted to leave his home-town, what happened was a 25-year-old young man felt scared and desperate.

What better way to end such a remarkable career for one of the greatest players in NBA history. Finally bringing Cleveland the championship they deserve, and returning as the conquering hero. This my friends would increase the “legacy of LeBron James” to epic proportions.