There are a lot of rumors and innuendo floating around about what LeBron James will announce today or in the coming days as the July moratorium ends and teams make deals official. Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com reports, via a league source, that James is heading back to Cleveland, and will make the announcement official before he leaves for the World Cup on Saturday.
SheridanHoops.com is so far the only media outlet to announce LeBron’s Decision 2.0 with so much certainty:
The Decision has been made, even though it hasn’t been made public by the man himself. LeBron James is returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, a league source tells SheridanHoops.com.
James met with Miami Heat president Pat Riley on Wednesday in Las Vegas to deliver the news, and Riley did his best to try to get James to reconsider, comparing the stability of the Heat organization to the relative instability of the Cavs, who have a meddling owner and have changed general managers and coaches several times in the past few years, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The meeting lasted about an hour, and James and his advisors them met for dinner. James’ stance did not change, according to the source, but no public pronouncements were made. An official announcement will eventually be made on www.lebronjames.com, as I first reported Tuesday. The news will become official before James leaves Saturday for the World Cup final in Brazil.
James has actually cancelled his plans to fly to Akron after his stop in Vegas yesterday, and will fly directly to Brazil from Vegas. That does nothing to untangle what’s happening, but seems to cast a little suspicion on Sheridan’s report:
LeBron James has cancelled plans to return to Akron, per ABJ sources. Now flying directly from Las Vegas to Brazil.
— Jason Lloyd (@JasonLloydABJ) July 10, 2014
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No other major outlets have reported James’ decision to return to Cleveland, though a growing faction believes it’s a lot more possible than it was just a couple days ago.
LeBron was mum after his hour-long meeting with Riley yesterday in Vegas, and reports have him taking a day with his family to resolve where he’s playing next season.
Source: After meeting with Pat Riley today, LeBron James & Rich Paul will not meet with any more teams. LJ will talk w/family & make choice.
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 10, 2014
So far no has reported a LeBron face-to-face meeting with Cavs — particularly owner Dan Gilbert, whose comic sans rant after The Decision in 2010 was only taken down from the site on Sunday after remaining at a stagnant external link since 2010. This is a mark against LeBron returning, unless they somehow met away from the prying eyes of the Internet.
The fidelity of Sheridan’s news has to be questioned since no one else is reporting the same report with so much certainty. It’s just hard to be sure, much like Frank Isola’s report in the New York Daily News yesterday about Carmelo Anthony re-signing in New York despite his agent and other outlets claiming it’s not a done deal yet.
LeBron James is done talking to teams, and will make his decision soon. That’s all we know for sure, but if you’re a Cavs fan, it’s hard not to be giddy at the prospect.
UPDATE: Sheridan stood by his story this morning on the radio:
Only one Web site, my Web site, is reporting that LeBron James is returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers. There is some skepticism out there, which is only natural.
When the mainstream media is not reporting something as fact, people have their doubts. And I am OK with that.
But I am standing behind my story, which I did this morning on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland on the Kiley & Booms show.
This interview got a little testy, which also is OK for me. I have thick skin. And good sources.
Is LeBron really going to Cleveland?
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