Read Sports Geek’s argument that King James should stay in Cleveland and read Bleacher Fan’s argument that James should not sign the extension and leave after next year.
The NBA free agent signing period is basically over. At least the busy portion of the off-season is behind us, but that does not mean there is not some NBA news floating around.
We’ve debated LeBron James before, specifically, his sportsmanship back in one of our earlier debates. This time, we are going to debate the future of King James.
In case you missed it, here’s the latest with James. If you really have not paid any attention to the NBA in the past two years, you know that next year’s NBA free agent class is potentially loaded with talent. In addition to James, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh, and countless others, are set to cash in with a rich, lucrative free agent contract. The Cleveland Cavaliers are trying their best to keep James off of the market by signing him to a contract extension now. They know that once he hits the open market, it’s anyone’s game.
The Cavs have reached out to James and his agent, Leon Rose, about an extension. The Cavs are believed to have offered a three year extension to their superstar, recognizing it is essential to the future of the organization to keep him in a Cavalier uniform.
Sometime within the next year, by June 30,2010, James is going to have to make a decision regarding his future. He must decide if he wants to continue his career in Cleveland, or if he wants to go play for another team, and perhaps a bigger market. You can bet that any team with any type of extra cash and salary cap space is going to make a run at him. But, you can also bet that Cleveland is going to do everything possible to keep #23 in a Cavs uniform. With the Browns and Indians currently going through downturns in their respective sports, the city of Cleveland really needs the Cavs to be relevant. In a championship starved city, the sports fans need at least one of their sports teams to be successful to keep their sanity.
All of that leads into today’s debate. Should LeBron James accept Cleveland’s offered contract extension, or should he decline it and find a bigger market to play in after the 2009-2010 season? Sports Geek will argue that James should accept the extension while Bleacher Fan will argue he should decline the extension and seek out all possibilities next summer, including an opportunity to play in a much bigger market (the Big Apple comes to mind).
The balance of power in the NBA rests on the decision made by James. And the balance of power on this debate depends on the case that you present. Gentleman, I have called a jump ball. Who is going to win the tip?
