CLEVELAND: LeBron James woke up at his home Thursday morning and drove north on Interstate 77 into Cleveland, walked into Quicken Loans Arena and rode the elevator up to the practice court on the fourth floor.
He shot free throws surrounded by Cavaliers logos and memories. He dunked on the same rims that hung there his rookie year while the faces and images of a previous life blurred through his mind.
With the Miami Heat set to face the Cavaliers tonight, James is back in Cleveland for a few days. In a bit of a surprise, he left open the idea of one day returning for good.
“I think it would be great. It would be fun to play in front of these fans again,” James said Thursday after the Heat’s practice. “I’m here as a Miami Heat player and I’m happy where I am now, but I don’t rule that out in any sense. If I decide to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me.”
The idea of James one day returning to the Cavs has been tossed around sporadically since he first broached the idea in an interview with GQ magazine in the days after he departed the Cavs in free agency.
Before that could happen, James and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert would have to mend a relationship that was destroyed by James’ departure. Gilbert was irate that James left and how he chose to do it, with a one-hour television special, and retaliated with a scathing letter that was released within hours of the show airing.
While they sat in the same room together for at least one labor meeting during last summer’s NBA lockout, James and Gilbert haven’t spoke since July 3, 2010 — the day the Cavs met with James during his free agency meetings in downtown Cleveland. James said no attempt has been made on either side to patch the relationship but added he no longer harbors hard feelings toward Gilbert over the letter.
“He said what he said out of anger,” James said. “He’d probably want to take it back, but I made a mistake, too. There’s some things I want to take back as well.”
When James returned to the Q as a visitor for the first time last season, he said he had no reason to apologize for his television special. He has slowly softened on that stance over the past 14 months, to the point where he now concedes that it was a mistake.
James is in his second year with the Heat and is under their control for two more seasons. He has an opt-out clause in his contract after the 2013-14 season. He would be 29 then and an 11-year NBA veteran, but a lot has to happen before a James return to the Cavaliers is realistic.
James and Gilbert would have to sit down and both apologize for their actions — James seemed to take the first step with his remarks Thursday. Gilbert has a temper, and he might still be bitter toward James, but he’s also an incredibly sharp businessman who understands what James in a Cavs uniform again would mean to his product — both on the court and in net worth.
If James is serious about returning, Gilbert would almost be forced to swallow hard and take him back.
Those within James’ inner-circle warn that any decision is at least two years away and that fans and media shouldn’t start a countdown clock now. James will have to win a championship first with the Heat, one source close to James said, and there are still plenty of raw emotions on both James’ side and the Cavs’ side that need dealt with in time.
“That time isn’t now,” one source close to James said Thursday.
The Cavs aren’t allowed to comment at all, since James is under contract to another team. But it’s clear that before he could return, Gilbert would want to explain to him that the rules have changed and the organization won’t be as lenient with him as they were the first time.
James likely understands that already. Asked if he could ever play for the Cavs again while Gilbert was the owner, James responded: “Dan is not the coach. I’ll play for any coach. Let’s see what happens.”
All of this is coming, of course, during James’ best season as a pro. The Heat began Thursday a half-game behind the Chicago Bulls for the league’s best record, and James is well on his way to another Most Valuable Player award.
“Time heals a lot of things, and LeBron had many special years here,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “There probably will be a time in the future where he will be embraced and acknowledged for the great run that they had here.”
Dwyane Wade was a big reason James initially left for Miami. Wade, who is staying in James’ house this week, paused and chuckled at the notion of James’ career ending in the place where it began.
“Anything is possible,” Wade said. “Hopefully I’m retired.”
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at http://cavs.ohio.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonLloydABJ.
