thedynasty1998;432686 wrote:
I think Delonte might be the better player, and already has the rapport with the current roster (his legal and mental problems aside).
Should he have told the Cavs in a different manner? Sure. But he didn't handcuff the Cavs anymore than any other free agent who explored their options.
1. This is real life, not video games, so mental and legal problems DO matter, unfortunately. I LOVE Delonte's skill set, but I just think his time in Cleveland is up, and I will gladly have Boobie scoop up those available minutes.
2. I think that a lot of people use the word handcuff because they hear other people use it and think by saying it that they are correct without using it in the proper context, so I will attempt to do so:
It wasn't that Lebron necessarily handcuffed them this free agency season. If you look around the entire league and look at the majority of deals given out, a lot of deals were gross overpayments to players who signed with shitty teams so they could make more money. The Cavs
are not run like a shitty team. The Cavs simply weren't going to go out and sign someone this offseason just to sign someone because Lebron let. Gilbert, Scott, Grant and co. probably only targeted someone who would make sense both lineup wise and financially, and only a few players fit that mold, one of which being Matt Barnes. Barnes simply chose to go elsewhere. It happens, and I don't blame him for wanting to try to win a ring in LA.
What DID happen, however was in the past free agents who did fit the 2 criteria I listed above refuse to come to Cleveland because Lebron wouldn't guarantee his future here (Trevor Ariza is one such publicized one, I'm sure others exist without public knowledge).
Objectively I would be okay with Lebron refusing to commit to a future in Cleveland if he had not stated numerous times his desire to make Cleveland a championship city and it didn't affect the signing of other players. But since he did, then I have a real problem with the handcuffing that took place in the past, and if you still deny my claim of handcuffing, then I guess we'll just disagree on the matter.