by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni
Prior to last night’s pivotal Game 6 in Boston, there was an overwhelming sense of inevitability for fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The shaken nerves were palpable, because what was at stake was so meaningful to the future of their team, to say nothing about the future of so many other NBA franchises.
Following the Celtics’ unceremonious elimination of the underachieving Cavs — Cleveland became just the third team in NBA history (including last year’s Cavs) to fail to reach the Finals after winning 60 games in the regular season — we are left with many more questions, and very few satisfying answers.
What does Cleveland and their owner Dan Gilbert do about Mike Brown, Shaquille O’Neal, and the remainder of the supporting cast (which came up short on the big stage, yet again)?
Oh, right. There’s the matter of the elephant in the room: LeBron James’ impending free agency. James, as is his custom (and given right), played it close to the vest during the postgame press conference — he gave no real hint as to what his future plans are.
Before the final buzzer sounded last night, media members were already trotting out rumors from their so-called sources about where LeBron James will end up after July 1st. Even Kevin Garnett couldn’t help himself from opining on LBJ’s dilemma.
The truth of the matter is that no one truly knows anything about his future, that of the Cavs, and that of many other franchises who are preparing their pitches to James.
The courtship of the most hyped free agent in NBA history officially begins in about 7 weeks. The only guarantee, is that you will already be sick and tired of hearing about it well before then.
