Filed under: Cavaliers, Heat, Lakers, Mavericks, NBA Fans, Thunder

In The Works today: the Positional Revolution gets defensive; Pau Gasol, médecin; and Kevin Durant pops up on a rap mixtape.

But first, LeBron James visits Akron and talks about Cleveland.

He Loves Them, He Loves Them Not: When LeBron James decided to take his talents to South Beach, for once the reigning MVP did not look back, or over his shoulder. He defied some of the NBA‘s toughest conventional wisdom, as Michael, Magic, and Larry rushed to remind him. James also risked being seen as a man who would destroy his hometown for a few pieces of silver.

Yet as dastardly and double-crossing as his free agency may have been, it most definitely was his. For once, James didn’t act like he was watching the polls, consulting the superstar manual, or carrying around a focus group in his luggage. The story of LeBron James has been as much about his image as his successes and failures on the court.

So when James thanked his hometown of Akron in a newspaper ad, but excluded Cleveland, it was refreshing. Brutal and unfair, yes. But again, the game’s best player once again dared to make an unpopular choice.

Was there a good reason for it? I can’t call it. Cleveland and Akron are separate cities, each with its own history; closeness often leads to rivalry and ill will; all of James’s charity work has been for Akron; and who knows how he’s feeling about Cleveland these days. Or maybe it’s just another case of faulty Horsemen PR, and I’m getting all excited over nothing.

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