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Cleveland Cavaliers: 2016 Offseason Grades

By Gerald Bourguet

Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the fourth quarter with guard J.R. Smith (5) against the Golden State Warriors in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the fourth quarter with guard J.R. Smith (5) against the Golden State Warriors in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cleveland Cavaliers
Jun 22, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, left in yellow cap, celebrates during the NBA championship parade in downtown Cleveland. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

The Return Of The King

Everyone assumed LeBron James would re-sign with his hometown Cavaliers after bringing the franchise its first ever championship. It took awhile, but Cleveland made the (third) return of the King official with a three-year, $100 million contract.

The deal, which will pay James $31 million in 2016-17, will make him the NBA’s highest paid player for the first time in his Hall of Fame career. Never a better time than right after resurrecting Cleveland from a 3-1 Finals deficit and leading them to a title against a 73-win juggernaut!

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King James Gospel

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    • Though it’s insane that LeBron was never the league’s highest paid player until now, when he’s entering his age-32 season, there’s no question he deserved his latest payday. No matter what else happened this summer, Cleveland’s offseason would’ve been a success as long as they brought back their best player and hometown hero.

    By signing King James for at least two more years (with a $35.6 million player option for the third year), Cavs fans can rest easy knowing their basketball savior will keep them in the title hunt for the foreseeable future. As long as Cleveland has LeBron, they should be the overwhelming favorites to represent the East in the Finals.

    That may not last forever, especially as the minutes continue to pile up and LeBron approaches his mid-30s. But don’t forget, this is the same guy that most people doubted as recently as this season. None of that stopped him from closing out the last three games of the Finals with a 41-16-7-3-3 masterpiece, a 41-11-8-4-3 performance and a 27-11-11-3-2 triple-double in the clincher.

    LeBron is built like a freight train, he’s a cyborg when it comes to continually avoiding injury and he’s learned how to pace himself during the regular season. The Warriors have assembled perhaps the most formidable super-team in NBA history, but with the Cavaliers bringing back LeBron, basketball fans everywhere should be excited about the prospect of Warriors vs. Cavs, Part Three.

    Grade: A+

    Next: The Summer Of J.R.?

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