I wrote a great story the other day (play along, people) and all the rumors started up again about me leaving for the New York Times, so let’s put an end to the nonsense by taking a Rick-o-chet around the world of LeBron:• Relax, folks. Just because LeBron James put up 50 against the New York Knicks, talked to Spike Lee and Jay-Z and got hugged by a fan does not mean he’s going to be playing his home games at Madison Square Garden. …
• James is under contract with the Cavaliers through 2009-10 and has a player option for 2010-11. He’ll almost certainly opt out of the final year of the deal and become an unrestricted free agent, but that doesn’t mean he’s going anywhere. At that point, the Cavaliers can give James a six-year deal with 10.5 percent annual raises. No other team can give him more than five years with 8 percent raises. When you’re talking about the mega millions James will be making, that 2½ percent difference turns into a lot of cash.
• More importantly, the Cavaliers can go over the salary cap to give James a contract. No other team in the league can.
• People in this area seem to want to fear the worst when it comes to James. But why worry about something you, the Cavaliers and even James can’t control until 2010? Just sit back and enjoy the young man’s remarkable basketball talents.
For now, James is doing and saying all the right things. Time and again, he has stated he and his family love the Akron/Cleveland area and he’s happy with the organization. Sure, he always leaves himself an out by saying something like “at this point.” That’s a smart move on his part, because it puts pressure on team owner Dan Gilbert and general manager Danny Ferry to continue to put the necessary players around him to win a title – or titles.
• I’m not part of James’ inner circle, but every part of my Milwaukee’s Best beer gut tells me the only way he’ll leave the Cavaliers is if he becomes very disenfranchised with the franchise. If it comes to that, it will be the Cavaliers’ fault, not James’.
• I know wearing a Yankees cap to an Indians home playoff game and selling a limited edition Nike shoe in New York City aren’t considered the most savvy public relations moves in this area, but people who take that – or his friendship with Jay-Z – as a sign James is going to leave are thinking way too much.
• Besides, the Yankees are also my favorite team. And, like James, my favorite football team is the Dallas Cowboys. I’m not going anywhere (at this point), but I would be willing to sell a limited edition Rick Noland Ink Pen in the Big Apple if the opportunity presented itself.
• While we’re on the subject (sort of), I also feel this overwhelming need to point out that, like James, I also write and eat left-handed, but do almost everything else right-handed.
• If I were 10 inches taller, 90 pounds heavier, three seconds faster in the 40-yard dash and could jump 42 inches higher, there’s no telling what kind of stories I could write.
• On a more serious note, the league MVP race is now a two-way battle between James and Kobe Bryant. Despite putting up some remarkable individual numbers, Bryant has never won the award, the knock on him often being that he was selfish and the Lakers didn’t win enough. Well, the Lakers are winning now, so, barring a collapse, I think this is the year Bryant will win the honor.
• If I had a vote, though, I’d vote for James.
• While we’re on the subject (sort of), if I had to pick one player to help me win one game right now, I’d give a very, very slight edge to Bryant, just because of his mental toughness and total killer instinct.
• If I had to pick a player to build a team around, it would be James by a landslide.
• OK, that’s enough for now. Just remember, there’s no reason to believe (at this moment) that team will be built anywhere but Cleveland.
Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rickn@ohio.net.

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