A City Reborn

The battle may be lost, but the war has just begun. I write to you, my fellow Clevelanders, to tell you that this is not the end. Yes, we're hurt, beaten, bruised and heartbroken, but we are not out for the count. We put our hopes and pride into one man, a human being. We've forgotten about ourselves, we've forgotten our own pride. As Clevelanders we will never forget, and this time we may never forgive, but we should also never fail. We should never fail ourselves and believe that one man can bring a city of one heartbeat to it's knees. The man we know as LeBron James, The King of Akron, has turned his back on us, on Cleveland, on his so-called "family". This is where we stand up, we remember who we are, and become stronger as a whole. Never before has one man become a stronger global icon, but also never before has one man brought so much shame. Not shame to himself, but shame to those who followed him. The shame he will endure will come when we renew our pride, and remind him that we were Cleveland before he came along, and we will damn sure STILL be Cleveland without him.

At approximately 9:30pm on July 8th, 2010, LeBron seemingly made Clevelands heart stop beating. However, this city is indestructible. Consider the history, consider the triumphs, and consider the hurt. We as Clevelanders have always come out stronger then when we went in. We will rebound, we will rebuild, and we WILL make it known that the flame on our torch has only been refueled. This dark cloud that looms over our city is but an illusion. Let your pride guide you, let it be your light. This is the day you step back, and remember where you're from. It's time to show those who don't believe and make them understand why we do believe, why we continue to fight. We've never given up before, why give up now? One man can make a scene, but a city banded together can make an impact. So I'm asking you, my fellow Clevelanders, do you have what it takes to revive this machine, to stand on your own two feet, and scream it from the bottom of your lungs, "I AM CLEVELAND!"? Do you have what it takes to look beyond the illusions of a disappearing act, of a betrayal, and remember that before he came along, that we were Cleveland? Do you have what it takes, to remember who we are, stand as one, and say "We're not giving up!"?

For those of you who were born and raised here, show your pride, let it shine through. Let it shine so bright that it drowns out the lights of any big city in this nation. Let it be known that together we are stronger than any city of individuals. This will not be our end, our demise. This will be our strength, our encouragement, and the start of something new. A broken heart can be fixed, a broken dream can be redrawn, and a broken city can re-unite. Show the non-believers that we are not just a population, that we are, and always will be, a city of one!

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3 + 6 = Dynasty in Cleveland

For anyone who's an avid NBA follower, you know what I'm talking about. If you're an avid follower and you happen to not have a clue, well... you need to get one. Whether you're an NBA fan or not, names like Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant... all stand out. These are some of the basketball players that are above the rest, the ones who make the headlines. Well, what happens when you take two star level players and put them together? You end up with a supernova level performance. For those of you who watched the 2010 NBA All-Star Game this year, you saw the spectacle DWade (Dwyane Wade) and LBJ (LeBron James) put on. Those of us who have been around long enough to witness the era of Jordan & Pippen, know what it's like for two players to be able to feed off each other like that.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not comparing "Jordan & Pippen" to "Dwade & LBJ". It's a whole different ballgame now than it was then, and comparing the two would be like comparing a 1957 Chevy to a Nissan 350Z... they just aren't the same type of machinery. Needless to say you're probably wondering when I'm going to get to the point, well here it is. LeBron and DWade have not closed the door on teaming up. Currently at the time of this blog, the Cavaliers sit atop the NBA with the best record, again... whereas the Miami Heat have sunk to a dismal 29-29 while cliffhanging at the number 8 spot for playoff seeds. LeBron wants rings, DWade wants more rings... see where I'm going?

Cleveland has more than shown LeBron over the past 7 years that they are willing to do whatever it takes to keep him here, as well as surround him with a championship calibre team. Whether this be the year that the Cavs win it all or not, this summer is going to be epic. Consider the fact that LeBron's supporting cast is quite a pick of the litter, what reason does he have to leave. If Danny Ferry was smarter than the average bear, which he seems to be, he'd drop the bomb on LeBron and tell him he's in the market for DWade this summer. I don't just mean for Ferry to "say" he's going after DWade in the free agency, but SHOW LeBron he's going for him, giving LeBron little to no reason to leave.

Let's consider the cast of what makes up this Cavaliers team. You have Mo Williams, able to create plays, drive the lane, a menace from 3-point land (usually), and can make free throws. Then you have Jamario Moon, who's a solid defensive player who's got high-flying ability and is able to shoot the 3-ball. Toss J.J. Hickson into the mix, wow... what a shining star he's turning out to be, able to drive the lane, grab boards, block shots, and he's got the energy to do it all. Once J.J. solidifies his inside post-up game and close-range jumper, watch out. Add Anderson Varejao to the mix and you have a high-energy guy who will dive to the floor to get at a loose ball, who's shown he can make short-to-mid range jumpers, block shots, get down the floor, and isn't afraid to take hard fouls. Quite the cast Danny Ferry, quite the cast.

Add all that together, with a few other essential pieces that are already in place, and you've got one hell of a supporting cast for a duo like LBJ & Dwade. Now, you're probably wondering by now why the title of this blog says "3 + 6 = Dynasty in Cleveland"... well here's your explanation. DWade currently holds #3 on the Miami Heat, whereas LBJ currently holds #23 on the Cavs. However, LBJ has stated that he'll be switching to #6 next year out of respect for Michael Jordan. There's your "3 + 6". As far as what's after the "="... I'm thinking that adds up to the number of years this dynasty would wreak havoc. I'm most definitely not saying they would win 9 championships, but I can guarantee they'd be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.