Originally Posted by Brian Windhorst
Cleveland Cavaliers ready for meeting with LeBron James
Now it is the Cavaliers' turn.
When the Cavaliers meet with LeBron James on Saturday, the theme of their pitch will center on this being his hometown and how well the team and the fans know and appreciate him.
After two days of meetings with the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers, the hometown Cavs are up next to make their sales pitch to mega free agent LeBron James.
Their strategy, according to sources, will be somewhat different from the other teams' and focus on just how well they know their superstar. The meeting is expected to be relatively short, nowhere near the length of the Knicks' and Heat's, who met with James for more than two hours.
Owner Dan Gilbert, General Manager Chris Grant and new coach Byron Scott are expected to be the principles in the meeting, but other members of the organization that James is close with could be present as well.
The Cavs also plan on playing toward James' sense of humor and playfulness, something with which the team is very familiar. The plan is to keep it loose and informal because of their long-term relationship with James, who has been attending the meetings in T-shirts and sweats while his suitors arrive in $2,000 suits.
Although the Cavs have met with James in person several times since the end of the season, they have been preparing for this moment for several months. While their presentation will not be as flashy as some of the others, sources said the Cavs spent significant money and time in creating their show.
The Cavs have displayed the theme of their pitch with the billboards reading "Home" that are across the city. The feeling of home and the comfort with the team is part of the selling point.
There will, of course, be serious business to discuss. The Cavs have two visions to explain. One is how Scott sees James within his systems and what changes he plans to make.
Scott and James already know each other. They have spent time together at events set up by mutual ally Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. But James doesn't know Scott as a coach. Scott hopes to change that today.
Speaking as if he were addressing James directly, Scott said at his introductory news conference on Friday in Independence that he wants the Cavs to be a running offensive team. That is something James has privately, and sometimes publicly, wanted to do more over the last several seasons.
"You could almost look at LeBron as a Magic Johnson type," Scott said, comparing James to his former teammate with the Lakers and close friend. "He has that type of ability, that type of skill."
The second piece of serious business is the roster upgrades that can be executed if James re-signs. That is where Grant and Gilbert come in. The other teams trying to sign James are working toward bringing in other top free agents. The Cavs aren't out of that game.
According to a source, the Toronto Raptors like some of the pieces the Cavs could use in a sign-and-trade for Chris Bosh. The Cavs, unlike rivals trying to get Bosh such as the Bulls and Heat, can offer a package of prospects, quality veterans, expiring contracts and instant savings.
Because of the depth of the roster, the Cavs can absorb a bad contract or two from the Raptors, which could save Toronto millions of dollars this season and years into the future and help with a rebuilding process after Bosh's departure.
It would all be predicated on Bosh wanting to come to Cleveland, and that would depend on James recruiting him after re-signing. So would all the other major moves the Cavs would look into and show James.
Which is why re-signing him is the first priority, and the plan is to show that to him today.
