00:00He covers the Cavaliers for the Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com.
00:03Make sure you read all of his work there.
00:04You can follow him on Twitter, now X.
00:07And, of course, catch him on the Wine and Gold Talk podcast.
00:10He's Mr. Chris Fedor.
00:11Chris, welcome.
00:12Hey, hey, no red card for you, man.
00:14All green.
00:16No, and if I did get a red card, maybe they would overturn it.
00:19That would be nice.
00:19I don't know if the president could call in for you.
00:22You know, it might help.
00:23What kind of card do they give you in kickball?
00:26No card.
00:27Straight ejection.
00:28Unfortunately.
00:28No cards in basketball.
00:30No cards in all the sports that I grew up playing.
00:33Why do you even bother to hold up a card?
00:35Can't you just, like, make a holding penalty?
00:38So everyone can see it.
00:39So the game can keep moving.
00:40That's why.
00:42I mean, you've got to let everybody know.
00:44And you've got to write on the card who the offender is.
00:47Oh, good point.
00:48You know, you've got to keep track of all that.
00:50Let's be honest.
00:51Umpires have to do the same thing when there's a change in the order.
00:54That's true.
00:55You've got to hand it to the corrupt FIFA gods.
00:58Always good to pull out a piece of paper and a pencil in this day of computer technology.
01:03There you go.
01:05Chris, my friend.
01:07Yes.
01:08What makes you happy?
01:10Where would you find happiness if you were a free agent sports writer?
01:15Well, I don't know if it's the same thing that makes LeBron James happy.
01:20I would want a lot of money.
01:21I would want a prominent role.
01:24And I would want to travel less than what I travel currently in my job.
01:29OK, so you're looking to play 50 games.
01:32Is that the deal?
01:33Not go on the road?
01:35Yes.
01:36Load management throughout the course of the regular season.
01:39That would be very nice.
01:40A carpal tunnel that sneaks up on you fast.
01:43You don't want to mess with that.
01:45It does.
01:45And those late nights and the early mornings and all the flights.
01:48All of that has done a number on my body.
01:51It has sent me to physical therapy multiple times.
01:54Do you think, and by the way, credit to LeBron and Rich Paul and Maverick Carter and Randy Mims.
02:02They never cease to take advantage of a great opportunity to be relevant.
02:08So good for them.
02:09OK, let's get that out of the way.
02:11Good for them.
02:13Isn't the storyline that would get LeBron the most pub, like going to Miami to team with Giannis or going
02:21to Golden State to team with Steph?
02:23To me, though, I think it would be an interesting fit and a good fit for the Cavs.
02:28If LeBron came back home again, I think the rest of the NBA and fans around the country would go,
02:34oh, good, he's going back home to retire.
02:37Well, I think you hit on the I think you hit on the key point here.
02:40I think a lot of people here in Northeast Ohio have just assumed that there's no other logical destination for
02:47LeBron.
02:48And I just don't view it that way.
02:50And I don't think the rest of the league views it that way.
02:52Now, I do believe that people around the league see the Cavs as appealing to LeBron and maybe even the
02:58perceived frontrunner.
03:00And if you look at all of the odds makers, they have to have Cleveland as well, because, number one,
03:05he can compete for a championship here in Cleveland.
03:07And, of course, number two, what a better way to end your story than writing the final chapter where it
03:14all started and potentially competing for a championship and maybe delivering the city another championship.
03:21So when you talk about the sentimental factors that would point to happiness and you talk about the basketball-related
03:29reasons that would point to happiness, yeah, I do think you can make a strong argument for Cleveland.
03:35In fact, for Cleveland.com, I wrote that that may end up being the best definition of happiness.
03:40Returning to the Cavs may end up being LeBron's best definition of happiness.
03:44But we can't just assume that he would be unhappy elsewhere, right?
03:49I think he would be happy in Miami.
03:51I think he would be happy in Philadelphia.
03:53I think he would be happy in Denver.
03:56I think Rich Paul saying what he did during his podcast and putting all of the different options on the
04:02whiteboard, but also saying that LeBron, if the Knicks, in another world where the Knicks didn't win the NBA championship,
04:10LeBron would be going to New York this offseason.
04:13That was fascinating.
04:15Wasn't that fascinating?
04:16I think it was fascinating.
04:17Yeah, because you have to ask yourself, okay, why?
04:20Why would he want to go to New York?
04:22And what has taken New York out of the mix here?
04:25And if you start looking at it from that standpoint, you have a situation where LeBron's fine with going somewhere
04:33other than a place that he's already been, right?
04:36That's what that tells you.
04:37It also tells you that LeBron is fine going to a place that is not Cleveland.
04:43It also tells you that LeBron is fine going to a place that maybe you would look at and say,
04:50hey, it would be kind of funky for him to wear a different kind of jersey in his final season.
04:56So I don't think you can overlook that particular comment from Rich.
05:01Now, obviously, there are drawbacks to New York.
05:03You can't go to a place that just won a championship where Jalen Brunson led them to a championship.
05:09But all of this is to say that I do think he's considering other options other than just Cleveland.
05:15And I think just like you can make a strong argument for the Cavs, you can make a strong argument
05:20for a couple of these other teams that were on that whiteboard, too.
05:24Agreed.
05:24I wonder how the hype gets wrapped around this.
05:27There's a part of me that goes, you know, if he ends up going somewhere else, he could always turn
05:31around and go, well, you know, Cleveland gave it their best shot.
05:34And at the end of the day, we decided to do this.
05:36You know, there was a part of me that really, really, really wanted to go back to Cleveland.
05:40But I just decided at the end, maybe, you know, the storybook ending needs to end here rather than there.
05:47I'm not saying we're getting played or the Cavs are getting played.
05:50I'm saying that he's keeping them as a contender until the very end, just so we can go back and
05:56say, you know what, look, we gave Cleveland a really hard look on this.
06:00I think they're being purposely vague.
06:03And I think the reason that they're doing that is because everybody's definition of happiness is different.
06:10And when you say it as the thing that he's looking for most is supreme happiness, nobody knows how to
06:18define that.
06:18And nobody knows what that actually means because there's only one person who can define that, and it's LeBron James.
06:25But this way, it lets you know that it's harder to pinpoint exactly what it is that is going to
06:34drive this decision,
06:35and it's harder to pinpoint and circle one team that stands out from the rest.
06:40And that makes this free agency decision for LeBron different than every other one that he has had to this
06:47point in his career, right?
06:49If you go back to 2010, there was a logical destination or there are a logical group of destinations aside
06:58from Cleveland because what was he looking for at that point in time?
07:01Everybody knew that he was looking for a chance to compete for a championship, a roster that was set up
07:07different than the one in Cleveland,
07:09a team that had a better chance than the Cavs did at that point in time, a team that gave
07:14him a better chance to get his first ring.
07:17He was starving for a championship at that point.
07:20So the only place that he was going to go or the only places that he was going to consider
07:25had to be ones that he looked at and said,
07:28OK, I can win a championship there. I can compete there.
07:32In 2014, I think the allure of coming home was so powerful because of everything that happened while he was
07:39in Miami,
07:40him turning into a villain, undoing the decision, the smudge on his resume at that point in time,
07:47a chance to rewrite his legacy, a chance to deliver on a promise.
07:51There was only one place that he was going to be able to deliver on that kind of promise, and
07:56it was Cleveland.
07:57In 2018, I think everybody knew that he just wanted to be a Laker.
08:01That was the few around the NBA.
08:03But now you have this situation where, OK, it's not exactly money.
08:08It's not only basketball stuff. It's not only off-the-court stuff.
08:13So you're sitting here and you're trying to guess and you're trying to read between the lines,
08:18and I think they like it that way.
08:20I think they like that LeBron is back in the spotlight given the way that he was treated by the
08:25Los Angeles Lakers.
08:26I think they like that LeBron can still, you know, pause free agency in the NBA,
08:31and he can be the biggest draw to a team like the Cavs, like the Miami Heat, like the Minnesota
08:40Timberwolves, like the Denver Nuggets.
08:43You know, few guys can stop the NBA in its tracks the way that LeBron can.
08:48And I think they're being purposely vague in part because of that and in part because, you know,
08:55there are multiple options that could fill his happiness bucket.
09:01Chris Fedor joining us from the PlainDealerCleveland.com.
09:04I found one thing interesting. Tell me if you did.
09:09He, Rich, apparently said that the Cavs would be, it would be an even better situation had Darius Garland not
09:19been traded.
09:21I thought, wait a minute, everybody kind of thought they'd be a better playoff team with Harden,
09:26but if you don't think they're a better team, then are you just trying to hook up with clutch clients
09:31here?
09:33What did you think of that?
09:35I think that was Rich doing what Rich does and being the great agent that he is.
09:40Yeah, I thought so.
09:42Look, I mean, the other person that he talked about glowingly was Tyrese Maxey, who is a clutch sports client.
09:51Another person that he talked about with great praise was Brandon Weems,
09:56who we all know the relationship between LeBron James, Rich Paul, Brandon Weems.
10:01Another person that he talked about in glowing terms was Giannis, because, of course, Giannis is one of the best
10:08players in the NBA.
10:11Draymond Green, he spoke about another clutch client.
10:15So, yeah, I think obviously, you know, when you have Rich on a podcast,
10:22you also have to understand that there's a reason why he's going to say some of the things that he's
10:28going to say.
10:29I don't think LeBron is going to look at this situation in Cleveland and say,
10:33you know what, Darius Garland's not there, so I'm just going to cross the Cavs off my list completely.
10:39In fact, I do think that there is a draw to James Harden being a member of the Cavs,
10:45as opposed to Darius Garland, and it's the readiness of this team to win a championship.
10:50And I think LeBron would look at James Harden and say he is more ready as a basketball player
10:56to win a championship or compete for a championship than Darius Garland is.
11:01But Rich Paul can't say that, because he is a clutch sports client, and he represents Darius Garland.
11:08And, of course, he's going to put him up there and take a shot at the Cavs that Darius is
11:13no longer there,
11:14because he has to do that. He has to support his guy.
11:17Let me throw a name at you, just real quick.
11:19Kaminga.
11:20Does that mean anything? What do you think?
11:23Yeah, I mean, like, at this point, for the Cavs in free agency, the options are not good.
11:30If LeBron James chooses to go somewhere else other than Cleveland,
11:36that small forward spot that no longer has Dean Wade occupying it,
11:40look at the list of guys that are available in this free agency class
11:45that could give you some minutes, I guess, at the small forward spot.
11:50But it is awful.
11:52And it wasn't good to begin with.
11:54It wasn't.
11:55And I think that's part of the reason why, you know, LeBron has kind of overtaken free agency
12:01is because, you know, that's probably the thinnest group of players available.
12:06And, you know, everybody needs a guy that looks and plays like LeBron James,
12:11and there aren't a lot of them in free agency.
12:13So look at it. Pull up that list.
12:15I mean, Jonathan Kaminga, you could argue, is probably the best two-way wing,
12:21and two-way is really being generous there.
12:25The best potential wing that is out there on the free agent market right now,
12:29especially with Rui Hachimura agreeing to a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers.
12:34So if it's not Jonathan Kaminga, I mean, you're talking about Zaire Williams?
12:39James, oof, like former lottery pick, but, you know, hasn't done anything at the NBA level.
12:46But you would have to squint really, really hard to say, hey, like that guy on a team
12:51that has championship aspirations like the Cavs could actually give us quality,
12:58consistent, real minutes now that Dean Wade no longer occupies that spot.
13:03Chris, I've said if you drop LeBron into what's left of the core four and Harden
13:10could be an absolutely perfect fit.
13:13The only concern I would have, and your colleague Terry Pluto wrote all about it,
13:19if you drop LeBron in here with Mobley and Allen and Mitchell and Harden,
13:25are there enough shots to go around?
13:29Well, I think one of the important things that happened this past year in Los Angeles
13:33is LeBron showed that he could kind of take a step back
13:36and he could transition into a third option offensively,
13:41and he could be really, really effective in that.
13:44And I just think LeBron's the kind of guy who could fit anywhere.
13:47He could fit on Mars.
13:48He could fit in Philadelphia.
13:50He could fit in Cleveland.
13:52You just plop him in a place, and he's going to find a way to make it fit.
13:57He is that smart.
13:58He is that talented.
14:00He is that versatile.
14:02There isn't a place where you could bring up where I could say,
14:05no, LeBron's not going to make a tangible impact by going there.
14:10Now, is it the most seamless fit in the world?
14:13No, because there's kind of wonky in terms of spacing situation.
14:18Do you have enough defense with James Harden, this age LeBron, Donovan Mitchell?
14:24Like, no, it's not the perfect basketball-related setup,
14:28and there are things that the Cavs would have to do from a roster construction standpoint,
14:33and maybe they would consider reconfiguring the roster
14:36and potentially trading Jared Allen for another piece that makes more sense,
14:40or trading Dennis Schroeder and other stuff for a piece that makes more sense,
14:45or Max Struth and other stuff for a piece that makes more basketball-related sense.
14:50But LeBron, every step of the way throughout the course of his career,
14:53he has figured it out, no matter the position, no matter the role, no matter the situation.
14:58And that's the beauty of somebody like LeBron James, and very few guys are able to do that.
15:05So even though you would look at it and say, LeBron needs shots, and LeBron needs touches,
15:10and James Harden needs shots and touches, and same thing with Donovan Mitchell,
15:13I think LeBron is so smart and so willing to do whatever it takes to win a championship
15:18that he would just figure it out.
15:21Kind, sir. Thank you.
15:22We appreciate your time, as always.
15:24Thanks, man.
15:25Read him in theplainedealercleveland.com.
15:27Listen to him on the Wine and Gold Talk podcast.
15:29Chris Fedor, thank you.
15:31You got it, guys. Anytime.
15:32Thank you, sir.
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