Top Five Reasons LeBron James Should Stay with Cleveland

As the NBA's free agent period approaches, any team with sufficient cap room is going to try to go after LeBron James and so many other superstars on this year's market. The Knicks, Clippers, Nets, and Bulls are the four most notable teams trying to lure James away from Cleveland.


James has made it clear that his goal is to put himself in the best position to win a championship. This hints that he, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade might try to sign with the same team.

While this would be exciting to watch, James has no business leaving where he is. Here are the top five reasons he should stay:

5. How can he be sure that he will sign with another superstar?
Free agents tend to follow the money, so if James signs with the Knicks expecting to play with Bosh and Wade, there is the possibility they will take bigger contracts elsewhere. then what? Two years ago, Baron Davis signed with the Clippers expecting to play with Elton Brand, then Brand followed the money for Philadelphia, leaving Davis in a horrible situation. Let's hope this does not happen to James.

4. Ohio is where he grew up
Hometown stories are always fun to cheer for. James is not specifically from Cleveland, but Akron is close enough. He is already the biggest celebrity from Ohio, especially in Cleveland. Don't forget back in October when James criticized former Cleveland Browns Receiver Braylon Edwards, and that week the Browns traded him to New York. James has so much power in Cleveland he can affect the football team. He could probably tell the mayor what to do if he really cared to.

3. He Owes it to Cleveland
This is similar to the last reason, but it focuses on the city itself. The last Cleveland professional sports team to win a championship was the Browns in 1964. Since then, Cleveland sports teams have seen enough heartbreak. "The Drive" against the Browns obviously tops the list, as well as their move to Baltimore. But there are also the Indians, who lost two World Series in the 1990s. James has a golden opportunity to change that with the Cavs.

2. Cleveland Invested so Much in Him
Ever since the Cavs drafted him, they have made drastic personnel changes to fit his needs, including signing Mo Williams, keeping Zydronaus Ilgauskas, signing Shaq, and trading for Antwan Jamison and Delonte West. Recently, they fired their coach and GM in order to try to keep him around. They are one move away from being a championship team. Adding a player who can defend the wing and shoot outside consistently would solve their playoff woes.

1. Staying in Cleveland is Important to his Legacy
The greatest of the great athletes in every sport usually stay with their teams and try to build them up into championship contenders. Peyton Manning took over a dysfunctional Colts franchise and turned them into a Super Bowl team. Michael Jordan took over the Bulls and turned them into a dynasty. If James wants to be mentioned in the same league as these people, he should try to make it work with the team that drafted him instead of just giving up because of having to overcome some obstacles. Manning had to overcome six playoff losses and didn't win a championship until he was 30. Jordan had to overcome the Pistons in the middle of his career and didn't win a ring until he was 27. At age 25, James should man up and face his obstacles with Cleveland instead of taking the easy route by trying to sign with a team full of superstars. It will be harder, but much more rewarding and better for his legacy.
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