There will be less of LeBron James to fear and marvel at this NBA season.
The retooled and slimmed down Cleveland Cavaliers star is “in the 250ish range,” paving the way for his hometown return to be one for the ages. “I’m a lot lighter than I’ve been playing at in the last few years,” James added. “But I feel good.”
That well could mean the ultimate pain for all the league’s 31 other teams. With Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving also part of the Cavaliers’ equation, the early money is on Cleveland soon having the distinction of being able to hoist an NBA championship flag outside Quicken Loans Arena that, in terms of size and stature, rivals the one of The King that hangs there.
And all it took was James’ new no carbs, no sugar, no dairy diet. That, along with persistent thoughts of his ever-evolving legacy as his weight loss is all part of an overall plan to increase his speed and extend his longevity.
“That’s not such a good thing for the competition,” James said of his smaller frame and quicker approach. But it could be a great thing for the city of Cleveland and the resurgent Cavaliers organization as a whole, both of whom are already clearly ahead of the game just by virtue of the fact The Chosen One chose to forgive and forget in returning to his roots.
“Well, you know it was a straightforward conversation,” James said of the first sit-down he had with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert after he blasted him as a “self-declared King” further saddled by a “curse” in the wake of his decision to leave his hometown Cavs to form the Big 3 in Miami after the 2010 season.
“It was no beating around the bush,” added James. “He basically said, you know, ‘No matter what decision you make, we wanted to clear the air. And — you know, to where we can if we see each other in — in public or we see each other wherever, if I’m competing’ against you — we can always shake each other’s hands and look at the fun times that we had — in Cleveland while we were together instead of focus on a one night that kind of, you know– everyone kind of focuses on.’”
And now, everything seems all forgiven, and, not so coincidentally, everything appears on the rise around Cavs Nation.
