LeBron James returns to Cleveland, where he will still have a complex and complex heritage



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CLEVELAND – It is tempting to hold a referendum on Cleveland fans' relationship with LeBron James.

They got up and applauded Wednesday night so that means it's appreciated? He is always welcome? What is he

It was charming, but it's still difficult to have a perspective on James' course, unique among the greatest in the NBA.

The Cleveland Cavaliers performed a perfectly successful video tribute that showed James's lasting impact on the community. This was a follow-up to James's sequel to the final of the 2016 final. Unless you come to Quicken Loans Arena with a cold heart, you'll be standing up.

But the Cavs are also awful, now 2-14 and heading for the worst league record. They will probably be a bad team for a while and James's departure is the main reason. That's what makes all this so complicated, the balance between what LeBron gives and what he takes. Cavs fans, especially those who were raised in the James era, had to live at once.

There are a lot of James' hardcore fans, many came into the arena wearing his jersey in all its forms. Despite the late start of the arena, the arena was not completely filled on Wednesday, and the secondary market for banknotes was lukewarm. This was undoubtedly the game of the season at the Cavs 'schedule and there remained a missing advantage that James' return was to bring.

The enthusiasm was greatest in the building when the Cavs tried to keep a lead in the fourth quarter – they could not – by honoring the biggest player in the history of the franchise. They could not stop it, that is human nature.

James still had another great match – 32 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists – but the fans just wanted their team to win. In 2010, when he came back with the Miami Heat, Cleveland fans just wanted James to lose. They did not care who he was playing. TV ratings have proved that. When the Miami Heat was played, the report of nocturnal assessments often looked like this: 1. Miami; 2. Whatever the team played Miami; 3. Cleveland.

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The interest of Cleveland fans for the performance of the Los Angeles Lakers is only passenger. They are not dedicated enough to see what James is doing. And most games are too late anyway.

This creates this question: Will LeBron James be loved by many, but loved by little?

While moving away from Wednesday's emotions, it was felt that it is there that Cleveland lies with James. It also happens that Miami is with him too. He had a nice ovation earlier on this trip and he will still have it. Then he buried the team that has never been so good since he left and started doing it again in Cleveland.

James's journey to becoming a beloved Laker is going to be difficult. Nothing against him is that the norm is so high. Maybe it will happen there, it's impossible to say now. The Lakers fans already like it clearly because it has made their team both enjoyable and relevant. Ticket prices and ratings have skyrocketed.

For James himself, that might be a distinction he does not care about anyway. He has repeatedly emphasized that his priority is to create a wonderful life and generational wealth for his family and friends, and to leave a mark on the community that has raised him by helping disadvantaged children.

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His visit to his I Promise Wednesday morning school replaced basketball – the Lakers canceled the shoot so he could surprise the kids – and that those lives that he changed were much more important than the perception of their fans.

He recounted that he had seen a girl so moved that she had burst into tears and that he could not help taking her in his arms. Honestly, who could argue with that? Will he remember longer than this tribute or video tribute that he said he did not watch? What will he think about during Thanksgiving: the length and veracity of the ovation or the red velvet cake of his wife that he was looking forward to?

James seems to be determined enough to set his priorities.

Cavs fans do not have this clarity. Perhaps they came closer to this direction on Wednesday, when that night created a positive and not infamous memory. Maybe everyone will have to wait for the retirement of the jersey or the unveiling of the statue.

This will however take a little longer because confused feelings are also part of James' legacy.

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