LeBron James and One Man's Dream

Two nights after the Celtics eliminated the Cavs from the playoffs, I had a dream that I was playing two-on-two with LeBron James and Mo Williams on a rooftop playground (I might have been channeling my inner Above the Rim for the setting).

I don’t generally admit to dreaming about two men, but the LeBron pseudo-coronation at the start of the playoffs and the post-elimination fallout had the two men weighing on my subconscious.

Now, the ongoing free agent hoopla forced my hand to put it on a computer screen.

The dream began on the rooftop with everyone shooting around. Mo Williams casually asked me if I wanted to play two-on-two against him and LeBron. I mentioned that the teams might be slightly unfair considering my partner had on a gorilla mask (Why? I don’t know). Nevertheless, Mo got what he wanted: the best basketball player in the world, on a team with seemingly stacked odds in their favor.

Before we started playing, Williams kept running his mouth that they were going to demolish me and my gorilla-masked partner. As the game started, the Gorilla picked up Mo and every inch of my six foot frame stood in front of LeBron before each possession hoping for the best.

As the game progressed, the Gorilla and I surprisingly kept up with LBJ and Mo (Remember, it’s a dream). After we went up by a couple points the game turned serious, like a regular season NBA fourth quarter. The importance of the game/dream came on three consecutive plays.

1. At game point, LeBron drove past me and the Gorilla rotated over and fouled LBJ hard, pushing him in the back. LeBron went down and sat there looking to Williams to come over to help him up. To LeBron’s chagrin, Mo looked off LeBron, picked the ball up, went to the top of the key, tossed the Gorilla the ball, and said “check.” Meanwhile, LBJ gave Mo the typical Kobe Bryant, "I just got fouled and it didn’t get called" stare-down he usually gives referees.

2. LeBron, after the ball is checked, kicked the ball to Mo on two separate occasions for open looks that Williams passed up. The frustration is written all over LBJ's face and somehow I force him into a fadeaway, which he missed. The Gorilla snatched the ensuing rebound and threw an outlet pass to me that Williams stole. As he drove to the hoop for the win, I somehow block his shot.

Williams then called a weak foul in a ploy to get the ball back and save face. I call BS and he gets in my face. A heated argument turns physical as Mo pushed me, I hit him in the temple, and he gets knocked out.

3. LeBron played peacemaker after the fight which angered Williams after he groggily came to. Mo then thought that LeBron took my side. Mo started talking more smack and the Gorilla steps in. LeBron then unleashed a torrent of emotion at Mo, a culmination of his frustrations in Cleveland.

“I’m not taking his side but why should I even take yours. No one shows up in the playoffs but me. I have to carry a team with guys who won’t even pick me up off the court when I get knocked down. Even today against a skinny white guy and a gorilla you won’t take or make open shots that I create. How can I have faith in you guys in a big game? How can I trust you guys?”

Mo hung his head and walked out of the gym without a fight, just like in the last two playoffs. LeBron headed to a balcony that I follow him out to (not sure what the Gorilla does at this point but he is no longer in the dream). I asked him why he went off at Mo like that and if he is going to play in Cleveland again.

“How can I? I don’t know though, how can I leave? I fell stuck in the middle of…"

(Enter wake up ALARM sound, dream over)

So as the great Austin Powers said, “Whoopty doo Basil, what does it all mean?”

Well, my initial thought was that LeBron wants to stay in Cleveland but is going to Chicago. I let that marinate until today, the official start of free agency and the LeBron Sweepstakes. Everything that has happened since then: Delonte West and Mrs. James, the alleged “Free Agent Summit," the rumors of LeBron in New York, the Cavs firing Mike Brown and Danny Ferry resigning, Tom Izzo staying at Michigan State, the constant ESPN filler stories, LeBron’s speech in Akron, and the Bulls trading Kirk Heinrich for cap space have all solidified what my dream told me.

LeBron is going to be a Bull.

Think about it.

Even with a new GM and coach in Cleveland, they still don’t have the money to build a championship team around LeBron. With the last two years as an example, if LeBron doesn’t play well the Cavs can’t win (if he went 6-for-24 in a Game Seven a la Kobe, there is a zero percent chance the Cavs win that game).

If you believe that he wants to win championships, which at my core, I do, that rules out the Knicks (Gretzky to the Kings situation), Nets (too risky with the USSR backing the team), and Clippers (no explanation necessary).

The Bulls already have that nucleus in Derrick Rose (top five point guard at worst) and Joakim Noah (solid big man). Keep in mind that Chris Bosh has all but said, “I’m going where LeBron goes,“ and that is a pretty damn good top four.

He won’t go to Miami because he understands his legacy and understands that he has to win a championship where he is the top guy. Having D-Wade on his team, while potentially causing who is the best player/who is taking over the game in the fourth quarter problems, creates the “LeBron only won because he had Wade on his team legacy” (see: Kobe pre-2009 legacy).

He also doesn’t care that he “is playing in Jordan’s shadow.” Last time I checked, everyone is playing in Jordan’s shadow. LBJ is the same guy that displayed such reverence to Jordan that he petitioned the league to retire the number 23 earlier this year, which he is personally doing next year regardless of what team is on.

Besides, who wouldn’t relish the opportunity to directly carry the torch from a legend? Kobe did it with Magic, Pierce to minor extent did it with Larry Legend, so it can be done. Don’t you think he would drive into the arena everyday determined to get his own statue just like MJ did? I do.

Here’s where the last part of my dream comes in. The “I feel stuck in the middle of…” part.

To me that means he is stuck in between feeling like he will abandon his hometown of Akron and his desire to have a legitimate shot at winning multiple titles. Remember, his loyalty is to Akron, not Cleveland. That makes a difference. Whereas people in Cleveland will see him as a turncoat with the hated Bulls, the people from Akron will understand the context of his decision for the most part, even if they don’t like the end result.

Everything in the dream really boils down to LeBron’s sense of loyalty. He doesn’t sense it from his team or organization, he fears losing it from his hometown, he doesn’t want the perception that he doesn’t have any for Akron, and he wants to be loyal to his goal of winning championships.

To thine own self be true LeBron and get the Gorilla off your back. Wake me up when he signs with Chi-town.