Cavs, Bulls make their pitch to LeBron James

By Brian Windhorst

The Cleveland Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND

The LeBron James free agency tension has been building for 18 months; Saturday may just have been the climax.

The two teams James is believed to be most seriously considering, the Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls, got the final two sit-downs with the star at his downtown Cleveland offices. The ideas exchanged and messages received in the eighth-floor conference room during the sunny summer day may help sway James’ complex decision.

The Cavs met with James first and did so for around 90 minutes Saturday. According to sources, the team wanted to keep the meeting rather short and focus on the team’s familiarity with him and his comfort level with the franchise.

New coach Byron Scott, general manager Chris Grant, assistant general manager Lance Blanks and owner Dan Gilbert were the principles in the meeting. In addition to presentations from Scott and Grant about their plans, sources said the Cavs showed James a cartoon featuring him and his friends as characters.

It was made in a “Family Guy” style, which is one of James’ favorite shows, that featured some inside jokes related to the team. The team is believed to have been working on the cartoon for around six months.

Those who know James personally know that he loves cartoons, inside jokes and cheap laughs. The central part of the Cavs’ pitch is that they know him the best.

“We had a very good meeting with LeBron and his group,” Grant said after the sit-down. “It went well. It was fun. It was very interactive. Obviously, we know LeBron well. I would characterize it as positive.”

To set the scene, the Cavs organized a “fan tunnel” down East Ninth Street that eventually drew hundreds who were provided black “Home” signs by the team. A large group of fans gathered around the garage entrance to the building that houses James’ office.

When the Cavs’ group arrived in two vehicles, fans tossed powder over the cars to mimic James’ pregame ritual. James arrived a few moments later in a third different car he’s used this week.

“We think it is pretty incredible that LeBron choose to have these meetings here in Cleveland, his home,” Grant said. “We want to thank the fans for the turnout and support.”

The Bulls were the last of the six teams to see James. They were represented by owner Jerry Reinsdorf, general manager Gar Forman, president John Paxson and coach Tom Thibodeau. Unlike most of the teams before them, they did not appear to have a great deal of presentation equipment.

The final meeting with James lasted just under three hours. Chicago also has met with top free agents Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, twice, in fact, this week. Chicago has about $27 million in salary-cap space, room for one maximum-level free agent but not yet enough room for another.

James is believed to be intrigued with signing with the Bulls, largely because he likes the city of Chicago and because of the talent on the roster. Ironically, in losing to the Cavs in five games in the first round of the 2010 playoffs, the Bulls were able to showcase the development of young players Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.

However, the Bulls would have some work to do to convince either Bosh or Wade to pair up with James because they don’t have early cap space for two maximum contracts. Free agent forward David Lee and Carlos Boozer also have met with the Bulls, which would be fall-back options.

According to sources, James has been highly involved in all of the meetings and has asked direct questions and challenged each team. However, despite pressing for his feelings, James has remained non-committal to any team in the process.

There is not expected to be a timetable for James’ decision, but with a great deal of NBA business waiting on it, the pressure to decide likely will build over the next week.