The Miami Heat have reached agreements with their first two free agents, and while everybody is still waiting on LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, these signings are actually a good sign that LeBron is keeping his talents in South Beach.

The Heat announced they have signed power forward Josh McRoberts and small forward Danny Granger.

Neither player is a big-splash signing that would be expected to try and convince James to re-sign, which is why it is a good sign that he has either already chosen Miami or is strongly leaning in that direction.

McRoberts and Granger is not a good sales pitch, but it is what the Heat might do if they believe James is returning. In fact, that is exactly what McRoberts and Granger were told according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

No guarantees made, but Danny Granger/Josh McRoberts committed to Heat w/ strong belief LeBron James will be a teammate, sources tell Yahoo.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 7, 2014

If they don't have a strong commitment from James, the Heat are in an ugly catch-22 situation, as they are building a team to support LeBron. However, there is a strong sentiment that Pat Riley is too smart to do that without assurances from James.

The Heat also traded up to draft Shabazz Napier knowing that James was very impressed with the former UConn player.

Meanwhile, Bosh is "heavily engaged" in talks with the Houston Rockets according Marc Stein and Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN.com. However, according to that report, the Rockets remain a "plan B" for Bosh as he prefers to return to the Heat with LeBron.

Shelbourne later re-emphasized that Bosh is waiting for LeBron's decision.

Important point on Bosh: He's waiting on direction from LeBron, source says, not the other way around.

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 7, 2014

Nothing is guaranteed at this point, but there are signs that James is leaning towards another run with the Miami Heat.

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Chris Bosh wants to re-sign with the Miami Heat and LeBron James even though it is a move that could ultimately cost him up to $30 million.

With James still apparently weighing his options, Bosh was "heavily engaged" in talks with the Houston Rockets and is now weighing a 4-year, $88 million offer according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.

However, Bosh's desire to remain with the Heat as long as James is on board has not changed according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN LA adds that Bosh is "waiting on direction from LeBron."

If Bosh re-signs with the Heat, most believe he would have to accept a 5-year deal worth $80-90 million. Broussard told ESPN Radio the deal would likely "start at $15 or $16 (million per year) but it bumps every year."

If we assume the lower end of that range, Bosh will be giving up $8 million up front. However, he would also be giving up a year of free agency at the back-end of the deal.

If Bosh signs the 4-year deal with the Rockets, he would still be just 34 when he starts his next contract in 2018-19. It is easy to imagine that he will still be worth $17-22 million for a year or two at that point in his career.

In other words, if Bosh stays healthy and productive, he would make $110 million over the next five seasons (4 years with Houston + 1st year of his next contract), or $30 million more than the 5-year, $80 million deal he may have to take with the Heat.

What is most curious about this decision is that Bosh is not weighing an offer of more money from a lesser team. With James Harden and Dwight Howard, Bosh would have a team that would be at the very least on par with the Heat, albeit in the much tougher Western Conference.

But Bosh must really love the idea of remaining LeBron's teammate.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are part of a three-team trade that will send Jarrett Jack and Sergey Karasev to the Brooklyn Nets and Tyler Zeller to the Boston Celtics, ESPN's Marc Stein reports.

Three-team trade will see Nets acquire Jarrett Jack and Sergey Karasev from Cleveland. Boston gets Thornton, Zeller and a first

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 9, 2014

It may not sound like a blockbuster deal, but its implications are huge. By dumping three contracts, the Cavs now have enough cap space to sign free agent LeBron James to a max contract. Per ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the trade could give Cleveland up to $24 million in cap space, while James' max is $20.7 million. 

3-team trade involving Cavs, Celtics & Nets could allow Cavs to open about $24M in cap space. LeBron max is $20.7M

— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 9, 2014

After days of heavy speculation but few actual moves, this could potentially open the NBA free agency floodgates. We'll be following and updating this story as it develops.

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We may be nearing the finish line for LeBron James' second Decision, and if two NBA insiders are right, King James is going to shock a lot of people and return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops (and formerly of ESPN and the AP) has a league source that says James has decided to sign with the Cavs and that the announcement will be made on James' website, LeBronJames.com.

Sheridan later doubled-down on his report saying the national media is being fed misinformation and that he stands by his source and story "100%."

Stephen A. Smith of ESPN was less emphatic but is hearing the same thing. "Based on what I am hearing," Smith told ESPN Radio. "LeBron goes to Cleveland, [Carmelo Anthony] goes to New York."

Even if these sources are just speculating and a final decision has not been reached, many signs are pointing to a James reunion in Cleveland.

James met with Heat president Pat Riley on Wednesday in Las Vegas and left the meeting without making a commitment to Miami, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

On the same day, the Cavs made a huge trade that freed up enough salary-cap room to sign James.

James also reportedly reached out to Mike Miller and one other free agent about joining forces if James decided to leave the Heat.

In addition, the Cavs are also pursuing a trade for Kevin Love and Wojnarowski says that will only happen if James signs with Cleveland. Ken Berger of CBS Sports adds that Love is also interested, but only if James would be his teammate.

Meanwhile, Chris Bosh has decided to sign with the Houston Rockets if LeBron does not re-sign with the Heat, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.

This suggests that returning to the Heat is still possible but possibly unlikely.

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With very little hard information to go on, the world has turned to digging in the most remote locations for clues as to where LeBron James will sign in free agency.

In the last 24 hours alone there have been three particularly absurd LeBron rumors, all of which supposedly pointed to him leaving Miami.

This is peak LeBron free agency, and it is wonderful. The best rumors and conspiracy theories are the ones that hurt no one. That is what we have here.

Let's run through the most absurd rumors.

1. LeBron is going to Cleveland because Mike Miller posted a photo on Instagram that had an old LeBron Cavs jersey in the background.

Miller played with LeBron in his first three years in Miami. It has been rumored that the Cavaliers were looking to sign him.

On Wednesday night, Miller published this photo with the caption, "14 years and still a reason to be even more hungry and motivated BELIEVE ME!!! #LETITFLY."

Interesting, VERY interesting, said Twitter:

Mike Miller's Instagram was interesting. The 23 Cavs jersey seemed like it was put there deliberately

— Nick Dulach (@ClevelandRoxx) July 10, 2014

Mike Miller just posted a very interesting instagram picture.......

— Messi (@JKolengowski) July 10, 2014

Hmmm.. Interesting what is in the background of Mike Miller's latest Instagram. pic.twitter.com/N3P9lB7lqX

— Dustin Fox (@DustinFox37) July 10, 2014

Check the background of Mike Miller's latest Instagram. That's convenient. pic.twitter.com/1c5mVwn6KL

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) July 10, 2014

Mike Miller posts photo on Instagram with a LeBron Cavs jersey casually sitting in background....Coincidence? pic.twitter.com/rHlYG8FDLC

— NBA Pictures™ (@NBAPICTURES1) July 10, 2014

Mike Miller playing Blues Clues on Instagram. Peep the Bron jersey 😕 pic.twitter.com/HVUdGCHd1r

— Kev, GOAT (@KevinJamal7) July 10, 2014

So no coincidence Mike Miller JUST posted this on Instagram, right? http://t.co/l7eiTdE2wE Smooth of him to slide a LeBron jersey in there

— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) July 10, 2014

2. LeBron is going to Cleveland because of the color palette of an unpublished page on his website.

Chris Sheridan, who reports that LeBron is going to Cleveland, also says that he'll announce it on his website, LeBronJames.com.

Grantland contributor Matt Borcas posted this on Twitter. Make of it what you will:

Web developer friend's take on the http://t.co/dXsyYmTPNh stuff: pic.twitter.com/3d8UPEXrTj

— Matt Borcas (@mattborcas) July 10, 2014

3. LeBron is going to Cleveland because he moved his cars.

LeBron moved his cars:

Two Exotic Auto Transport Trucks outside of LeBron's home have just left after loading cars. pic.twitter.com/V6fmN8L6kW

— Jorge Sedano (@SedanoESPN) July 9, 2014

LeBron moves his cars every year:

I can say this now, unequivocally: LeBron James moves his cars every summer.

— Ethan J. Skolnick (@EthanJSkolnick) July 9, 2014

We still have no idea where LeBron will sign. 

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It's no secret that LeBron James is a force in the NBA both on and off the court. But it may be surprising just how much of an impact his free agency decision can have on what it will cost fans of the Cavs and the Heat to attend games.

In LeBron's last season in Cleveland, the average ticket to a Cavs game was $55.95, just $2.60 less than the average ticket in Miami and $7.05 more than the NBA average according to data obtained by Team Marketing Report and statistics.

Since LeBron moved to South Beach, Cavs tickets have actually dropped 22.6% while Heat tickets have increased 33.7% and are now the third-most expensive ticket in the NBA ($78.30). During that same time period, the average ticket in the NBA has gone up just 7.4%.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers only have themselves to blame for LeBron James leaving for Miami in 2010.

While owner Dan Gilbert called it a "cowardly betrayal" and fans ripped LeBron for his disloyalty, the truth is that the Cavs horribly mismanaged the LeBron era through a series of impatient trades for aging players, expensive free agent signings, and bad draft picks.

They had the best player in the world, and they put a terrible supporting cast around him.

The best player LeBron ever played with in Cleveland was Carlos Boozer — who the Cavs lost in the worst free agency debacle in recent NBA history after LeBron's rookie year. The other "stars" Cleveland put next to LeBron were Larry Hughes, Mo Williams, Wally Szczerbiak, 37-year-old Shaquille O'Neal, 33-year-old Antawn Jamison, and 33-year-old Ben Wallace.

LeBron never had a teammate who averaged 18 points per game in Cleveland. Only two of his teammates ever made the All-Star team — Mo Williams in 2008-09 and Zydrunas Ilgauskas in 2004-05.

Here's the full list of significant Cavaliers trades and free-agent signing during the LeBron era (2003-10). It's a brutal list: 

• Acquired Tony Battie and Kendrick Brown from the Celtics for Ricky Davis, Chris Mihm, and Michael Stewart (December 2003)
• Acquired Sasha Pavlovic from the Celtics for a 1st-round pick (June 2004)
• Lost Carlos Boozer to free agency after the Cavs didn't pick up his team option because they thought they had a "handshake" deal to sign him for six years, $41 million. Instead he signed with Utah for six years, $68 million (July 2004)
• Acquired Eric Snow from the Sixers for Kendrick Brown and Kevin Ollie (July 2004)
• Acquired Drew Gooden and Anderson Varejao from the Magic for Tony Battie and two 2nd-round picks (July 2004)
• Signed Larry Hughes to a five-year, $70-million contract (July 2005)
• Signed Donyell Marshall to a four-year, $25-million contract (July 2005)
• Re-signed Zydrunas Ilgauskas to a five-years, $60-million contract (September 2005)
• Re-signed Damon Jones to a four-year, $16-million contract (September 2005)
• Acquired Flip Murray from the Sonics for Mike Wilks (February 2006)
• Re-signed Drew Gooden to a three-year, $23-million contract (July 2006)
• Signed Scot Pollard to a one-year, $2-million contract (July 2006)
• Signed David Wesley to a one-year, $1.75 million contract (July 2006)
• Acquired Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, and Joe Smith in a three-team trade for Shannon Brown, Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall, Ira Newble, and Cedric Simmons (February 2008)
• Acquired Mo Williams from the Bucks for Damon Jones and Joe Smith (August 2008)
• Acquired Shaquille O'Neal from the Suns for Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace and a 2nd-round pick (June 2009)
• Signed Anthony Parker to a two-year, $6-million contract (July 2009)
• Acquired Antawn Jamison and Sebastian Telfair for Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Ilgauskas was later waived and re-signed with the Cavaliers in March (February 2010)

The Cavaliers were acquiring veterans who were pass their prime (Wallace, Szczerbiak, Shaq, Jamison) instead of building through the draft or conserving cap space to give LeBron a proper second option.

To make matters worse, the Cavaliers traded away a bunch of draft picks in that time. When they did have a pick, they didn't put it to good use. Here are all the players they drafted during the LeBron era:

• Jason Kapono (No. 31 overall, 2003)
• Luke Jackson (No. 10 overall, 2004)
• Shannon Brown (No. 25 overall, 2006)
• Daniel Gibson (No. 42 overall, 2006)
• Ejike Ugboaja (No. 55, 2006)
• J.J. Hickson (No. 19, 2008)
• Christian Eyenga (No. 30, 2009)
• Danny Green (No. 46, 2009) 

Most of these guys didn't pan out. None of them were stars.

LeBron left Cleveland in 2010 because he wanted to win a championship. Given the rosters the Cavaliers had assembled over his seven years there, he was right to think Miami gave him a better chance.

The Cavaliers are typically painted in a sympathetic light when it comes to anything LeBron. That's absurd. It's really their own fault that he left.

SEE ALSO: Where Are They Now? The Players From The Loaded 2003 NBA Draft

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Free agent LeBron James can officially sign a new contract today.

As we continue to wait for him to choose between the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, there are police officers and other assorted people in vehicles outside his massive estate near Akron, Ohio.

LeBron isn't there. He's in Las Vegas hosting a basketball camp.

But according to some reports, the Akron police department was told to bolster its presence outside the home because LeBron was going to make an announcement today.

Fox Sports' Sam Amico was told by a cop that they were expecting an announcement at 3:30 p.m. ET, which came and went with no announcement:

To be more precise, no less than five police officers at LeBron James home. They were told to expect a 3:30 ET announcement.

— Sam Amico (@SamAmicoFSO) July 10, 2014

The source on 3:30 stuff isn't some big secret by the way. It's an Akron police officer. He repeated to me instructions from superiors.

— Sam Amico (@SamAmicoFSO) July 10, 2014

An Akron Beacon-Journal reporter said the same thing:

Bath police to increase patrols around LBJ's home after 3 p. when annoucement is expected "tonight."#KingJames

— PHIL TREXLER-ABJ (@PhilTrexler) July 10, 2014

There hasn't been any announcement, but there are still media and other people at his house. Again, he's in Nevada.

Bath Township police outside LeBron James home. @clevelanddotcompic.twitter.com/TgX0MaoA8F

— Mary Kilpatrick (@_marykilpatrick) July 10, 2014

Several golf carts moving inside Lebron James complex @clevelanddotcompic.twitter.com/ZrewKGSb1f

— Mary Kilpatrick (@_marykilpatrick) July 10, 2014

The man in golf cart inside LeBron James complex says he does not know when decision will come @clevelanddotcompic.twitter.com/KIVcDlspdX

— Mary Kilpatrick (@_marykilpatrick) July 10, 2014

Two trucks enter LeBron James' gates @clevelanddotcompic.twitter.com/9Xc1VYRhOJ

— Mary Kilpatrick (@_marykilpatrick) July 10, 2014

Kids scootering inside LeBron James home! It has got to be fun watching all the reporters fumble with cameras! @clevelanddotcom

— Mary Kilpatrick (@_marykilpatrick) July 10, 2014

SEE ALSO: How The Cavaliers Botched The LeBron Era

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On Thursday morning, two NBA insiders were saying that LeBron James was going to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Twenty-four hours later, there has yet to be an announcement and the latest rumors suggest that the tide is turning away from him signing with Cleveland.

While we still don't know for certain what James will do, if he does ultimately pick the Heat over the Cavs, this will be devastating for a Cleveland fan base that has gotten its hopes up over the last few days.

Here are the latest rumors:

The Cavaliers thought they were close to a done deal.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Cavs "believed they were on the cusp of a commitment" from James.

But then James left his basketball camp in Las Vegas and flew back to Miami with Dwyane Wade. The implication here is that Wade is making one last attempt to keep LeBron in South Beach, and it may be working.

For the last couple of days, the Cavs have been operating as if they were going to sign LeBron, clearing cap space and contacting potential free agents and trade targets to fill out a roster around James. According to the report, the Cavs were expecting a call from LeBron on Thursday, and it never came.

LeBron may be having second thoughts because of a scathing letter written by the owner of the Cavs four years ago.

Chris Broussard of ESPN.com writes that "one reason, if not the major reason," LeBron is taking so long to make a decision is the infamous letter penned by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert back in 2010 when James took his talents to South Beach.

"If it wasn't for that letter, this would've been done awhile ago," the source told Broussard.

In that letter, which remained on NBA.com until last week, Gilbert mocked James and called him a "coward."

Then there are rumors that may say something or nothing at all.

On Thursday, ESPN insider Chris Broussard was asked on SportsCenter what he thought the chances were of LeBron signing with the Cavs. He started the day at 75% and it eventually rose to 85%

Then he dropped this nugget on Twitter.

This is getting very interesting. Definitely not at 85 pct for Cavs anymore :)

— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 11, 2014

The Decision is expected soon.

James is expected to fly to the World Cup final this weekend (the match is on Sunday) and both the Heat and Cavs are expecting a decision before he leaves according to Wojnarowski.

Of course, the Cavs were expecting a decision yesterday also, and it never came.

In addition to crushing the hopes of the fans, if LeBron does not sign with the Cavs, he may have crushed the team as well. According to Wojnarowski, the Cavs were told to clear cap space to sign LeBron and they did, giving up a starting center and a 2016 lottery pick.

The Cavs may have a back-up plan, but that is a steep price to pay without a commitment from LeBron.

What we do know at this point is that nobody knows what LeBron is going to do and that may even include LeBron.

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The LeBron James free agency saga took a turn on Thursday when Dwyane Wade showed up to LeBron's basketball camp in Las Vegas and the two flew back to Miami together.

Early yesterday the Cavaliers thought they were close to a deal with LeBron, Adrian Wojnarowski reports, but now they aren't so sure.

WPLG in Miami got a three-minute-long video of James and Wade talking on the runway after they landed in Miami late last night. There's no audio. All you can hear is the blare of a jet engine. But they appear to be having an earnest sort of conversation (we think, who knows). 

Wojnarowski called Wade "Pat Riley's closer" in his column today. This conversation is either Wade closing the deal or Wade talking about something else entirely. Like all LeBron rumors, it either means everything or nothing.

Here are the four most relevant parts of the video, in GIFs.

LeBron gesturing with his hand forcefully:

Wade being hands off:

Wade explaining something:

A hug:

There you have it. 

Here's the full video (again, there's no audio):

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As the world anxiously waits to see where LeBron James is going to sign, Ohioans are waiting a little more anxiously than everyone else.

Update: He's going to Cleveland!

Ohioans are searching for their native son 100 times for every 91 times that Floridians are searching for him and every 67 times that New Yorkers are searching for him, according to Google Trends.

That said, looking strictly at metro areas, Miami beats Cleveland 100 to 89.

James played for Ohio's Cleveland Cavaliers from 2003 to 2010 before transferring to Florida's Miami Heat, where he was an NBA champion in 2012 and 2013. The four-time MVP is expected to sign with one of these or a few other teams any day now.

Even after James left Ohio, leading to a vitriolic letter from the Cavaliers owner and bitter outrage from fans, Ohioans continued to search for James on Google as much as or more than Floridians.

DON'T MISS: QUIZ: How well do you know what people really care about?

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LeBron James will sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he announced in a column on SportsIllustrated.com.

"My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn’t realize that four years ago. I do now," he wrote.

He spent four years in Miami after leaving Ohio, his home state, in 2010. After two championships, he's going back to the Cavs. While Cleveland has some nice young players, LeBron frames this as a deeply personal decision, not a basketball decision, in his SI column.

His column ends:

"In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have.

"I’m ready to accept the challenge. I’m coming home."

James opted out of his Heat contract with one year left. While the possibility of returning to Cleveland was always floated, it wasn't taken seriously until this week.

Through some risky trades, Cavaliers cleared enough cap space to offer James a maximum contract starting at around $20.7 million per season. The financial terms of the contract have not been announced, but logic suggests he got the max.

The Cavaliers will build around LeBron, Kyrie Irving, and Andrew Wiggins.

From LeBron's Instagram:

In the SI column, LeBron says he still would have left for Miami in 2010, but he would have done it differently.

Heat owner Mickey Arison tweeted his thanks:

I am shocked & disappointed in today's news. However I will never forget what Lebron brought us for 4 years. Thanks for memories @KingJames

— Micky Arison (@MickyArison) July 11, 2014

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LeBron James is going back to Cleveland where it is believed he'll get a max contract making him $20.7 million per year.

In his four years in Miami he had incredible success on the court, winning two titles.

Off the court, he piled up a bunch of endorsements that will help him reach his stated goal of becoming a billion-dollar athlete. 

He has amassed some awesome cars and houses as a result. And he still has time for his lovely, surprisingly normal family.

LeBron has made $129 million in career NBA salary, and he's only 28 years old.

Source: Basketball Reference

He makes ~$33 million per year (nearly twice his NBA salary) in endorsements.

Source: SI

He's in ad campaigns for huge companies like McDonald's and Samsung.

LeBron James is going back to the Cleveland Cavaliers in one of the most dramatic moves in league history.

Until 2010, LeBron spent his entire life in northeast Ohio, growing up poor in Akron before getting drafted by the Cavs straight out of high school in 2003. When he left for Miami at the age of 25, it was the essentially the first time he lived away from home.

In his Sports Illustrated essay announcing his return to Cleveland, he said the four years he spent in Miami were his college years.

From LeBron:

"Miami, for me, has been almost like college for other kids. These past four years helped raise me into who I am. I became a better player and a better man. I learned from a franchise that had been where I wanted to go. I will always think of Miami as my second home. Without the experiences I had there, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing today."

LeBron never went to college. He has been famous since he was 16 years old. It's easy to forget how young he still was when the debacle that was "The Decision" happened.

It's hard to say whether or not LeBron "grew" as a person during his Miami years. But he certainly grew as a basketball player. He added a post game and worked himself into incredible shape. In his first year in Miami, the Heat was still Dwyane Wade's team. By the end, it was LeBron's.

If college is where we go to become adults before returning home, LeBron's description of his Miami years is pretty perfect.

SEE ALSO: How LeBron Makes And Spends His Money

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Ohio politicians were quick to jump on today's news the Cleveland Cavaliers resigned basketball star LeBron James.

A slew of federal lawmakers and candidates promptly issued press releases, blasted out tweets, and even tied the announcement into their campaign themes

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who has been aggressively touting the number of new jobs created under his tenure, announced one more could be added to his tally.

"What a great week for Cleveland, and it looks like Ohioans created another job," he wrote on Twitter, adding: "#253001newjobs."

Meanwhile, Senator Sherrod Brown fired off an official statement from his government office.

"Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), a Cleveland resident, applauded LeBron James’ decision to come home. Following James’ announcement that he would return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Brown offered the following statement," the press release read.

"Welcome home LeBron," said Brown. "Cleveland is on the move. This week it won a national party convention, and now it won back a favorite son. We look forward to your contributions and leadership, on the court and off, to make Northeast Ohio an even better place to raise a family. And celebrating a championship wouldn’t hurt."

Many other Ohio pols just tweeted their excitement.

"In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have." --@KingJames#WelcomeHome to #CLE

— Dave Joyce (@RepDaveJoyce) July 11, 2014

“In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have” – @KingJames....I couldn't agree more. Welcome Home

— Congressman Tim Ryan (@RepTimRyan) July 11, 2014

.@KingJames OH-11 is home. We’re thrilled the Q is your home court again!

— Marcia L. Fudge (@RepMarciaFudge) July 11, 2014

.@KingJames OH-11 is home. We’re thrilled the Q is your home court again!

— Marcia L. Fudge (@RepMarciaFudge) July 11, 2014

The King Returns! #WelcomeHomeLeBron

— Ed FitzGerald (@EdFitzGeraldCE) July 11, 2014

Welcome back to the heartland @KingJames! #GoCavs#Cleveland

— Jim_Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) July 11, 2014

Welcome back to #Ohio@kingjames! #OH5

— U.S. Rep. Bob Latta (@boblatta) July 11, 2014

Welcome back to the great state of #Ohio@KingJames - any #NBA fans out there?

— Bill Johnson (@JohnsonLeads) July 11, 2014

Big week for #Cleveland starting with hosting the 2016 Convention and LeBron James returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers. #RNC2CLE#LBJtoCLE

— Rep. Bob Gibbs (@RepBobGibbs) July 11, 2014

More good news for #Cleveland... #LeBron returns --http://t.co/rt40sxEmvw

— Tiberi Press Office (@TiberiPress) July 11, 2014

RT welcome home, @KingJames! #Ohio#nba#lebronletter“@KingJames: http://t.co/PwMrAM1uTq”

— Steve Stivers (@RepSteveStivers) July 11, 2014

Big week for Cleveland. LeBron James is coming back. What are your thoughts? @ThePlainDealer reports on his return: http://t.co/hJshJl6yMa

— Rep. Jim Renacci (@RepJimRenacci) July 11, 2014

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With LeBron James' decision to return to Cleveland, the Cavaliers are now expected to aggressively pursue Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves, which would instantly make the Cavs one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference.

"I do believe the Cavs will aggressively target Kevin Love," said ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "There is probably not a player in the league that would fit better alongside LeBron James than Kevin Love."

According to Chris Broussard of ESPN, the Cavs have already offered the Timberwolves Anthony Bennett (the first pick of the 2013 draft), Dion Waiters (the 4th pick of the 2012 draft) and a future first-round pick for Love.

Love, who can opt out of his contract after next season, has never made the playoffs in six NBA seasons and recently told ESPN that he wants to be on a team where he can win.

Earlier this week, Ken Berger reported that Love does have interest in playing with the Cavs as long as they were able to sign James.

Even with LeBron on board, the Cavs have several pieces that can be used in a trade to land Love.

One of the intriguing aspects of LeBron's letter to Sports Illustrated is that he mentions several Cavs players by name but does not mention Andrew Wiggins, the first pick of this year's draft. Wiggins has not yet signed a contract with the Cavaliers, which makes him eligible to be traded and it is hard to imagine the T'wolves will want to make a deal without the University of Kansas product.

The Cavs also may have as many as three first-round picks in next year's draft which can potentially be used in a trade. One of those, ironically, came from the Miami Heat, who suddenly need it a lot more than the Cavs do.

The Heat can keep that pick if it is in the top 10.

If the Cavs do trade for Love, he could potentially stay in Cleveland for two seasons even without an extension. However, he would almost certainly want to at least opt out and re-sign to a max contract if staying in Cleveland is considered desirable.

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Here's Saturday's front page of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on the announcement that LeBron James is coming back to the Cavaliers.

It involves LeBron's signature chalk toss.

Very good (via @clevelanddotcom):

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LeBron James announced his return to Cleveland today, and his hometown seems more than willing to forgive and forget.

But it's worth remembering just how furious Northeast Ohio was with "King James" when he announced he was taking his talents to the Miami Heat back in 2010. As a reminder, please enjoy this vicious parody ad the Cleveland filmmaker Dan Wantz made a few months after The Decision.

In it, Wantz mashed up a popular Nike ad James made shortly after he skipped town with the mocking comments of Clevelanders calling him a quitter:

Of course, four years and two championships with the Miami Heat later, Wantz had changed his tune.

Here's the emotional 2-minute video he made Thursday imagining James' return to Cleveland as being the culmination of a sinner's search for redemption.

SEE ALSO: How The Cavaliers Botched The First LeBron Era

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Just hours after LeBron James announced his return to Cleveland, the Cavaliers are Vegas favorites to win the 2015 NBA Championship. 

5dimes, a major offshore sportsbook, now lists the Cavs at +350 to win the 2015 Championship. Here are their 10 favorites, in order (via vegasinsider.com):

• Cleveland +350
• San Antonio +500
• Oklahoma City +650
• Chicago +1000
• Los Angeles Clippers +1000
• Houston +1500
• Pacers +1900
• Heat +2000
• Golden State +2000
• Washington +4000

According to Bovada, another big betting site, the Cavs are 4/1 favorites to win it all, ahead of San Antonio at 5/1 and Oklahoma City at 6/1. At the start of the off-season, Cleveland was a 60/1 longshot to win it all, but as rumors of James's return intensified, the odds fell steadily to 10/1, where they stayed until James finally made his decision. 

Here's a screen-grab from Bovada. Note that the Miami Heat have fallen all the way to 50/1. 

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LeBron James returns to Cleveland with the chance to go down as one of best players ever.

He's a 6'8", 250-pound man who moves like a point guard. He's a once-in-a-generation genetic freak.

But it's his work ethic that has turned that genetic potential into results on the court.

From late-night workout sessions to teaching himself how to play power forward, LeBron is the perfect example of someone who's fully maximizing his genetic gifts.

He gets a special four-page scouting report before every game. His teammates get a two-page report.

Source: SI

He could run every play in Miami's playbook from all five positions.

Source: SI

He holds an annual "Hell Week" of grueling workouts with other elite athletes at his house in Akron.

Source: ESPN