To the five stages of grief, psychologists could soon add a model for dealing with impending loss in the sporting arena. They can use the Cleveland Cavaliers as a test subject.
Denial will figure heavily. Paranoia, emotional detachment and bursts of terse sarcasm will follow. For months, NBA general managers have been not-so-subtly plotting to steal LeBron James, a potential free agent in 2010, from the Cavaliers. The Nets are set to pounce, with young stars and salary-cap space. The Detroit Pistons are maneuvering for position. The Knicks recently leapt into the fray, dumping two high-priced starters for the chance to woo James in two years.
Surely the Cavaliers have noticed the swirling buzzards overhead. Surely they have read the headlines and have heard every last ESPN talking head dissect James' future. Right, Mo Williams?
"What's going on?" replied Williams, a Cavaliers guard, clearly in the denial stage.
The Knicks are making a play for James.
"Oh, really? That's what they're saying?" (More denial.) "Awww, man. Please don't take him." (Sarcasm.)
Williams smiled and chuckled. Maybe the Cavaliers know more than the rest of the world about James' intentions. Or perhaps it is just the supreme confidence that comes with being a contender in the Eastern Conference.
Every team in the league that wants James -- and a dozen or more could make a bid in 2010 -- will offer the same salary, based on NBA rules. (Only the Cavaliers, as his current employer, can offer significantly more, about $30 million over the contract's lifetime.)
What really drives the 24-year-old James, the Cavaliers believe, is a desire to collect championship rings. And the Cavaliers are ahead of most competitors in that category. They made the finals in 2007. They fell in the second round last spring, but only after pushing the Boston Celtics, the eventual champions, to a seventh game. James has perhaps his best supporting cast since the day he was drafted in 2003.
"He's got a great core of players around him," said Lance Blanks, the Cavaliers' assistant general manager. "LeBron, he's about winning, and the organization is about winning it all, and doing everything we can to put the team in the best possible position to win at a high level."
Last summer, that meant acquiring Williams from Milwaukee in a three-team trade. Last February, the Cavaliers picked up Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West in another three-team deal.
Meanwhile, the Nets unloaded Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson in moves to rebuild and create future salary-cap space. The Pistons sacrificed their trademark chemistry, trading Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson, in part because Iverson's contract expires at the end of this season. The Knicks traded their two best scorers.
"It benefits us, because the whole league is worrying about 2010," Williams said. "We're worried about 2008 and '09."
He added: "Two years is a long time. That's two whole seasons. We got two championships to win before then."
That said, the Cavaliers are working feverishly to keep James.
Last year, the team opened a gorgeous new training center -- among the best in the league -- in a suburb not far from James' hometown, Akron, Ohio. The Cavaliers received a tax break on the land, so the facility's proximity to Akron was perhaps incidental, though not insignificant. James just built a mansion in West Akron.
Dan Gilbert, the Cavaliers' majority owner, also spent lavishly to upgrade Quicken Loans Arena, outfitting every player's locker with a television set and a game system. Chefs prepare meals after every home practice, shoot-around and game.
When players complained that the team jet required refueling stops, Gilbert got them a new plane. To satisfy James' fondness for daily massages, the Cavaliers send a masseuse to every road game.
Cleveland has the league's second-highest payroll (behind the Knicks), and Gilbert has shown no hesitation in spending. If another star player becomes available, the Cavaliers can trade Szczerbiak and his expiring $13 million contract.
If they stay conservative for the next two years, the Cavaliers can join the 2010 free-agent frenzy, which could also include Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Amare Stoudemire.
"We want to, every single day, do everything we can to put the best people on the floor, put the best people around them," Blanks said.
And the Cavaliers remain acutely aware of the leaguewide scheme to steal their star. But nervous? They will not acknowledge that much.
"I would say cognizant, not nervous," Blanks said with a chuckle.
Add one more stage to the model: dependence on euphemisms.
