LeBron James: "Free Agent Talk Is Getting Old"
ORLANDO, Fla. — Frustrated by the repeated questions, LeBron James saidhe won't talk about his possible free agency next summer until after this season.
The Cleveland star and reigning NBA MVP said Wednesday night before the Cavaliers' victory over Orlando that all the talk is "getting old."
James cut off interviews after being hit with questions about free agency and teaming with Miami's Dwyane Wade, who has said the two have discussed forming a mega-tandem.
"This free agent talk is getting old. It's getting old and I think I'm going to stop. Tonight will be the last time I answer any more free agent questions until the offseason," James said.
"I think I owe it to myself, and I owe it to my teammates. It's just getting old. I'm focusing on this season, and this is going to be a really good season for us. I don't want anymore distractions for my teammates, for my organization, for my family. This will be the last time I answer a free agent question for the rest of the year."
James can opt out of his contract at the end of this season and become a free agent. He has been overloaded with questions about his plans and has continued to say that winning is most important.
Teams have even been slicing payroll in anticipation of the 2010 summer, when James and Wade are among the All-Stars who can opt out of their contracts. James has never hinted that he would leave Cleveland, about 30 miles from his hometown of Akron.
But he's never said he would stay, either.
Although James insisted that he wouldn't talk about the subject again this season, that doesn't mean he won't be asked. Cleveland plays at Miami on Thursday, and the South Florida media will surely be searching for more answers.
James' method received an early test.
After Cleveland's 102-93 win over the Magic, a reporter asked him if he made the decision to stop answering questions in the spur of the moment or if it was planned ahead of time.
James responded: "Next question."
Wade told reporters earlier Wednesday that the pair have "talked about" going to the same team, a comment the Heat star has floated out before. But that's all it's been – talk among friends.
"It's a long shot, no question about it, it's a long shot," Wade told reporters in Miami. "I mean, I'm in Miami, he's in Cleveland. He's been put in a position in Cleveland where he has the opportunity to compete for a championship now.
"And I'm in Miami, where I've won a championship and this is where I love to be. So it's not like we're both looking over our shoulders, saying, 'I want to get out of here.' It's a long shot, but, at the end of the day, it is a shot."
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ANTONIO GONZALEZ | 11/11/09 11:58 PM |