Three billboards in Cleveland send pretty clear message to LeBron James
Clearly taking a cue from the critically acclaimed film “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Philadelphia 76ers fans are using a trio of billboards to send a message to Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James.
Unlike the billboards in Missouri, however, Sixers fans are not seeking justice against James. Rather, they are looking for the final piece of “The Process.”
“The Process” is the affectionate term that Sixers fans have dubbed the franchise’s blatant tanking efforts in recent years, with the idea being to assemble a championship team by acquiring multiple consecutive high draft picks — which can only happen by purposely assembling bad rosters. And the Sixers featured some truly putrid rosters in recent years, winning 109 games total over the previous five seasons. For comparison, the Golden State Warriors have won 140 games in the past two seasons alone.
But for Sixers fans, there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel. The team currently sits at a record of 32-26, which is already more wins than they’ve had in a season since 2013. The Sixers are firmly entrenched in the Eastern Conference playoff race, sitting just 2.5 games behind the Cavaliers for the third seed.
Anchored by star center Joel Embiid, promising rookie Ben Simmons and a bevy of quality role players, the Sixers are not a bad team, which is about as high a praise as could be lavished on the franchise since “The Process” began.
But at the moment, that’s all the Sixers are. They’re certainly not bad, but nowhere near title contention, which is the whole point of “The Process.”
Enter LeBron James.
The mercurial Cavaliers superstar has a player option on his contract after this season and could become an unrestricted free agent.
While it’s widely expected that James will opt out of his contract, many assume that he’ll re-sign with the Cavaliers on a 1-year max deal that has a second year player option. James has been signing those types of deals recently to maximize his flexibility.
That being said, James is still expected to hit free agency. That means any team in the league could be in the sweepstakes to acquire his services.
Signing James, even at the ripe sports age of 33, could easily vault the Sixers into the championship conversation. Adding James to a core that features an improving Embiid, Simmon and 2017 No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz is the makings of a powerhouse, especially in an Eastern Conference that doesn’t have the Houston Rockets or Warriors.
Acutely aware of how agonizingly close the team is to a championship roster, Sixers fans have commissioned three billboards near the Cavaliers’ basketball area to send not-so-subtle hints that LeBron should move east to Philadelphia.
Cleveland billboards suggest LeBron James should join Philadelphia 76ers https://t.co/DEApxbUlR0 pic.twitter.com/AdenGUZ5FM
— WKYC 3News (@wkyc) February 26, 2018
One billboard shows a basketball halfcourt, with blue jersey numbers representing Embiid, Simmons, Robert Covington and Dario Saric. A red No. 23, which is James’ jersey number, has a crown on it, alluding to James’ “King James” nickname.
Another billboard alludes to completing “The Process,” while a third drops subtlety and features the hashtag “PhillyWantsLeBron.”
Power Home Remodeling, a company in Philadelphia, paid for the billboards. The Sixers cannot have anything to do with the signs because that would blatantly constitute tampering.
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