Did Lebron Take the Easy Route by Coming Home to Cleveland?

Did you hear, LeBron James is coming home?

OK, I'm being sarcastic.

Everyone is excited, except for the Miami Heat management and fans. Yes, the Heat actually have a fan base separate from hero worship. That's why you hear crickets in the South Florida background. And maybe they were the first to see the writing on the wall.

There's a theory going around that LeBron took the easy way out by going home. Crazy, right? Well, if you connect a few dots, it's not that far off.

King James has won his two NBA Championships, so his legacy is fairly secured, and now he can go home to play in Cleveland with a bunch of young talent and try to help them win a championship.

The pressure if off now. He's back in Cleveland, and no one really expects him to bring them a championship anytime soon, like they did in Miami. Who can forget that WWE-style hype-fest when he, DeWayne Wade, and Chris Bosh boasted they'd win multiple championships?

Well, they did. Barely, since two technically counts as multiple.

LeBron found out quickly that winning championships isn't easy. Talent doesn't always equal championships. Just ask Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, or John Stockton. Barkley and Malone tried to do what James did and go vagabonding to other teams to win their championships. The result: epic fail.

Both retired with no rings.

Reality set in quickly for LeBron when he and the Heat almost got swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

He realized more than likely that this Heat ship has sailed, so it was time to set a new course for home, where theres no immediate pressure. He'll be seen as the hometown hero and expectations are low.

As with his orchestrated diatribe in Sports Illustrated, it's just the way King James planned it.