As the sweepstakes heat up for the two-time NBA MVP, one team that is perhaps lurking in the shadows as a contender for LeBron is his original one – the Cleveland Cavaliers.

With other teams piling it on thick with their proposals to the league icon, the Cavs had to ensure that they gave James plenty to think about.  So, Cleveland made it’s plea to LeBron – and they brought out a bit of everything in the process:

- Emotional highlights during his seven-year tenure with the Cavs

- Cleveland natives and fans practically begging him to stay

- Clips of his award acceptance speeches uttering his “mission” to put Cleveland on the map

Check it out below:

Wow – that almost brought tears to my eyes…almost.

The concepts mentioned in the video centered around commitment, family and winning.  The ironic thing about it is that those very same concepts are exactly what is driving James away from the city that he vowed to put on the map. 

The fact is that the Cleveland organization had seven years to watch LeBron blossom into the player that he is today.  Seven years to develop and/or acquire the talent around him necessary to accomplish James’ ultimate goal.  Seven years to put the proper management and coaching in place to provide LeBron with the encouragement and support required to push the Cavaliers to the next level.

After all of that, I’d say that LeBron has earned the right to make a decision with regard to his future without feeling guilty about the shortcomings of his tenure (to this point) with Cleveland.  And I’d also encourage LeBron to disregard the emotional ‘heart tugs’ displayed in this video.

But if he doesn’t, the resulting decision he makes may bring tears to his eyes.