For weeks, LeBron James had delivered unspoken messages to the Cavaliers front office.
His January malaise that bled over into February was a clear indicator that the four-time league MVP was unhappy with the current roster and convinced he couldn't win another NBA championship with a group that was old, slow and had seen better days.
Then in Wednesday night's overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves, James proved that at age 33 he still has plenty of prime-time shows left in him. His spectacular game-winning, buzzer-beating shot and block in the final two seconds that capped his ninth-triple double of the season came just hours before the NBA's trade deadline.
On Thursday, the Cavs answered James with as much forcefulness as one of his rim-threatening dunks.
General manager Koby Altman and owner Dan Gilbert made a dramatic pitch for James to remain in Cleveland past this season. With three stunning trades involving four teams, Altman transformed the roster into a younger, more athletic and better defensive group.
He sent out Isaiah Thomas (29), Jae Crowder (27), Derrick Rose (29), Dwyane Wade (36), Iman Shumpert (27) and Channing Frye (34). In return, the Cavs got three 25-year-olds _ power forward Larry Nance Jr., an Akron native and son of the Cavs legend, and guards Jordan Clarkson and Rodney Hood, along with guard George Hill, 31.
Miraculously the Cavs still emerged with Brooklyn's 2018 protected first-round pick, the insurance they wanted to retain in case James opts out of his contract this summer and leaves again in free agency.
Gilbert showed James he remains willing to spend, with Clarkson owed $25.9 million for the remaining two seasons on his contract and Hill $20 million guaranteed, $1 million of that for 2019-20.
When the frenzy ended, it was evident that the Cavs' trade with the Los Angeles Lakers for Nance and Clarkson helped the Lakers clear cap space for the pursuit of James.
But in recent days it seemed increasingly unlikely that James would remain in Cleveland without the kind of roster blowup the Cavs pulled off. There might as well have been a doomsday clock set for the start of free agency.
The relationship between James and Gilbert was fractured. The locker room chemistry was toxic. Thomas was a constant critic, ripping his teammates' lack of effort, their treatment of defense as an afterthought, the coaching staff's lack of adjustments. He also played a big part in the Jan. 22 finger-pointing team meeting in which he called out Kevin Love for going home early from a game and missing practice the next day because of a migraine, which also illustrated the Cavs' lack of internal communication.
Altman is not as much of a visible presence as his predecessor David Griffin, but he showed he had a handle on the team's internal strife as well as its on-court deficiencies. In what looks like a career-defining day for Altman, 35, he recognized after just 15 games that Thomas was unplayable and gave away the biggest name in the Aug. 22 Kyrie Irving trade. The Cavs had a minus 15.1 net rating with Thomas on the court, with the Cavs scoring 103.5 points and allowing 118.8.
It remains to be seen whether the trades will clear the air on a team that is 7-13 since Christmas. The departure of Thomas _ too honest for his own good as he alienated instead of won over the Cavs _ could be enough by itself. What James says and how he plays Friday night in Atlanta will be telling, even though the Cavs will be six men short of a full roster.
That's not to say the deals cleared the way for what would be the Cavs' fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. The Celtics may still be the better defensive team. That's not to say the Cavs now have enough to beat the Warriors or the Rockets or perhaps even the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Just 29 regular-season games remain for coach Tyronn Lue to put all the pieces together and that's really 28 or fewer considering none of the new Cavs will play against the Hawks. The Cavs may not have Love, out with a fractured left hand, until the final two weeks of the regular season. Rotation tinkering will still be going on when the postseason begins.
But last week the Cavs seemed headed for an early playoff exit and James seemed inclined to take his talents elsewhere again. Then a bold, rim-rattling day by the Cavs sent James a strong message that they're not ready for his homecoming to end.
