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Should Cleveland Cavaliers fans boo or cheer Los Angeles Lakers F LeBron James on Wednesday?

Will fans cheer or boo LeBron James in his first appearance at the Q since departing from Northeast Ohio for the second time in his career? Should they do one and not the other?

This is always a slippery slope to talk about with sports fans, but with LeBron James' return to Cleveland tomorrow night, we must discuss the elephant in the room.

Will fans cheer or boo LeBron in his first appearance at the Q since departing from Northeast Ohio for the second time in his career? Should they do one and not the other?

Why do I struggle with this topic? Because I don't like telling fans who spend their hard-earned money to attend a professional sporting event how to behave. As long as you aren't acting a fool, I'm good.

This is different. This is polarizing.

Take what veteran Cavs guard George Hill told The Athletic's Jason Lloyd, “If you boo him (James), you’re an (expletive). He just means too much to this city, to this organization.”

I get Hill's passion, but that's a little over the line for my taste. Fans have the right to be bitter. Fans have the right to be upset that their franchise has gone from perennial Finals contender to league doormat. (There are plenty of other reasons for this transition besides LBJ leaving for LA, to be sure.) Fans can feel slighted that apparently home isn't quite good enough a reason for the league's best player to stick around. I get it.

But think of how awesome the last four years were!

In case you've forgotten, my man Ben Axelrod put together this list shortly after James announced his departure to Hollywood.

For the first time in most of our lifetimes, we saw a world championship in a major professional sport in Cleveland. I'm not knocking the achievements of the Cleveland Crunch, or the Force, or the Lake Erie Monsters, but I'm talking MAJOR sports title.

James was the heart, soul, and driving force behind that championship in 2016. Had it not been for injuries to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, there might have been one in 2015 as well.

Heck, he almost single-handedly carried the Cavs to the Finals last year, putting up a pair of buzzer-beaters in the playoffs during that final, magnificent run.

In his four-year reunion tour, LeBron gave this team everything he had, and then some.

WATCH | LeBron James arrives in Cleveland prior to Lakers' matchup vs. Cavaliers

“It doesn’t matter if it’s (crowd response) negative, because the only thing that matters is what I gave to the city, what I gave to that community, what I’m still giving to that community,” James told Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “It doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, they have one obligation and that’s to cheer for their team. And I’m not on the team."

That's true, but a tip of the cap to the man that brought you championship glory is deserved. When the Cavs take a few moments to honor LeBron in a short ceremony, remember all of those times you used to shout to him in loving appreciation "MVP! MVP!" and just give the man his due. He's earned it.

Then, you have my permission to boo.

Watch the Donovan Live Postgame Show in the player above

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