ORLANDO - Memo to the South Florida media: On Thursday, don't ask LeBron James about the possibility of him wearing a Heat uniform next season.

If he sticks to the promise he made prior to tip-off of Wednesday's showdown with Orlando, he's not going to answer.

"I'm just focusing on this season. It's getting old," James said in front of a throng of reporters that featured many members of the NBA's national media. "It's going to be a really good season for us. I don't want to have any more distractions to my teammates, to my organization, to myself and to my fans, so this will be the last time I'll answer a free agent question for the rest of the season."

The question that set James off, the last of a 10-minute pre-game Q&A with the media, centered on the possibility of playing with Dwyane Wade in 2010. Why James decided that was the final straw is anybody's guess, as sources say the declaration wasn't pre-meditated. But there's no question that everyone associated with the Cavaliers is relieved to see him put an end to personally feeding the speculation by continuing to address the subject.

It's our job as media members to ask questions, but that doesn't mean he's had to play along as long as he did.

Even though James has left it all out there in trying to lead the Cavs to a championship the past few seasons, the seed for this period of uncertainty was planted the minute the superstar forward opted for the shorter extension of the two options available to him back in the summer of 2006, in essence freeing him a year early.

As a result, Cavs fans have had to hear about how their favorite son had become too big a fish to continue swimming laps in the community pool when there were oceans available to be conquered. We've all been coaxed into talking about hypotheticals and attempting to analyze a budding icon who does a masterful job of controlling what he allows the public to see. As calculating as he is private, James has had everybody on a string for entirely too long before finally deciding that this has gone on for far too long.

Getting old? The issue has grown tedious going on two years now. 

While this really doesn't change the fact the entire city of Cleveland still has to sweat the possibility of James' deparure, his decree that he's done talking about free agency until after the season ends does come as welcome news to those who work for and cover the Cavs. The open speculation had reached tedious levels long before the latest question was asked, fueling talk show debate throughout the years and even serving to blindly appease some with the simple possibility that he'd consider coming - maybe.

Cleveland hasn't been the only victim.

This situation has long been disrespectful to a legion of New York Knicks fans that have been asked to wait until 2010 to become relevant and are so resigned to that fate that they showed up in droves whenever the potential savior graced them with his presence. That he waited to stop fueling the speculation until after his final visit to Madison Square Garden this season will be dissected and overanalyzed.

Wearing a Yankees cap out in public meant he was surely leaving. Walking over to embrace Nets minority owner Jay-Z meant Brooklyn was clearly going to win out for his services. Signs have been everywhere and nowhere at all. 

If he sticks to his guns, pre-game and post-game will be far less entertaining on Jan. 2, which is when the Cavs visit the Nets to mark LeBron's final scheduled visit to the New York area before reaching his decision. This stop in Miami figures to be far less eventful, too, coming less than a week after multiple reports declaring a Wade-James union a possibility have already surfaced.

Finally, for a few months, we're going to get ourselves a little peace. We can now go on with our lives ignoring the giant elephant in the room, because that guy wasn't going anywhere as it is. May as well let Babar get comfortable on the couch, kick his feet up and sip on a drink, because he's staying put until right around July 1 and not one second sooner.

James has clearly had his fun with this, holding entire cities hostage as he toyed with the issue. Now he's done, according to a proclamation that by all accounts, seems to have come at a whim. Consider that the ultimate proof that he's in total control of every aspect of his future, which is exactly what he wanted when he opted for the shorter deal.

Tony Mejia is publisher and senior writer of Pro Basketball News. He can be reached at mejia@probasketballnews.com.