Sources: LeBron Told Ariza That He's Staying in Cleveland; Cavs Shift Sights to Josh Childress

Call it a recruiting tactic if you will, but the saga of the Cleveland Cavaliers' struggles to land free agents because of LeBron James' cloudy future remains a big story of this offseason.James' indecision may be shooting him in the foot in his efforts to win a championship this upcoming season, but the first hint of what LB will do past 2010 were let out to one Trevor Ariza. In an effort to lure Ariza, a Los Angeles native and former UCLA Bruin, away from glamorous Southern California and into the heart of the rust belt in Cleveland, Ohio, James assured the unrestricted free agent target that he planned on staying with the Cavs past 2010:"Trevor asked LeBron if he would be in Cleveland after next season," the source said. "And LeBron said, 'I'll be there. Of course, I'll be there.'"James could not be reached for comment on Monday.James' conversation with Ariza was part of the Cavaliers' attempt to make the free agent swingman the next Hedo Turkoglu, who backed out of his promise last week to join Portland and instead accepted a deal with Toronto.Cavs general manager Danny Ferry and head coach Mike Brown flew to Los Angeles and met with Ariza on Sunday, according to several sources with knowledge of the situation.Besides getting the first news about LeBron's intentions (no matter how serious he may have been), this shows that the Cavs were in hot pursuit of Ariza and nothing short of devastated when the swingman decided to spurn them to join a franchise in disarray in Houston.The 6'8" Ariza probably would have split time with Delonte West starting at shooting guard for the Cavs, with playing time dependent on individual matchups. Having a guy like Ariza would have been huge for the Cavs when addressing matchup problems like the ones they suffered in the Eastern Conference Finals against Orlando.Regardless of what happens, this has to be good news for Cavs fans. Outside of wearing Yankees hats, a phenomenon way overblown by locals and the national media, James has never addressed a desire to play anywhere else but Cleveland. He sang the same song a year before he was up for a contract extension for his rookie contract in 2006, and he ended up staying then. He's singing the same song now, and if you are a betting man, wagering on him leaving would be a pretty dumb move at this point.There is, however, an Ariza-in-waiting on the free agent market. His name is Josh Childress, formerly of the Atlanta Hawks and recently of the Greek powerhouse Olympiacos Piraeus.You remember Childress. He was the sixth overall pick in the 2004 draft, going four spots before the Cavs took Luke Jackson at 10th. At 6'8", Childress was looking like he -- much like Ariza -- was coming into his own during Atlanta's breakout season in 2008 before shocking the NBA and leaving for Greece.There were some whispers around the league on Sunday, including by our man Brian Windhorst at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, about the Cavs talking with Childress over the weekend:It is also possible the Cavs were meeting with restricted free-agent wing Josh Childress, who lives in the Los Angeles area in the off-season. The 6-8 veteran who is known for being an intelligent player and good defender played last season in Greece after rejecting an offer from the Atlanta Hawks. He's averaged 11.1 points and 5.9 rebounds for his career.Childress, 26, is a restricted free agent, and the Hawks still have the rights to match any offer sheet he signs. However, with the timid history between Childress and the Hawks, the Cavs have to like their chances.Over his four-year stint with Atlanta, Childress averaged 11.1 points while shooting 52.2 percent from the floor. Although he has 3-point range, he's better at the midrange game and can attack the basket well.He also played an average of 71 games out of 82 per season over the course of the four years, a good testament to his ability to stay healthy and be reliable (a necessary background check for the Cavs after the debacle that was Larry Hughes).The Cavs seem late to the party in free agency, as flying to Los Angeles and talking to Ariza should have been done last week instead of laughing it up with Shaq during his introductory press conference (the Rockets swooped up Ariza later that same evening).But if they can get Childress to commit, then it's definitely better late than never.