The Bulls appeared to be the leading contender for LeBron James a week ago, but the Cavaliers are risen to the top of the leaderboard in recent days.

"My gut tells me Cleveland," an executive in the James chase told Yahoo! Sports. "From what I hear now, it his decision alone. No outside influences."

The Cavaliers reportedly best knew how to deal with James.

"It didn't take long to realize you're dealing with 25-year-old kids," one source said of James and his entourage.

Cleveland executives are still on edge, but privately feeling far more confident now than they did weeks ago.