Where will LeBron play next year? A LeBron hater chimes in.
It is no secret that I can't stand LeBron James as a basketball player. Although he is the most athletically gifted player I have ever seen, he seems to lack the cutthroat killer instinct that is common among the truly great players of all time including the most ruthless ever... Michael Jordan.
Think. Think. Think. What will be the easiest path to success?
Jordan hated losing. It made him crazy. This probably meant that it wasn't a lot of fun to hang around with Jordan... but it sure as hell meant if you were his teammate you never had to worry about him disappearing in the 4th quarter of a game.
LeBron seems to be cut from a different cloth. He loves winning. He loves it so much that he has repeatedly sought to find the easiest path to winning. And yet, I have never gotten the impression that he loses sleep over a loss. In addition, it seems that LeBron seeks out opportunities to defer to less talented players (which is basically everyone in the world because he is an absolute freak of nature) during crunch time.
Many people have analyzed the mistakes of game one of this year's Finals. George Hill missed a critical free throw. In typical moronic fashion, J.R. Smith did not know the score of the game. But the biggest blunder was LeBron's. He is the most athletically gifted player who has ever put on an NBA uniform. With the league allowing him to commit an offensive foul every time he makes a post move, he is unstoppable. Therefore, with the game (and perhaps series) on the line...
GO TO THE HOLE AND DUNK THE FREAKING BASKETBALL!
Oh and don't forget the refs will let you take 4 or 5 steps on the way to the hoop.
You don't defer to a player who is notorious for missing clutch free throws.
It is true Jordan did pass to John Paxson and Steve Kerr in critical moments, but those were usually the results of teams triple teaming him and leaving sharp shooters wide open. LeBron was not going to be triple teamed. Jordan passed out of necessity. LeBron seems to do it because it is "the right basketball play".
That is complete horseshit!
When you are the size of Karl Malone, with the speed of John Wall and the leaping ability of... Michael Jordan, the smartest basketball play is always to
GO TO THE HOLE AND DUNK THE FREAKING BASKETBALL!
This is always the best basketball play.
As a result, it drives me insane when anyone ever says LeBron is the best player in league history.
In addition, many people are saying Durant "broke the league" when he chose to take the easy way out and join a 73 win team. But he only did this after the game's current best player, Lebron James, made taking the easy way out an acceptable option. He opened the door to this "strategy" when he joined the Miami Heat.
He also happened to make flopping acceptable as well.
He winked at the camera after this one.
Now that I got that out of the way, on to where I think LeBron should/will play next year.
This week, the L.A. Lakers may have become an even more perfect spot for LeBron. In addition to the fact LeBron lives in L.A. in the off-season, he clearly wants to make Hollywood his next stop after basketball. After all, he has been acting like he has been fouled (nearly to the point of death) for at least 10 years. Furthermore, he was actually really funny in the movie Trainwreck. He loves the spotlight and it will shine brightest in L.A.
Unfortunately, until this week, an essential element was missing. LeBron needs winning to be easy. If it isn't he will quit (see numerous playoff games against Dallas, San Antonio, and Golden State). But that has all changed.
Why?
This week it surfaced that Kawhi Leonard is demanding a trade from the Spurs and guess who happens to be at the top of his list of teams he'd like to play for?
The L.A. Lakers!
If you listed every player in the league and asked which one is the perfect match to play along side of LeBron James, I would take Kawhi Leonard every time.
Hmmm. If we are on the same team Kawhi, then you can't guard me. It is easier for me to score when the best defender is not guarding me.
Some of this is due to Leonard's basketball skills. He is an elite defender who could guard the opponent's best wing or point guard while LeBron took the second best. He does not need the ball in his hands (while LeBron does) as proven by the fact he has played so well with Tony Parker for years. He has developed a great 3 point shot and has hit 38% of his attempts over his career (peaking at 44% in 2015/2016). He is a killer. He will take and make shots at the end of games. He will not defer to lesser players unless he is triple teamed.
But there is an even bigger reason that these two would be a match made in heaven. LeBron loves the spotlight. He loves to talk and show how smart he is. He loves to be treated like the alpha dog even though he prefers to defer to teammates in big moments.
Do you know what Leonard loves?
Kawhi Leonard loves fading into the shadows. He actually seems uncomfortable talking to the media. LeBron has a HUGE shadow. Many have said how hard it is to live in this shadow. But that is only because those others merely adopted the dark; Kawhi Leonard was born in it, molded by it.
At every press conference, LeBron sits next to a teammate who silently sips his Gatorade as the reporters ask LeBron an endless string of questions. Most players hate that. Kawhi Leonard will love it. They will let him shut up and play basketball.
They would make the most perfect duo. One wants to be a superstar off the court but play sidekick on it. The other wants to be the superstar on the court while fading into the shadows off of it. Oh yeah, and they would compliment each other on the court as well.
If you surrounded those two with some shooters, they could actually give the Warriors a run for their money.
Is this some stupid video game fantasy?
Is this a pipe dream?
When LeBron wakes up from this, he will see it wasn't all a dream. It could be real!
Nope.
It is a very realistic possibility.
Here is how.
If the Lakers renounce all of their free agent cap holds except for Julius Randle, they will have $47 million in cap room. After $32.5 million goes to LeBron, that leaves $14.5 million for Randle and a supporting cast. If they renounce Randle as well, then they can build with that $14.5 million plus the mid-level cap exemption of over $4 million.
But they still need to trade for Leonard. Well they can. San Antonio will never get equal value for Leonard. Everyone knows he wants to leave and he is crazy enough to sit out another year if he doesn't like his situation. Heck he is crazy enough to pass up the extra $40 million a super-max contract (which can only be offered by the Spurs) would get him. So we know he is that crazy.
Are you really crazy enough to walk away from $40 million?
This means the Spurs are going to have to take what they can get. However, this doesn't mean the Spurs need to accept a bag of used basketballs in exchange for Leonard. The deal needs to be respectable enough to get the Spurs to pass up on rolling the dice that Leonard really will walk away from $40 million.
How about this for respectable?
The Lakers could send Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, the 25th pick in this year's draft and next year's 1st round pick. Although the picks suck, they are a commodity.
Wait. Did I just include Lonzo Ball in the deal?
Of course I did.
When it comes to sharing the spotlight after a game, LeBron can't stand sharing it with a teammate. Do you really think he will allow any of the attention to be taken away by a teammate's dad?
LaVar Ball screaming that he and his sons are all better than LeBron James.
If Pop doesn't want to deal with LaVar Ball, the Spurs could spin Lonzo for another piece that will fit better in their system.
Although I can't stand the idea of LeBron having another chance to take the easy path to a ring, it would be very interesting to see these two complete each other so perfectly.
Suns have the assets to end up being a facilitator in a Leonard trade, if not the outright trade partner. Ball would be a great fit with Phoenix.
The suns are poised to have a GREAT off-season. They could facilitate nearly any trade with their cap space and youth. I think they have a chance at landing the 4th pick if they are willing to take Chandler Parsons off Mephis' books.
I'm hoping Phoenix makes a splash as well. It's no fun living in the city while the Suns aren't competitive. Let's hope they manage to get the draft right. Booker needs some talent around him before he decides to leave in the future too.
A quick question on the Lebron/Jordan comparisons- Who would win in a game of 5 Lebron James vs 5 Michael Jordans? I don't think that answers who the GOAT is but I have a hard time seeing how Team Lebron doesn't win in that hypothetical.
Lebron wins that 1 on 1 matchup the majority of the time. His size would give him the advantage.
Jordan would have the speed and shooting.
Throw in will and heart and I take Jordan.
I can't say either argument is wrong which is why the Jordan/Lebron debate will go on forever. Once Lebron is done with his career it would be great to have them both sit down and do an interview together. Some fun probing questions could be asked that may provide a glimpse of what they truly think of each other's legacies.
Prime Jordan vs Prime LeBron?
I honestly don't even like Michael Jordan. I was always a Scottie Pippen fan and yet I will take Jordan to win 99 out of 100 games.
They can both do it all. LeBron has the size. Jordan a bit faster/quicker and a better outside shooter. So I think it is a tie.
So it comes down to will and heart. There is no contest there.
I have never seen anything like Jordan. He was actually kind of insane. Losses killed him. His attitude was not healthy for him as a person... but as a player there is no one I would ever take over him.
Well for one Jordan was a worse outside shooter (career 32.7 % from downtown vs Lebrons 34.4%) and in a 5 on 5 Lebron is a way way way better passer than Jordan ever was.
I'd be curious to see how many of Jordan's were contested as opposed to LeBron's. And Jordan actually had to develop his 3 point shot as he was TERRIBLE his first 4 years. Either way, I will concede that I was wrong when I asserted flat out that Jordan was a better outside shooter.
So much of my argument is based on "the eye test" as opposed to metrics (especially since we can never really see 5 Jordans vs 5 Lebrons). In the end, I don't think LeBron would care enough to win... and that can't be measured or proven. So if anyone says he would care enough to win, I can't argue it lol.
Philly is a logical choice in the East. Close to “home”. Ready made contender. Either way...0 chance he stays.
I agree. See my comment above. I thought Philly was perfect until this news broke.
This will be a very interesting Summer in the NBA, the first big move was Kawhi requesting a trade from the Spurs...what will happen next???
Philly. He likes Simmons... + Joel + Fultz + Reddick.
Lakers would be my #2 pick, but I think he stays in the East.
I thought Philly was perfect until I heard about Leonard trying to go to L.A. If he joins any contender in the East, it is a cake walk to the finals for him (which he seems to enjoy). But he may also be sick of hearing how he is 3-6 in the finals. 3-7 will not help. He might rather lose in the Western Conference finals than in the NBA finals... again.
Out of all the teams mentioned as a possible landing spot I'd go with the Spurs. I'm sure Kawhi would decide to stay then, and Pop is the best coach in the NBA today. Lebron will likely stay in the east though, because with the Rockets and Warriors being top tier, and the Pelicans and Wolves having great young players, I don't see it happening. Why would a guy whos always taken the easy path change now?
I think the move to the Lakers would be the best of both worlds. An easy way out and getting to live the Hollywood lifestyle.
It makes sense for Lebron, because hes near the end of his career, and it would be an easy transition to the post NBA life. I just don't know if he could win a championship with them. Kawhi and Lebron would be great, but they are still 2 great players shy of GS. Pop is also an old school coach, so I could see him shipping Kawhi to Boston, because they have a lot of pieces to move, and that was one of the spots Kyrie requested a trade to, so it makes sense seeing as Kyrie is likely gone next season anyways, and I'd prefer Kawhi as a one year rental.
I honestly don't know if he cares about Championships that much. If he did, he would have done whatever it took to keep Kyrie.
I agree, I just hate seeing the two best players not care about winning. Not sure if you saw where Durant said he didn't care about championships. Jordan, Magic, Bird, and even guys who never won like Ewing, Barkley, and Miller played hard to try to win every night.
Jordan is Jordan and Lebron is Lebron. I guess both have their own gifts different from each other. Either way, I hope Lebron would be more exciting to watch next time :)
I don't know if you can get more exciting than he was in this playoff run. It was simply amazing... until it really mattered. Then he tends to wilt. No one will ever say Jordan didn't show up for 1 second of a playoff game let alone an entire quarter. LeBron has been missing from MANY 4th quarters of playoff games. I have no idea why. It makes no sense.
LoL at least you are honest about being a Lebron hater. I'm by no means a fan of his, but I feel like a few of your points were a little much. I did enjoy Kobe's comment he made after the finals. Kobe said at the end of the day Lebron needs to figure out a way to win and can't be so concerned with the narrative.
I do think he will end up in LA though. He has stated that he is fine with where his legacy stands at the moment so that makes me think he is more concerned with life after basketball and family at this point. Somehow teaming up with Kawhi or Paul George would be icing on the cake.
I actually wrote an article about it all if you would like to check it out.
https://steemit.com/sports/@ross-early/the-decision-v3-0
Oh yeah I am biased as hell. I still can't believe that pep rally for nothing they threw when he went to Miami.... or having a 1 hour special to cut out the hearts of his home town fans. Or destroying his legacy by agreeing to be the second fiddle to Dwayne Wade. Or making flopping acceptable...
Before "the decision" I actually rooted for LeBron. I was so amazed by his athleticism and willingness to play team ball. But his move to Miami and his constant flopping showed me how weak he really is. It was the biggest disappointment. He is so damn good. Why does he think he needs to take the easy way out and cheat? You put Jordan's brain in LeBron's body and he would be 9-0 in the finals. He would also be a huge asshole but this isn't a contest of who you would rather have date your sister. Its basketball.
If he picked any other team but the Heat and his legacy would be in tact. The best player in the league doesn't join someone else's team... they join his.
I agree with the pep rally incident as that was overkill for sure. I'm a HUGE Dwyane Wade fan and I actually see it the other way around. I was annoyed a bit when they created the Big Three because I enjoyed watching Wade be THE GUY for the Heat. When Lebron showed up I would argue Wade had to play second fiddle to Lebron, which makes sense being that Lebron is the better player.
I've never been a Lebron fan, but I've always respected his place within the league. If I could change one thing about Lebron like you I would want to sprinkle a little more DOG in his personality. He is the passive aggressive type and that doesn't always work well for him on the court.
I'd assume you aren't very supportive of Kevin Durant's decision either then lol.
I have always enjoyed watching as a fan the great players in sports. There is something to be said about telling your kids or grandkids that you got to watch a Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jordon in their prime. Sadly, although he might be the GOAT when it comes to the hoops world, (I still lean to Mr. Air himself) he lost all my respect a long time ago.
The moment I heard that Lebron was going to hold a television extravaganza to announce which team he would bless with his presence I was all out on him as a player and more so as a person. It bothered me to no end that he thought himself so special. And then to watch as he and the “dream” team chanted and sand about how many championships they could win together?? Wow!! Not 1... not 2... not 3.... umm you fools counted too high.
I’ve never really thought of it the way you are stating it but when you look back over his career, you are absolutely right. Lebron needs it to be easy. I might say that this year could be an exception based on how his season played out but in reality, it was easy right up till they met the Warriors. Again 🙄 Don’t even get me started about how much that situation has turned me off of basketball.
I'm hoping super teams break up soon. It gets boring knowing that the season does not matter. I'll say Lebron will go to the Lakers.