Thank goodness I've made the switch from Sportscenter and ESPN to Fox Sports 1 and their sports news program Fox Sports Live. At least they dedicate more than 5 minutes to the World Cup, and don’t spend an entire half an hour talking about LeBron James and his next destination. However, I would like to take the next 30 minutes from my life, and talk about LeBron James and his next destination.
#9 – Minnesota Timberwolves. I jest, but from a championship caliber perspective, it actually makes a bit of sense. The one thing that the Wolves have lacked since the last time they made the playoffs 10(!) years ago is a scoring small forward option. They thought they had it with Wes Johnson. They may have believed that Derrick Williams could’ve played that role. Now, the rest of the team is adequate and should have made the playoffs. Love is one of the top five-ten players in the league. Rubio anticipates very well, and actually made some positive steps this past year to show that he belongs in the league. I think if LeBron were to come to Minnesota, he and Rubio could split PG duties, and that would help against the high quality PG’s that Rubio has a hard time guarding. Plus if you think about it, LeBron is really one of the 15 best PG’s in the league already. He and Love would be very difficult to stop, and Gorgui Dieng would be Minnesota’s version of Udonis Haslem. But not only is this a long shot, Minnesota wouldn't be on a list of places to visit for LeBron. Does make a bit of sense though.
#8 – Los Angeles Clippers. Probably the most realistic shot for LeBron winning multiple championships, but logistically, I think it would be very difficult to get him there. They are already in a complicated salary cap situation (No more caps!), and would likely have to move a few players back to the Heat if they were seriously considering signing LeBron. However, a team that could run with LeBron, Chris Paul, Jamal Crawford and DeAndre Jordan would be very dangerous, and even more so considering that Doc Rivers and his defensive principles would make this team almost unstoppable. I’m assuming that the Heat would ask for Blake Griffin in return, and quite possibly Darren Collison, Danny Granger and/or J.J. Redick as well. Still if I’m the Clippers, I would make this trade in a heartbeat; LeBron already knows what it takes to win a title in this league, and I think that Griffin is holding L.A. back and not Chris Paul or any of the others.
#7 – Los Angeles Lakers. Depending on whether or not Kobe Bryant would be willing to restructure his American sports high deal, the Lakers could offer LeBron a max deal. I’ll be curious to see what their plans are for Pau Gasol, but I imagine that if there is any chance that LeBron would consider Los Angeles, that Gasol would be on the way out. This wouldn’t be my favorite place for LeBron to go, but it does make a bit of sense. They are in desperate need of PG play, especially considering that no one has any idea what Steve Nash can contribute anymore. The only other point guard on the team is Kendall Marshall who isn’t terribly poor at the position, but he’s a subpar shooter who doesn’t offer the team anything at all defensively. If the Lakers are going to be back in the playoffs next season, they are going to need more from that spot. That’s where LeBron comes in. There aren’t very many accomplished point guards available in free agency; one might say that the only one worth chasing is Kyle Lowry. The problem is he will have many suitors, and will cost a ton. But if they can convince LeBron that building a team with him as the focal point, and nice complimentary pieces in Julius Randle and Kobe Bryant, he may just consider bringing his version of Showtime to Los Angeles.
#6 – Philadelphia 76ers. Go ahead and laugh. This was consistently one of the worst teams in the NBA last season. But, hear me out. First, they have the NBA’s next great PG in Michael Carter-Williams once he gets his turnovers down and slows the game down a little bit. Second, Nerlens Noel is a huge talent and we’ll finally showcase those skills next season. Third, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric both have tons of potential and could’ve been #1 picks in other seasons. LeBron would fit into a young lineup that with him, could challenge for the Eastern Conference title rather quickly and if they mold well together, could do so for multiple seasons. I liken it to the 76ers when Moses Malone got traded to them from Houston and they went on to win an NBA championship. Not that Carter-Williams is close to a Julius Erving talent, but LeBron is better than Malone ever was, and they would have the talent to go a long way together.
#5 – New York Knicks. I actually would prefer not to see him here, but I think that because it is moderately realistic that I have to talk about it. I would like to say nevertheless that the Knicks are a franchise in complete disarray and not even Phil Jackson will be able to turn this franchise around quickly. Now that they traded Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton, along with Carmelo Anthony deciding to test free agency, the most talented player on this roster might just be Tim Hardaway Jr, which is rather brutal. I imagine that one of the first things Phil Jackson does is remove JR Smith from any sort of team association. LeBron would be great New York specifically from a marketing perspective and the fact that Adam Silver would love to make New York relevant again in today’s market. Nothing would be better for the NBA than the Knicks being close to or at the top. I think LeBron is smarter than this, and understands that like Michael and Kobe he doesn’t need to be in New York to improve and advance his brand further. From a basketball standpoint, I think his numbers would be as great as they would ever be, but that’s more a result of the lack of serious talent on the Knicks roster.
#4 – Chicago Bulls. Another unlikely scenario, just because even if LeBron won the next 3 titles, he would still be in the shadow of some former Chicago Bull. I like this combination if Derrick Rose could actually play in more than 10 games per season, but I don’t see that happening, so this move would be tough to make. Chicago already has a number of good wing players, but they wouldn’t have anyone to push the tempo on their roster if Rose is injured. Defensively they would be top notch; Noah and James are a match for anyone in the league, plus Jimmy Butler is underrated as a defender. A more likely scenario is Carmelo Anthony wearing the red and black, but I wouldn’t be mad at LeBron if Chicago could find a way to convince he and Dwayne Wade to sign here.
#3 – Cleveland Cavaliers. I don’t even think they will believe it can happen with the recent drafting of Andrew Wiggins. If they truly believed that LeBron was coming back to Cleveland, I think they are better suited to draft either Jabari Parker or Joel Embiid. The drafting of Wiggins is rather redundant if they were going to attempt and sign LeBron. Unless they still have a sign-and-trade in store. I’m going to assume they did and it’s with Miami. So if Wiggins ends up in Miami, Cleveland makes a killing and things get really interesting. Will Cleveland embrace LeBron? Will Kyrie stay for less money for the chance to get a head start on some NBA championships. Can these two do it with Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters as their complimentary starters? Doesn’t Spencer Hawes create the same problems that LeBron was having in Miami? All these things would be interesting, and I do think Cleveland becomes the favorite in the east if it does happen, but I’m hardly convinced.
#2 – Miami Heat. I think after all the moves they made during the draft that this is the most realistic landing place for LeBron, but I do believe that even he understands that there may be something better out there for him. It’s not the most rabid fan base, but I think that the Miami Heat have taken on the appearance of a villain organization, but the squad has been built to support him, and now they can offer him a ton of cash. I won’t elaborate much on the dynamics of LeBron being in the lineup, just because we have all seen it for the last 4 years. I do believe it makes sense, and if the right pieces come back, they do have a good shot at winning it all next year.
#1 – Houston Rockets. They really have done a masterful job getting rid of cap and creating the necessary space to sign either Anthony or LeBron. Even though I believe that it is unlikely that either one signs on with Houston, I do think we could see one of the great teams of all-time if LeBron decided to go against the grain and sign with the Rockets. First, he has never played with a big man as gifted as Dwight Howard. There are critics who don’t think that LeBron could play with a center, I am of the minority that I think it would change his game similar to the way Shaq and Kobe complimented each other. I think that James Harden’s best role was that of sidekick to Kevin Durant and would be willing to morph back into that kind of player if it meant winning championships down in Houston. The fact that Houston already has those 2 players and still has enough room to sign LeBron is impressive and shows how hungry the organization is to try and win. I think that LeBron will be thinking all these things through, and while I believe Houston would become instant favorites, I don’t believe LeBron will leave the close friendships that he has developed with Wade and Chris Bosh. It’s enticing, it’s probably an improvement talent wise for the long-term, and they can give him the max deal that he reportedly seeks, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned about LeBron over the years of watching him it’s that he succeeds when he’s comfortable and I believe that he is most comfortable in Miami. We shall see.
Enjoy Free Agency you NBA meatheads!
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