There are at least five reasons why The King should steer clear of LA.
There are many reasons why LeBron should avoid Disneyland (I’ll get to those in a minute), but there is one big reason why he’d go–family.
I understand that The King’s son, appropriately named LeBron Junior (a.k.a. The Prince) would likely enroll at Sierra Canyon High School located in Los Angeles. That’s important because Senior has mentioned the dream of playing NBA basketball with his son. But James will be about 38-years-old if that were to occur. It’s possible but highly unlikely.
With that point made, here are a few reasons why the King shouldn’t redecorate his throne with Purple and Gold.
The most obvious factor is the Lakers’ talent pool. It’s weak. Sure, they have nice young talent in Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Julius Randle, and his short-term teammate in Cleveland, Isaiah Thomas.
The key word in that sentence is young! LeBron is not young and even though he just notched one of his best seasons in his illustrious 15-year career, his basketball biological clock is ticking. So the second reason is this: Why would LeBron want to join a team that lacks a superstar, even any all-stars for that matter? He needs to win now, the next year, and the year after that. That won’t happen in a Lakers uniform unless a true sidekick or two arrives.
That sidekick could be Kawhi Leonard, who is (in my opinion) no sidekick at all. He’s easily a top-five player in the league, but rumor has it that Kawhi isn’t thrilled about joining forces with LeBron. Why is uncertain. But one can speculate that Leonard wants to make his mark as the leader and best player on a team.
With San Antonio still holding the rights to Kawhi for the 2018-2019 season, it would be a dumb move to let him stay and then have him walk the following season, The Spurs need assets in return.
If Kawhi wants to play for L.A. next year, you can bet the asking price will be high.
The third reason why LeBron should steer clear of LA is, well, the Western competition, primarily (at this point) the two-time defending champ, the Golden State Warriors. Worse yet (if that’s not bad enough) is that the Warriors are not alone. The Rockets, Jazz, Timberwolves, and perhaps even the Thunder (if Paul George decides to stay) are more competitive currently than the Lakers. And don’t forget about the Blazers. (Many people do.)
So, the fourth reason is a “grass is greener” scenario. If LeBron goes to LA, he’d have to go through a loaded Western Conference to reach the Finals. In the East, on the other hand, the only legitimate competitor at this point is the Boston Celtics. That’s why LeBron should consider staying in the East and play for the 76ers, Raptors, or even the Heat again (if he can recruit all-stars to play in Miami).
Jerry West (photo, nextimpulsesports.com)
There’s more! If James migrates to the Pacific Coast he’ll just be another Lakers’ star in the long line of Hall of Famers who played there. There’s Mikan, Wilt, West, Kareem, Magic, Shaq, Kobe and so on. That’s new for LeBron, who owns the city of Cleveland.
If LeBron wants out of Cleveland–and he’s one step away after making an opting-out choice on Friday–then I’d suggest he consider teams like the Pelicans, who have a dominant player in Anthony Davis and unlimited talent in DeMarcus Cousins (if Cousins stays in New Orleans and remains healthy.) If Kawhi were to stay in San Antonio, then I think he, LeBron, and Aldridge can do some serious damage there. And don’t count out Portland as a dark horse in this race. People forget that the Blazers were the 3rd-seed in West last season.
In a nutshell, I think it makes no sense for LeBron to sign with the Lakers–unless Magic Johnson lives up to his nickname and grabs another superstar (or two) first. That’s the only way LA can contend with Golden State, Houston, and Boston.
While I don’t think LeBron would do it, I’d love to see him go to the Thunder and win a championship for that great organization. He’d stuff it in the face of Durant and Harden, who couldn’t deliver during their days of Thunder.
