Where To Next?

This Is A Write-up Fashioned From My Former and now Defunct Blog, Orio-obsessions, Which Originally Homed This And Other Writings That I Am Now Moving Over To this Blog. It’s Dated June 8th, 2018. Good Times.

Lebron James’ emblazoned a stark image onto the minds of NBA fans in his final game of the 2018 NBA finals. Late in the 4th quarter, with the game in the unshakable grasp of the Warriors, Lebron dapped up his in-coming teammates, the Warriors players and he checked out. He checked out mentally, he checked out physically, and he’s checked out contractually.

This deflating final series against Steph Curry And The Golden State Warriors underscored the prevailing narrative of the Lebron James And Cleveland Cavalier Romance; A Failure To Raise To His Standard. Again, the Cleveland brass has failed to complement the best player in the world with a team that is Skill And Focused enough to compete alongside him. As of right now the Cavaliers are stoned walled with a mediocre roster and practically no basketball Cap flexibility.  Their roster boasts the highest payroll in the league at around 140,000,00—which is light years above the NBA salary cap and will net the owner of the team a hefty 43 million dollars fine. J.R. Smith, George Hill, and Tristan Thompson—members of the starting 5 who couldn’t hit The Bottom of The Ocean With an Anchor --account for around 36% of the Cavalier cap hit. 36%! Which If You Consider J. R Smith’s Shooting Percentages, Is Staggering.  J. R., Tristan, And Hill Are All Strapped To multi-year deals, making them virtually untradeable. The only alluring asset is the Cavs possess is the 8th overall pick in this year’s draft which could fetch them a mid-tier player in a trade, say, Andrew Wiggins, who can add to the bevy of underperforming talent on a bad contract on the team, or drafting a Michael Porter Jr. from Missouri or Wendell Carter Jr. from Duke(!), highly touted players expected to be available when the Cavs make their selection.

Realistically, neither of these options is the prime choice for remolding this Underwhelming Cavalier’s roster. No matter the sentimental value of the city of Cleveland, Lebron will not want to waste any more of his extended prime dragging this team through another season, and into another Playoff Ousting.

He is out, but where to?

There have been tons of rumors spreading about which city the king will rule over next. Here I’ll Explore some of the noted rumors and discern which team offers the best situation for the best player in the world.

Los Angeles Lakers:

The Lakers are my favorites to land the services of Lebron James. When Kobe tore his Achilles the entire integrity of the Lakers franchise was scarred, and they’ve been dismal since.  Now, Kobe is gone, and the storied Lakers franchise needs a new face—no it won’t be Lonzo Ball--a new prime free agent to rip away from a desperate fanbase, enter Lebron James. Approaching 33 years of age, this upcoming contract may be Lebron’s final free agent transaction of Lebron’s career a d I can’t think of a better place for him to walk off into the sunset than in L.A./Hollywood. At this point In his career, Lebron will be looking for a place to solidify his name, his brand. LA will offer him the optimum opportunity to do so. Basketball-wise, Lakers GM Magic Johnson, is held in high esteem amongst players in the league, he has already been linked to Paul George, whose interest in jettisoning Oklahoma for Tinsel town is well documented. GMs know that Lebron would like nothing more than a pliable young star to play alongside him. Los Angeles has the cap space to sign two max players this summer, young talent that can be packed in the deal to further shape their championship roster, and a young respected head coach in Luke Walton. LA is expected to pursuit Lebron, how much of their future are they willing to mortgage to secure his services. All of it? I want the Lakers to sign Lebron, if for nothing but the irony. That Cavalier mid-season roster overhaul they’d hoped would appease Lebron created cap space for the Lakers to snatch him away.

Houston Rockets:

The Houston Rockets are an intriguing option in the Lebron James sweepstakes. The team is coming off an NBA where they shit the three-ball more than anyone and, on more games than anyone. They pushed the eventual NBA champ Warriors to the brink of elimination in the Western Conference, now their mad scientist GM Daryl Morey can retool the roster, which could mean adding a Lebron James in free agency but at what price. Securing James’ services are incumbent upon what happens with free-agent point guard Chris Paul. Reports have surfaced that Paul isn’t willing to accept anything short of a supermax contract that could potentially absorb 30%-35% of Houston’s cap space. Lebron has hinted towards his desire to play alongside his friend Chris Paul but hasn’t hinted towards taking a pay cut to do so--cap consumption could prove to be a massive deterrent. There’s also the curious case of free agent center Clint Capela. Widely considered the archetype for modern-day NBA centers, his length, youth, and rim running are in high demand, and history is evident that NBA GMs are inclined to overpaying for free agents, a la Bismack Bihyombo, just to seize them away from other competitive teams. There’s also the problem of cohesion between Lebron James and James Harden. Houston’s offense is predicated on isolation and creation with floor spacing. James Harden, who is number 1 in the NBA in usage rate, breaks down the opposing team’s weakest defender, collapses the defense in, and kicks it out for a three, alley-oop for Capela, or finish it himself. Lebron James is another ball-dominant player--number 5 in usage rate--who penetrates and kicks out for teammates in a similar fashion. It’s hard to imagine these two basketball vacuums existing within the same space. Will either player be willing to play within an egalitarian offense, will it be a “your turn” “my turn” kind of show, reminiscent of Lebron and Kyrie. Somethings to think about. Say If Houston signs LeBron’s to cap consuming supermax contract, they would have to renounce the right to valuable role players like Trevor Ariza, not to mention the seismic power shift to the Western Conference that the league may not to in favor of. Lebron in a Rockets jersey would make Houston a considerable favorite (along with the Warriors) to win the championship, but him joining the team is more conundrum than a conclusion.

Philadelphia 76ers:

Of all the favorite Lebron free agency destinations the Sixers to me are the most farfetched. This Sixers team is constructed around their blossoming young stars, Ben Simmons and Joel Embid who both prove they’re the future of the NBA at the position this season. Simmons is an incubating Lebron James. He averaged 16/8/8 in his stellar “rookie” season, and many believe he is a jump shot away from being even a greater threat to opposing defenses. Embed is the brightest young big man in the league, not named Anthony Davis. He anchors Phillies’ Offense with his versatile skill set—he’s third in the NBA in usage rating--and he’s also their focal point on defense, where his reach and instincts—third in defensive rating as well—make him an imposing force against opposing teams offense. Philly signing Lebron James could drastically stagnate the development of both these players. Like I mentioned earlier, Lebron Dominates the ball on offense, he’s served as the primary playmaker of every team he’s ever played for. It’s hard to imagine his ego allowing “the King” to concede his crown to either one of the Sixers promising youngsters, much less both. Operationally the Sixers Have the Cap Space and the assets—be it Markelle Fultz or Draft picks—to transform their team into the optimal competitive composition. Geographically, the Sixers are in the eastern conference, where Lebron has dominated for what seems like forever, they are also the 4th largest media market in the United States. These aspects make for an enticing destination for Lebron but will his fit be congruent where it’s most important: on the floor.

The New York Knick deserves an honorable mention in the Lebron James sweepstakes. The Knickerbockers Are Always At The Forefront IN Regards To Free Agent Courting. Giving The Status That New York City Can Brand On A Players Legacy.

Ultimately, I believe it’ll come down to those three teams I mentioned. Whatever Lebron does decide to do will have ripple effects throughout the league and his decisions are always interesting.