I know what you are thinking:
“Has Rob been smoking? Did he spend the night with Kat Stacks last night? What in the blue hell is he talking about?”
But just hear me out.
I have nothing against Cleveland and I would not be shocked if LeBron resigned with them, but there is something about Cleveland and LeBron that just doesn’t fit.
All Cleveland has is LeBron and that burden seems to weigh him down. Look at it like a supermodel dating a garbage man who she grew up with; she has to constantly reassure him that she won’t leave him for George Clooney. At some point though, the supermodel realizes she has more in common with men like Clooney than the garbage man she grew up with.
In many ways, LeBron has outgrown Cleveland and it is time to move on. Let’s look at his possible destinations:
1- New York Knicks
It is the place everyone assumes he would go if he decides to leave. The Knicks have been making moves for three years to get in a position to sign LeBron and a sidekick.
The problem as I see it is that unless the Knicks get a legit secondary superstar, they are just a flashier version of the Cavs.
If the goal is to win titles, the Knicks might not be the best move.
2- Chicago Bulls
This makes the most logical sense. The Bulls have talent, cash, and a big market. But if you’re LeBron, do you always want to be in Michael Jordan’s shadow?
3- New Jersey Nets
The Jay-Z angle. LeBron and Jay-Z are friends and Jigga is a minority owner of the Nets who will be making a move to Brooklyn in a few years. Would LeBron hang out in Jersey for a few years? The Nets were the worst team in the league this year and even if they get the #1 pick, they still could be years away from the title.
4- Miami Heat
The theory goes that whenever Wade gets out of court he and LeBron will sit down and plot a strategy to play together. Plausible, yes; but two alpha males in their prime playing together?
5- Los Angeles Clippers
It’s the Clippers; if LeBron signed there he would blow out his ACL in preseason.
If I were LeBron there would be only one place to go and that would be:
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
The Lakers don’t have “max” money, but money shouldn’t matter to LeBron. Right now the only things that should matter are championship rings, and if he signs with the Lakers those rings will be pretty much guaranteed.
Lakers fans don’t want to hear this, but it is the truth.
Kobe Bryant is at the end of his career; when I say that I don’t mean he is turning into Mo Williams, I am saying he is playing eerily similar to Michael Jordan in 1998. That’s when Jordan didn’t quite have the explosion he once had, starting to feel the effects of injury more, but was getting by with pure desire and basketball IQ.
More than anything, Bryant wants to end his career with as many titles as possible. He has four now (possibly on his way to a 5th) and he knows the clock is ticking. His body is breaking down and he only has two or three years left before he becomes Michael Jordan with the Wizards.
The Lakers – even without Kobe – are a good team with solid pieces (Gasol, Bynum, Odom) to keep the franchise intact when the decline starts to come from Bean.
The Lakers are the one franchise that always replaces legendary stars with other legendary stars (West, Wilt, Kareem, Magic, Shaq, Kobe). It is expected that they will always have a great player in place. They have a coach in Phil Jackson who knows how to handle multiple superstars and win championships with them.
It is very similar to what Shaq did when he came to LA. He had a good team in Orlando, but he became a legend in LA.
If you are LeBron, what is more important to you?
Money and fame, or championships?
LeBron should take less money and go to a storied franchise who will be in title contention for the foreseeable future. Then he should take a Tim Duncan role to Kobe’s David Robinson.
By the time Kobe leaves the building, Kobe will be happy because he will possibly be sitting on seven rings, and LeBron will quiet his critics by having some rings himself.
Then he becomes the King of LA – the next in a line of Hall of Fame players with a franchise that has a history of winning championships.
To make this move would prove to me LeBron only cares about winning – nothing else.
If it is truly about winning, the money doesn’t matter, being the “man” doesn’t matter, and being MVP doesn’t matter.
All that matters is:
THE RING
He should hop in a taxi and get to LA pronto.
Do I believe this has any chance of happening?
Not at all.
Most times, money and ego will win out. I don’t think LeBron will turn down max money or would ever share the spotlight with Kobe Bryant.
While I think it would be beneficial for Kobe to have someone take the burden off of him, especially as he gets older, I doubt he would want to deal with people saying he only got “X” amount of rings because of LeBron – especially after what he went through with Shaq.
As a man of logic though, I think this would be best for LeBron, best for Kobe, best for the Lakers, and best for the NBA.
Plus the Nike Puppet commercials would be epic.
