LeBron James Could Form the Superteam to End All Superteams in Houston

That’s a fair point. But I think if Lebron goes anywhere to contend for a title he’s going to have to give that team a huge break sort of like Durant’s contract with GSW. OKC could package Roberson and Abrines (which I feel are players and contracts they would take rather than lose Lebron for nothing) with Singler and Patterson and sweetners. It’s complicated for sure but a) all those contracts you’re better off with than Ryno for example and b) unless he picks LA it’s going to be complicated no matter what.
Yes OKC would definitely have to pay crazy tax for a year until Melo is off the books.

 

Burt is jinxing it!

 

Still need to come up with another $8m in salary for matching purposes ....

 

...

The one thing that's becoming clear is that the story of LeBron's power is changing. As the Cavs struggles come into focus, there's a common thread that runs throughout every story.

Players like Thompson and Smith are tough to trade because LeBron made sure they were given huge contracts. The Cavs are full of slow, offense-first veterans like Channing Frye and Kyle Korver because those are the short-term solutions LeBron's demanded every year. They have Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder because Kyrie Irving asked for a trade, but Kyrie wanted to leave, at least in part, because he was tired of being treated like a pawn in LeBron's never-ending chess game of subtweets and trade rumors. And speaking of rumors, everyone on this year's teams has spent the entire season knowing that everything could change this summer, a fact that's pretty clearly wearing on half the roster.

It really shouldn't be surprising that the Cavs are struggling in this context, and while many of LeBron's tactics have been laudable and understandable, his role in the problems is undeniable. LeBron makes life much simpler for a team on the court, but he makes everything else more complicated. His presence guarantees more scrutiny for players and management, and he demands more urgency, too. It's a trade-off that has always been absolutely worth the trouble, but the more mortal LeBron becomes, the trickier the calculus gets for any team he's on.

Watching the Cavs this week, I'm less curious about what they do the rest of this season, and more interested in whether LeBron changes his approach as his career unfolds. Because of his size, power, and intelligence, his game should age fantastically. Some of the meta-game tactics may not play as well as the years pass.

If he leaves Cleveland this summer, will he wield the same kind of power with his next team? Kobe Bryant took all kinds of criticism for trying to do everything himself, but what happens if LeBron goes to L.A. and starts pushing for them to trade Brandon Ingram for veterans who can push the Warriors to six games instead of five? Isn't that corrosive in its own right? Will there ever be a LeBron team that's not constantly engulfed in trade rumors? How will it affect his career if none of these tactics lead to another title?

Steph Curry and Kevin Durant are in the middle of their prime and not going anywhere. They are Shaq and Kobe for the modern era. There's no guarantee that this problem will get any easier to solve if LeBron's on the Lakers next year. And if the past 10 years were the story of the most powerful professional athlete the NBA has ever seen, it's beginning to look like the next few years could be the story of LeBron James slowly realizing that even his power has limits. Or if not the next few years, then—[checks Cavs defensive rating]—certainly the next few months.​

 

"Come to Houston. Our players are already used to this, breh." signed Daral Morai

 

That's a great article about Lebron and highlights what I've been saying about him.

 

Totally agree. Love his skills, do not love the player, too much drama. And we saw that does not bode well for Harden.

Having said that, as a pure basketball fan, CP3, Harden, and Lebron. Holy Cow!

 

(Is Houston the best destination for LeBron?)

Chris Broussard: I can see it happening. If I had to pick now, I'd have Houston. I'm leaning towards him leaving. Where else would you go? If you still want to be competitive, San Antonio would be the best place. I think the Spurs will offer an extension this summer to Kawhi. He may not say yes. That situation is in flux. Take them off the board. Paul George looks like he's staying in OKC. Unless there is an implosion, he almost would look like a phony with the things he's said. If George stays in OKC, why go to LA by yourself? Philadelphia, you have the Embiid health question. Can he stay healthy? New York? They'd have enough to win the east but not Golden State Houston makes all the sense. What if they win it this year? You need to just stay I guess. Last summer, when Paul George said I'd stay to sign on one more year if LeBron will, he should have done that. It would have given him 2 years in Cleveland with George and in 2019, the picture more clear. This is turning out to be a summer where there's no great places to go. I think Houston, if they don't win it, is the front-runner.

Shannon: Projected cap is 101M. They already have $80M committed. CP3 is a FA, so Clint Capela & Trevor Ariza. LeBron has made it clear he's not playing for anything less than the max. I don't see it financially. What if he goes to New Orleans?

...

Skip: What chance do you give Houston of winning it all?

Chris: 30%

Skip: I give it no percent. As much as I respect what Houston has done so far, James & Chris have histories of coming up small in the postseason. Are you gonna trust them? Game 6 last year, I'm still looking for him. Chris has had moment after moment with the Clippers where...I don't know what happened. The only way I see him maximizing his chance at a ring and you're gonna laugh out loud is take no money & go to Golden State. ... Spurs have a chance if they can figure out Kawhi. There's one coach he believes in, respects & trust. Kawhi, from my sources, Spurs doctors & independent surgeon/physical therapist can't find anything wrong with his quad. He continues to complain (of pain). He doesn't trust anyone (because of issues from his childhood). He's fallen out of trust with the organization. Spurs have thrown up their hands & said we can't figure it out & if you don't believe us, you go do it on your own & we'll give you as much time as you need to a point. Fallen completely apart? I don't think so but it's teetering. If they can figure it out & get him back in good graces, that team has enough depth & firepower with a healthy Kawhi to challenge Golden State.

Shannon: Best place would be in San Antonio. LeBron, Kawhi, LaMarcus.

 

In Burt We Trust

 

Shannon: "Rockets don't have the cap space"

Shannon: "Best place is San Antonio" - uh, yea, they don't have the cap space either dude.

NOBODY with a top 5 team currently has cap space... it costs $$$ to create such a team.

Lebron is not joining a real contender without some financial sacrifice. It is impossible.

 

At least by coming to Texas he gets off of the state income tax.

 

They are giving as many reasons for it not to be houston. I think getting lebron would make the media hate us even more...bring it on plz. I would love to see Skips face if we win a chip

 

These guys are trolling. The whole TNT cast (outside of Ernie and maybe Kenny) and First Take's SAS and Max Kellerman, are trolls as well. It's hard too differentiate when they're serious or trolling, but whenever it comes to Lebron, GS or anything Rockets related they're probably talking outta their azzes. Why in the hell would Lebron go to the Spurs over Houston? The Spurs are old. Kawhi is unhappy. LaMarcus was unhappy last season. They said the SAME thing about CP coming here and we're ahead the Spurs now and the ONLY threat to GS this year. The media just has certain teams and players they have to d-ride 24-7, and we're not one of them

 

We have to be the frontrunners....right?

I mean, no one else has the momentum we have.

 

I’m starting to think Lebron, George, cousins to the lakers is a strong possibility.

 

Bwhahahaha, no percent. Oh Skip. Genuinely amusingly r****ded Skip. Could definitely benefit from some god diame education.

 

man someone smacking the King. Come on down to Houston where Clutchfans will treat you right!

 

I been spending most my life, living in Dan Gilbert's paradise. I leave the team once or twice......

 

I wish every team had a limit to the super stars they could have. Or make it to where each team had a specific number of star players.

Because of how G.S is structured... you have to form a super team now or else you honestly can't win. But honestly it makes the league so lopsided and not really that fun to watch. I wish all teams were competitive to the point where anyone could win the title. I can't be the only one who thinks this, right?

On a pure basketball standpoint, Lebron to Houston whether we win the chip or not this year would be so much fun. I guess the real question is does Lebron come here because we win the championship this year or because we didn't?

 

My guess is that it would depend on how they lose. If they go down swinging in the conference finals and look like a team that just needs one more guy to push them over the top, Lebron will seriously consider it. If the Rockets don't make the conference finals and they lose while Harden has a game 6-like collapse, things get a lot hazier.