Marc Stein: Christopher Paul is already recruiting Lebron

Right and I think you know if you come to Houston there isn't going to be an ego clash. Paul and Harden have both shown they are cool with whatever it takes (Paul more than Harden to be fair) and D'Antoni essentially let Paul and Harden run their own offense instead of his so he's shown a massive ability to change. I do have concern about whether Lebron and D'Antoni could co-exist AND I worry that Lebron could ultimately get the coach and GM fired.

 

Ayy, if there was ever a Lebron vs Morey clash I think Clutchfans would meltdown.

Clutchfans is a long-running stable community of true team fans though, so maybe more than most teams, there would be a lot of people here actually NOT taking Lebron's side if he showed up and wanted to start replacing the entire organization.

 

Have reason to believe the odds were set by Colangelo's burner account.

We good.

 

No, I think if LeBron James comes to the Rockets, we will likely not win more than we did last year.

There will be a growing period with Harden and Paul and Capela getting comfortable with LeBron James.

Also, there likely will be less depth, and players like Paul and Harden and even James will see less minutes to prepare for the post season.

Where you will see the difference is in the post season......

 

I won't even speculate on LeBron's energy. He's made the Finals 8 years in a row, that's super human.

 

It's a fair point. This is another risk posed by signing with the Sixers. Whatever move the Celtics make may not come til later in the summer AFTER LeBron is already locked into a contract with Philly. Remember, Boston didn't acquire Kyrie til right before the season started. What if LeBron goes to the Sixers and then Ainge uses his endless supply of draft picks and superfluous crop of talent(they arguably don't need Hayward anymore) to land another superstar?

At least heading West, LeBron knows exactly what he's up against. The Warriors roster ain't changing for the better this summer. They'll resign Durant, try to extend Klay, attempt in vain to keep Looney(I don't think they can afford to though), and that's basically it. The rest of the roster will be filled with vets on minimum deals.

It's not about when he faces the Warriors. It's about which team gives him a chance to actually beat the Warriors. The Rockets would've beaten them without LeBron had CP3 been healthy or the refs given us a fair shake. The Sixers are not only unproven when it comes to Golden State, they still have to show they can beat a fully loaded Celtics team just to reach the Finals. Does LeBron want to just keep this Finals streak intact or does he want to add another ring or two to his collection?

 

And.......... lost to the Warriors.

With LeBron James on the Rockets, he would have dispatched the Warriors in 4-5 games and...... won a Championship.

Also I wouldn't discount the fact that James wants to be around veteran players and has a very close relationship with Chris Paul and thinks highly of D'Antoni.

 

Does he think highly of D'Antoni? If that's true that will make me feel a lot better. I wasn't aware that any stars other than Kobe had ever thought highly of coach.

 

Attempting to be unbiased...if Lebron comes to Houston, he will win a total of 5 or 6 championships in his career. If he goes anywhere else (other than the worriors), he may not win again. If he wants to unseat the worriers, win more ships, and secure his legacy as possibly the greatest ever (I am still in the Jordan camp) Houston makes the most sense.

 

The person's legacy who will get hurt the most is Harden.

 

true..

although Harden will still be in his early 30's when Lebron and CP3 leave, allowing him opportunities in the second half of his career to bring another ship to Houston. With the monkey off his back, and 2/3 championships under his belt, we may win even more in coming years.

 

I am somewhat indifferent to this as I don't know how this will affect the chemistry of the team. Obviously, it all depends on who has to go to make this happen. If it means saying goodbye to Capela and getting some space eater like a Joel Anthony type, then I would rather not. If you can keep Capela along with CP3 (obviously) then it is fine with me.

 

Because if he joined the Rockets in the West, they would bulldoze through the Warriors (no other team in the West would work though) and whoever comes out of the east.

If he stays in the east, he wouldn't necessarily bulldoze through (Celtics would be a major threat), and he would certainly still lose to the Warriors in the finals.

 

The East arguement is all but gone now IMO. There’s a rising power in Boston. Took LeBron to 7 games in the ECF as is. They’ll add Irving and Hayward to the mix. Plus they’ll have a nice draft pick to use. Whether they trade it or draft to keep, that FO has done well on both accounts.

I just don’t see Philly as a fit. Simmons plays like LeBron without a shot. Embiid clogs the paint with his primary skill. Embiid can space the floor, but will he want to play the Ryno role for 48 minutes if they stagger LeBron and Simmons? If LeBron doesn’t choose Philly, they’re still another rising power in the east he’d have to beat.

Not as much of a cake walk anymore, especially for that Cleveland team as constructed. The worry I had was that LeBron can receuit stars there. CP3 or PG13 to Cleveland for example. But it looks like he despises Dan Gilbert so much that he won’t even try to stay.

Rockets are in a good position. Proven FO and so-far-so-good new owner who plays well in the media. Although, this is Tilman’s moment to put your money where your mouth is. That luxury tax is gonna be huge if he wants to keep the team as is, much less improve it. I have my concerns with LeBron’s fit here. With 3 high-percentage ISO players, not only will coach still have to stagger two of them, he might have to run a script.

 

Also don't discount how often James and Irving bumped heads, and ultimately Irving wanted out leaving James holding the bag.

LeBron has a strong relationship with Chris Paul, and has expressed a lot of respect for Harden and D'Antoni.

 

It’s almost mind boggling how insecure/soft this guy is. How does a man that stands 7 foot tall, with elite talent, consistently display this kind of behavior. Dude has serious psychological issues.

 

1. No player is bigger than the team. Rockets Championship > Harden's Legacy.

2. How much of a legacy hit did Wade take when LeBron joined the Heat and helped him add 2 more rings to his collection?

3. Harden's legacy already took a hit last year when he couldn't lead the Rockets over a Kahwi-less Spurs, but people have moved on once we led the league in wins.

 

wade already got a championship without lebron

the part that will hurt harden is he wouldnt be the best player if they won the championship. thats pretty much what it comes down to.

 

i dont think so. I think people will finally appreciate him after he retires. Tmac is viewed as a god now and he was half the player harden is

Harden has done everything you can do without being on a super team in this era, not much else he can do

 

[Sixers favorites for LeBron] What do you make of that list?

SAS: Nobody knows. The top four: Philadelphia, Cleveland, Houston, LA. I'm shocked the Clippers are on that list. I'm told he'd never play for the Clippers. If he were to go for LA, it'd be the purple & gold. If he went to the Warriors, that'd be the ultimate stain on his legacy. I can't think of a worse move than joining the Warriors. All the respect he has garnered & earned, it'd go right out the window. We'd be looking at him worse now than when he went to Miami. If you jump on that bandwagon, his reputation would never recover. I'm not sure why the Warriors are on the list. That's the one move he cannot make.

Max: As I brought up last year, I thought Philly was the best place. I was told I was crazy. Now everyone says Philly is the favorite to get LeBron. Philly & Houston should be tied for one. If you're LeBron, this you know, it's important you get to the Finals. You stay in everyone's faces. Every postseason, the argument comes up again. He's in front of everyone's faces. You're looking at greatness. You keep seeing it. He must make the Finals. So where does he go? Philadelphia is one place. They get LeBron, as good as the Celtics are, Philly gets out of the East. Houston gets out of the West. Those are the top two destinations. If you're talking LA, a few dominoes have to fall first. Paul George has to sign first. Then they have to decide if Kuzma/Ingram are enough to get Kawhi. If Kawhi & Paul are in LA, yeah, they can get LeBron. I agree with the odds. It's Philly & Houston, then LA. I can't imagine him staying in Cleveland.

Is all of that necessary to get LeBron to LA?

SAS: I don't think so. If Paul George is willing to come to LA with their young pieces, LeBron could elect to go to LA. LeBron, with Paul George, with Kuzma, with Ingram, with Randle, are they title contenders? Any team with LeBron is but the reality is, would they win the championship? No. What is he really chasing? He has 3 rings. You don't want to be home in April. Has he graduated or evolved to a point where I'm thinking about my personal life & family & warm weather? Is LA the way for me to go or do I want to chase a championship? I think it comes down to that decision.

Max: LeBron's brand has become he's in the Finals every year. Gotta make the Finals. That streak being broken hurts him. The two places for that are Houston or Philly.

SAS: Magic went to the Finals 9 times with the Lakers. When he didn't go, did it hurt his brand?

Max: No but Magic isn't considered now one of two greatest players.

SAS: We're talking branding. I don't think LeBron missing the Finals suddenly plummets him off the face of the earth. I think his brand will be just fine.

Max: Magic is pre-Jordan standard. There was no MJ to chase. MJ raised the bar.