Doubt it. LeBron and Leonard may be roughly equal to Curry and KD, but Green and Thompson together outweighs either George or Cousin.
I've said all along it was foolish to rule out the Lakers. Adding LeBron and PG without giving up anyone (besides letting Randall walk) will vault them near contention. The growing pains during the first year would be pretty rough, but being within striking distance is all LeBron can ask for.
You are looking at it wrong. This year's Rockets (excluding CP3's hammy) were better than the Warriors yet they fail your player comparison test worse than the proposed Lakers team.
Can someone explain to me, other than money.. what would be the logic (if lebron truly wants to chase a ring, and WIN, in the west) why on earth would he go to LA? Word on the street is he doesn't want to have to have the ball in his hands all the time, and he wants to play off the ball with a high level guard, and doesn't want to have to put the team on his back. Getting PG and going to LA would put him in an almost identical situation that he's in Cleveland right now? He would be surrounded by a bunch of mediocre talent, with one other star on the team. And when that star isn't up to par, he would be carrying the team night after night. This time, only to lose early in the west to either the rockets, warriors, and now a whole other list of teams he'll struggle against in the west. Now if he doesn't care about ring chasing, it makes perfect sense, or if he doesn't mind letting them build around him. then sure.
Lakers aren't a ridiculous option for Lebron assuming he can make some kind of super friends hookup. Paul George doesn't seem like enough, so the trick is how to do the third star.
Where do you say he should go to chase rings? Don't be a homer and say the Rockets. Why do you think ring chasing is 100% of the decision? This is what I've been trying to figure out for a while. Ring chasing is just one (obviously big) factor in his decision but nobody can read LeBron's mind to know how much he weight he puts on various factors.
Can LeBron afford a year of growing pains? He's gonna be 34 next season. And going to the Lakers means having to contend with the Warriors AND the Rockets. And that's just to reach the Finals. The Celtics won't be any picnic either. The problem with LA is that there is too much uncertainty. Sure, it could all work out, but so many things have to go right for that to happen. That's not the case with the Rockets or Sixers. The former is a 65-17 team without him that was one rigged game away from a title. The latter was 52-30, finished the season with 16 straight wins, won a playoff series handily, and is in the Leastern Conference with only the Celtics as an obstacle.
Lebron has a reputation as a ring chaser. I could go into details on behaviors and comments as to why, but that's another thread. I was also specific when i said IF he's chasing rings. ESPN has been going over for over a month, teams he could go to this summer that would make a team a contender. LA has been seen as a possibility, but it's not being called a team that would be a contender if he went to. If he wants to chase a ring, its not being a "homer" by saying the rockets. Every professional analysis has said that Houston is his best bet if he's only out to get a ring. That may not be his only goal at this point in his career. Like you said, nobody knows Lebrons intentions at this point.
The problem (for him) is that the West will have 3 dynasty-level teams (LA, HOU, GSW) and probably 2-3 more teams on the Boston/Toronto level (especially depending on what happens with Kawhi and George). He's not guaranteed to ever make it out of the semis again. I hope he enjoyed his East Coast platter of finals appearances if this ends up being the case!
LeBron was a ring chaser by settling for less money, joining Wade and Bosh on the Heat to instantly create a "superteam". Returning to the Cavs was not ring chasing. Almost all players will say winning a ring is the most important thing for them. What's been implied repeatedly since he left Miami is Lebron will offer no more discounts. That doesn't sound like someone 100% focused just on rings. We shall find out soon.
Iggy was out and we eeked out two wins by like 5 points combined. Saying we were better is a stretch. Supporting cast is better than the Lakers as well.
luc was out while foster bros, mauer & malloy, marc davis were all in the first 3 games. we were betta
LA is my biggest fear. The reason is they may be able to have enough cap room for 2 max agents, and swing a trade for the third. If George and Lebrun decide to go there, they could package 2 of Ball and Ingram and Kuzma and assets for Leonard. They could still retain some assets, use the MLE and get agents in the cheap. The defense and switchability if George-Leonard-Lebrun would be terrifying. Not saying it’s easy, but it depends on how healthy Kawhi really is and whether the spurs are willing to play ball.
