Marc Stein: Christopher Paul is already recruiting Lebron

Interesting point. Lebron as your small ball 5 could be devastating. Simply that fact that Green wouldn't be able to help out on Harden and Paul would be huge.

GS defense has difficulty with Lebron because they have to play Green on him and that takes away his ability to float around and cover for everyone else.

 

Oh they'll be upset, but there will probably be a lot more Verlander Detroit than there is Lebron part 1.

 

Stein:

[...]

Those privy to James’s thinking say that at this stage, pleading from family members appears to be the only force that could persuade him to extend his second stint with the Cavs and resist the opportunity to switch teams, as he did in 2010 and again in 2014.

The leaguewide belief, of course, is that chasing championships is James’s priority, which necessitates relocating to a team far better equipped to do so than the Cavaliers. He can do so either by signing elsewhere as a free agent after July 1 or opting into the final season of his current Cleveland contract and forcing a trade to a new home.

The prominent ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith reported Wednesday that James plans to speak to six external suitors in addition to the Cavaliers. Philadelphia, Houston, Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers were all mentioned — as were the juggernaut that has inflicted seven losses in James’s last eight finals games (Golden State) and his longtime Eastern Conference nemesis (Boston).

My best forecast at this juncture? Fixate on Chris Paul.

If Paul stays with the Rockets, Houston becomes the closest thing to a favorite on my scorecard, no matter how complicated it would be for the 65-win Rockets and their general manager, Daryl Morey, to orchestrate the requisite salary-cap gymnastics to bring James in. But don’t discount the idea that James could try to bring Paul with him to a team that can afford two superstars, such as the Lakers, because he and Paul really are that close.

I tend to believe the suggestions in circulation that even James himself isn’t sure yet where he’s headed. Yet I also suspect he has much more of an inkling about his summer plans than he would ever consent to let on while his Cavaliers are still playing. He’s too studious, too into preparation, not to have some thoughts stored up.

The challenge is finding the best situation out there that puts James on something more closely resembling a level playing field with the Warriors and their four All-Stars.

“Everyone is trying to figure that out,” James acknowledged Thursday.

James will have three full weeks to dig into the various options, study the landscape for the most fertile locales for title contention and, perhaps most crucially, make clandestine connections with the starry likes of Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and, yes, Paul and James Harden to explore the prospects of teaming up somewhere.

It frankly wouldn’t surprise me to ultimately learn that James contacts Durant — himself a free-agent-to-be if he declines his player option with the Warriors for next season, as expected — to see if joining forces somewhere makes any sense. James, remember, is the face of the N.B.A.’s Player Power era. Anyone who tries to tell him that it simply wouldn’t be fair for James and Durant to wear the same uniform should prepare for James’s retort that he has zero interest in the outside world’s rules.

But this is as far as I’ll go with guarantees before the LeBron Sweepstakes officially begin: James will not feel as though he owes Cleveland anything after these last four seasons.

Not after the Cavaliers responded to the Warriors’ addition of Durant by chasing off their accomplished general manager David Griffin and giving in to the All-Star guard Kyrie Irving’s trade demand in August.

Nor after everything James said in his unforgettable “I’m Coming Home” essay he co-wrote with Lee Jenkins for Sports Illustrated in July 2014.

“My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question,” James wrote. “But what’s most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio.”

[...]​

 

I actually didn't even think about him and Durant playing together lol...i think only the Lakers can make that happen.

 

I'd say that is a fair assessment by Stein. I actually think if LeBron could TOTALLY HAVE HIS WAY he would go to the Lakers WITH Kevin Durant. But I don't see KD leaving the Warriors.

The clandestine CP3 meetings need to be a homerun.

 

Good 'ole Steve Kyler has an out of the box idea for a new team for LeBron. The Suns! LMAO

 

They could trade Kyrie for assets and give them to Cleveland in return or Lebron. They’re coldblooded enough to do it.

 

Phoenix? LMAO

 

How do u even allow your fingers to send out that tweet? Whoever these people are that Steve Kyler is talking to, he needs to cut them off immediately. They’re trolling him.

 

Is that what you took away from that story?

REPORT: LeBron James Could Try To Bring Chris Paul With Him To Lakers

LeBron James could take Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers

_________________________

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/video/the-jim-rome-show-chris-mannix-talks-lebron-to-rockets/

Mannix:

(Driving force in his decision making?) Chance to win. If you look at his history, and no one knows what he's thinking, chance to win is what you can trace it back to. He left Cleveland to go to Miami. He left Miami to go to Cleveland. Wherever he goes is going to give him a better chance to win immediately than what he has right now in Cleveland.

(Is there a team that makes obvious sense?) I still think Houston makes obvious sense. He's gonna get recruited pretty hard, probably already is. Come September, we could have a conversation about how Chris Paul all postseason long was DMing or texting or whatevering LeBron about coming to Houston. Those guys in the next few weeks will be aggressively going after LeBron. They can taste it down there in Houston. They know Chris Paul doesn't get injured, they're probably in the Finals with a chance to win a championship. They know they're on the cusp. If it's just a matter of salary cap gymnastics moving Anderson or Eric Gordon, they'll get it done. The combination of the recruitment & their status as a real contender will be very appealing to LeBron.

 

Lebron to the Suns .....................................

 

Chris Paul leaving to go to LA possibly with LeBron??? Is that what I read from Stein?

 

It think it's absurd that CP3 would leave, but the overall point is that he thinks wherever CP3 goes is the favorite to land LeBron, which would be great news for the Rockets.

 

Wouldn’t shock me if he did leave for some reason.

 

yeah after watching his FA documentary he's definitely wanting to go through all that again....

Nope. not happening

 

[Windhorst] LeBron will consider all possible scenarios this summer — “He believes he has a blank check”

 

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Brian Windhorse doesn't have any connections to LeBron. It's sad too, considering this guy has been following LeBron around since he was like 17 lol.

Do you really think LeBron would let this guy into his entourage?

Spoiler

NSFL

 

Everything is on the table. No scenario he won't do, no pathway he won't check out. He believes he has a blank check. If he wants to do something radical, he'll do it. If he wants to play it safe and stay, he'll do it & doesn't care what any of us think. I'm not ruling anything out. I've seen how this man operates.

Meeting with the Warriors?

Not ruling anything out.

What do you think he should do?

Tracy: Go to San Antonio. Being coached by an elite coach, teaming up with a culture already formed, great role players, another superstar, LeBron fits in well with them. He's finally coached by an elite coach. That team with LeBron, if he goes West, can compete with anyone in the NBA.

Vince: I'm not sure. So many options. They all can make sense.

Windhorst: I believe KD but if I were LeBron, I'd call Durant to see whether he'd be interested in joining up this summer. Just to see. LA is out there.

(Cavs/upgrading the roster) They'd have to use the #8 pick. Cavs believe they're not that far away from being up 2-1 in this series & if they had another elite player, they would be. Difficulty is they'd have to make this move at the draft. They can't commit to trading that pick unless they know LeBron is staying. LeBron is not committing until he knows what they're doing. If they trusted each other, maybe it'd happen but because there is no trust ... I don't see it happening. I think it'll be difficult to improve the team unless they know LeBron is in the fold.

 

You think he would move back to LA. He just settled down here Idk if he would want to move his family again

 

Tracy: Go to San Antonio. Being coached by an elite coach, teaming up with a culture already formed, great role players, another superstar, LeBron fits in well with them. He's finally coached by an elite coach. That team with LeBron, if he goes West, can compete with anyone in the NBA.

cc @tinman

He really does suck.