Where LeBron Will Play Next Season...
By Scott Burks
In case you've
been living under a rock, LeBron James will become a free agent this summer.
Once July 1st hits, a lot of teams will make recruiting pitches that will be
in the form of feverish overtures.
While other
insiders made their predictions and gave their two cents on where LeBron
will end up, I'll join the fray as well. I will start with the teams
who will NOT land LeBron and end with the team who will.
Drumroll
please...
Teams who will
not land LeBron:
Chicago Bulls.
This is everyone's favorite landing spot for LeBron. I've
got one reason why he will not sign here. He will be in Michael
Jordan's shadow. If LeBron wants to start his own winning legacy, it
will never be good enough for the fans watching him in the building Jordan
built (the United Center). Even if LeBron wins a title (or two),
someone in Chi-town would always counter by saying "yeah but Jordan won six,
negro!"
Cleveland
Cavaliers. I don't think hell freezing over would bring LeBron
back to Cleveland. Even though the Cavs can offer him the most money,
I think LeBron believes that he has done all he could with that squad.
Just look at how he checked out in Game 5 against Boston.
Los Angeles
Clippers. This is intriguing, but highly unlikely. The
Clippers have the cap space and incumbent talent (Baron Davis, and that
rookie from Oklahoma if healthy), ...but they are the Clippers. Plus
do you think LeBron want s to be in Kobe Bryant's shadow while getting his
ass kicked by the Lakers every year?
New York
Knicks. Oh, my beloved Knicks. As much as I would love for
this to happen (I would do a rain dance and cut off a chicken head if that's
what it took), I just don't see it. While my Knicks do have the cap
room to bring in TWO "max" players, look at the pieces on that squad.
They have a washed-up Tracy McGrady, and their best player is David Lee, who
is not considered a "max" player. Plus, the Knicks won't have any
draft picks to play with.
The team who
will land LeBron:
New Jersey
Nets. The Nets have the elements LeBron is looking for: good
ownership, connections, and enough cap room for two superstars. The
Nets have a new owner who is a Russian dude with more money than Mark Cuban
and Paul Allen times TEN. He has the charisma and balls to challenge
the Knicks in the New York City market and build a winner. There's
that Jay-Z connection that will lure LeBron to the NYC market. Who
better to help his brand than Jay-Z and his marketing know-how? While
the Nets did suck to epic levels last season, it's not like the Nets do not
have talent. They have a good PG in Devin Harris, a future stud down
low in Brooks Lopez and a nice wing in Chris Douglas-Roberts. Add
LeBron and another "max" player to the mix and we've got quite a competitive
team.
The big thing
working against the Nets is they won't be moving to Brooklyn for the next
three seasons. They'll spend the next two playing in the downtown
Newark Arena. Still, look for the soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets to have
LeBron as the new face of their franchise next season.
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