Daily News writer has the key to LeBron’s brain
No one really knows what LeBron will do this summer, not even LeBron. But Mitch Lawrence of the NY Daily News says you can cross three teams off the list.
First, the Clippers…
James isn’t playing second fiddle to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, even if Clippers GM Mike Dunleavy traded off Marcus Camby, Al Thornton, Sebastian Telfair and got rid of Ricky Davis to create a maximum salary slot for the express purpose of landing James.
Kobe is turning 32 this season and isn’t going to play forever. He has already played 1,158 games and his knees are eventually going to give out, so LeBron wouldn’t be playing “second fiddle” for long, if at all. LeBron might see the taking of L.A. and the resurrecting of a long-maligned franchise as a worthy challenge. Will LeBron sign with the Clippers? Probably not, but not because of Kobe. The Clippers’ best player, Baron Davis, is already 30 and injury-prone, and owner Donald Sterling doesn’t have a very good reputation.
Next up, the Nets…
James might be tight with Net minority owner Jay-Z, but he’s not coming to play in Newark for two years, which could turn into three or four seasons, depending on what happens to the Nets’ Atlantic Yards project.
It’s not like Cleveland is the greatest place to live, either. Though I’m sure the status of the Atlantic Yards project would weigh heavily on LeBron’s decision to play for the Nets. The Nets have a few young pieces — Brook Lopez and Devin Harris — and LeBron might like the challenge of turning around a 10-win franchise.
Lastly, the Heat…
James isn’t moving down to South Beach to team with Dwyane Wade. They both need to dominate the ball and the Heat wants to import a big man to pair with Wade.
Really, Miami would pass up LeBron for a big man? Come on. The ball dominating thing I understand, but LeBron and Wade have shown the ability to play together and LeBron is fine with deferring some of the time. I think they’d actually fit really well together, kind of like Michael Jordan (Wade) and Scottie Pippen (LeBron).
Here’s a shocker — a New York writer thinks that LeBron might end up with the Knicks:
So, heading into July, the Knicks are going to be the only team that can bring James together with Bosh. Is that a big deal for James? All we know is, when he was asked at last year’s All-Star weekend in Phoenix, what one member of the Olympic team he wanted to play with in the future, he picked the Raptors’ big man.
“Being around him last summer (in the Olympics), I got to see how smart he is,” James said. “His basketball I.Q. is unbelievable. He’s a very, very good player. Sometimes you look at him and you say, “He’s not that strong or he’s not the fastest guy out there.’ But the way he approaches the game … his mindset really helps him dominate a basketball game.”
Maybe James was just blowing smoke. But maybe he’s already figured out where he’s going and who’s coming with him.
Oooh. Provocative stuff.
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