Who’s joining LeBron James in the Lakers’ bandwagon?
Credit to Author: MICHAEL ANGELO B. ASIS| Date: Sun, 07 Apr 2019 16:19:21 +0000
LeBron James is struggling to recruit top players for his movie, “Space Jam 2.” The headline is ominous for the summer—when LeBron James is struggling to recruit players to the Los Angeles Lakers.
In 2014, LeBron James’ return was enough for Kyrie Irving to stay in Cleveland and Kevin Love to agree to being third banana after an All-NBA performance the previous season. Not so in 2019.
Whispering hope
The state of the NBA’s complete stalking of would-be free agents continues. Players dining together become instant headlines and spur rumors. Now, the hope of the Lakers rests on whispers—LeBron James having conversations with Kyrie Irving and later on Kevin Durant, with their jerseys covering their mouths to prevent lip-reading attempts,.
The Lakers can make room for one max free agent. Aside from Irving and Durant, the candidates are Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler for a possible max deal.
With Leonard shooting down the possibility of playing with LeBron James, Irving and Durant are the top targets. The whispers are amusing, but not substantial, though. These guys can privately message each other in a thousand different ways. They’re probably talking about post-game dinner plans.
How superstars choose
There seems to be two things that are priorities for a superstar free agent: the possibility of being the undisputed star of that city and the odds of winning a championship with the team they sign with. What a player will prioritize depends on what he has achieved.
Kevin Durant was the absolute star of Oklahoma City but he saw that he could not win a title with Russell Westbrook (another story in itself). Despite their playoff success, he just could not see them beating the Warriors. Thus, he went for the title chances.
Kyrie Irving was the savior of Cleveland, drafted right after LeBron left for Miami, But he went four years without making the playoffs while James went to the NBA Finals every single year of his Heat stint.
Irving could have chosen any team in 2014, but he chose to become LeBron’s running mate. He also went for the title chances.
These two stars are past that stage, and LeBron is offering them the Watson seat to his Holmes throne. Would they still be willing to step aside just for a ring—which they already have?
Kawhi Leonard is also in this category—albeit differently. He already beat LeBron in the Finals with his original team (unlike KD who had to join the Warriors). There really is nothing for him to gain.
Klay Thompson is also a winner, on course for a 4th title with the Warriors. He is part of the Warriors DNA now, and unlike KD, he is not being called a “snake” for being in Golden State. Even when KD leaves, he is in the best situation he will ever be. His father’s Lakers DNA will have to be set aside.
Realistic choices
Despite his age, no one doubts that LeBron can play, and that he can tow a team to the playoffs, if he had a star by his side. In that case, the free agents that would take interest are those who have not had extensive playoff success. This is why Kemba Walker is likely the team’s best bet to sign in the summer.
Kemba Walker has been playing at an All-Star level the past three years but he barely makes the headlines—or the playoffs. That seems totally unfair—but if he signs with the Lakers, he can have both.
That is why he is the prime candidate for them. KD and Kyrie have both expressed fatigue of being in the limelight all the time. Ditto for Kawhi.
Walker, despite his stats, always falls short of getting fan votes for the All-Star game. That won’t happen if he’s with the Lakers.
Fun fact: Kemba Walker has never beaten LeBron James in a single game his entire eight-year NBA career. With the Lakers surprisingly beating the Hornets 129-115, Kemba is 0-28 against James.
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