Summer of LeBron

Would the lyrics of Summer of ’69 be able to substitute LeBron for ’69? I think it’s passable. Anyway, here’s two cents about what might be the best fit for LeBron from an outsider perspective.

First, LeBron is a man. He has his own thoughts and feelings. Just because something is a good fit, doesn’t necessarily mean he likes the city and wants to live there. A large portion of this summer's decision isn’t necessarily teammates, money or endorsements. It’s going to be the man’s personal happiness. NBA glory would be great as well, but remember that we are talking about a guy moving to a new city for a job. Just like anyone else, you want to be happy with the city you live in. So just because the Knicks being led back to glory after 50 years of mediocrity (exception to the Ewing/Oakley front line that couldn’t get by Jordan) would be a good story, doesn’t mean that he wants to live near Madison Square Garden.

Taking in to consideration all of the factors except for his personal feelings, the best fit for LeBron James would be the New Jersey Nets. Recently the Nets have lost consideration in most media reporting and Chicago, Cleveland and New York seem to be the only teams they are talking about. So we’ll break it down a bit more than what the blurbs explain on ESPN and the like.

Cleveland Cavaliers:
We should start where he left off and where he will be for at least the next month before the free agency period begins. Cleveland has built its franchise around LeBron, but it obviously has not worked. Danny Ferry has tried so hard to bring in new and different talent in this short period of time because the window is potentially closing for their success. Arguably, the only real consistent presence has been their internal man Anderson Varejao. I have to think that LeBron has seen what Cleveland has to offer. They tried to build a team around him, but settled for less than ideal talent to fill very big roles. Daniel Gibson had to take big shots a year ago, Anthony Parker this year. The potential controversy over DeLonte West can’t leave a good taste in LeBron’s mouth either (if you don’t know, do a search for DeLonte and LeBron.) The only real selling point for Cleveland is the potential for JJ Hickson and a potential new coach with an actual offensive scheme. Mike Brown did not do the team any favors, by just giving LeBron the ball and letting him run an offense of his own design, an offense of jacking up long 3 point shots and driving the lane to triple team defense.

Without any significant draft picks, young sprouting talent (outside of JJ Hickson), veteran leadership from either coach or point guard and no shooters to compliment his assets, there is no incentive to resigning with Cleveland outside of the extra cash from one more guaranteed year.

Chicago Bulls:
Derrick Rose is the best point guard in the game within 2 years. There is no doubt in my mind about this statement. He is able to take over games with his physicality, he can drive, he can shoot, he can run different offensive schemes and he can close out games. On the surface, this looks like a great teammate for LeBron, but LeBron would have to take a backseat to Rose. Rose would be running the offense and LeBron would have to play on the wing and slash. This would be extremely entertaining and be a potentially dominating team, but I can’t imagine that LeBron would want to be the second option on a squad, since by default Rose is the first option with the ball in his hand. This is especially true for a team that would ultimately cast the biggest shadow in the form of his Airness, Michael Jordan.

Then you can add in Joakim Noah as a nice rebounder, but the rest of the team doesn’t fit well with a LeBron type talent. The desire would be to have shooters able to nail shots when LeBron and Rose kick the ball out after they drive and absorb the defenders. The Bulls only have Kirk Hinrich as a shooter and I wouldn’t want to depend on 6’3” Kirk Hinrich as my one and only dead shooter. Hakim Warrick, Taj Gibson, James Johnson can be quality players, but none fill out the team in a way to help LeBron.

New York Knicks:
The New York Knicks have a compelling case to bringing in LeBron. The first of which is the largest stage on the planet. Playing in New York City, in front of the world’s media, in Madison Square Garden nightly is the largest publicity he could ask for. His endorsement possibilities are much greater in a city like New York. He would have a daunting task in bringing a storied franchise back to glory after years of mediocrity like a phoenix rising from the rosin powder he throws before each game. They moved all of their money around the past couple years to be in a position to sign both LeBron and another big time free agent player. They signed a high octane offensive coach in Mike D’Antoni. All these things are good selling points for the Knicks and it might be enough to lure him, however, the actual roster doesn’t seem to fit LeBron’s game.

Mike D’Antoni’s running team revolves around the steady play of a solid point guard and that is the one thing that the Knicks lack the most. Without a steady point guard (and none on the free agent market) the Knicks may have to run an offensive system similar to what Cleveland ran with LeBron. Basically give him the ball and let him try to create. The Knicks, like the Bulls also lack the shooters needed for LeBron to kick the ball out. I can’t imagine LeBron kicking the ball out to 6’1” Toney Douglas for game winning shots consistently. Wilson Chandler could be a decent player, but is not physical enough to play the 4 and LeBron would be playing the 3. Danilo Gallinari could be a nice asset as a big, shooting 4 player, but then they would still be lacking a rebounding presence inside. So, the Knicks need a lot of work that free agency won’t resolve. A point guard, a rebounding center, an interior defensive presence and shooters are needed even if they bring in both LeBron and Amare Stoudamire.

New Jersey Nets:
The New Jersey Nets in all likelihood will be the Brooklyn Nets within 3 years. The area brings him to the largest stage in the world, which as stated above, brings in all types of endorsement possibilities. The new Russian billionaire owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, is willing to spend the money for a brand new, state of the art facility in Brooklyn, spend the money for the best coach possible, spend the money to promote the franchise to try to make Knicks fans in to Nets fans, and spare no expense for future acquisitions. It doesn’t hurt that LeBron is known for being friends with Jay-Z and he is partial owner of the team. The greatest reason for LeBron to go to the Nets is the team itself.

Yes, it’s true the Nets had the worst record in the league last year. However, there is a lot of talent on the team without a true leader. LeBron could be that leader. Devin Harris is a steady point guard that doesn’t need to be the star, which is a perfect fit for a player like LeBron. Brook Lopez is a better version of Anderson Varajeo with more youth and bigger upside. These two positions are the biggest need to a slashing/shooting small forward like LeBron. Then, you add in some shooters on the outside to compliment LeBron and make defenses not be able to focus completely on them. Being able to kick the ball out to Courtney Lee and Chris Douglas-Roberts is much better than what other teams can offer. The Nets have a young Terrence Williams that can play three positions and defend the ball well to fill in all the gaps of the game that are missing. Even Yi Jianlian has a chance to be a better player with a guy like LeBron taking pressure off him. Then, the Nets have the 3rd overall pick in this year’s draft that they can use on a quality power forward prospect like Derrick Favors or DeMarcus Cousins.

The Nets have a perfect combination of location, money, publicity, talent and youth to compete and continue to grow over the next 10 years. This is a much better offer than any other franchise can come up with. The largest media city in the world, an owner willing to spend mercilessly, young talent to compliment his game and the ability to grow with these young players for years to come is the greatest situation LeBron James could ask for. Now, the question is, does LeBron want to live in New York?

- J Filth