NBA: LeBron files for free agency

[Lethe200]

An interesting take on the most impactful active NBA player now on the FA market:

As LeBron James enters free agency, a gnawing joylessness prevails
The NBA’s best player could be on his way out of Cleveland (again) after declining his player option on Friday, but there’s something hollow about his thankless pursuit of Michael Jordan’s six titles
London Guardian U.S. by Les Carpenter Fri 29 Jun 2018
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2018/jun/29/lebron-james-free-agent-michael-jordan-legacy (full article, free access)

(excerpt) LeBron James, who declined his player option with the Cleveland Cavaliers and became a free agent on Friday, is a superstar in a predicament of his own making. He essentially created the culture of NBA stars teaming up to win championships, one that allowed Kevin Durant to make the Golden State Warriors a dynasty at his own expense. The unfortunate thing for James is he gets no credit.

While Durant is hailed as a selfless hero who stifled his ego to win two titles with the Warriors, LeBron is forever measured against a player from another era, a man who found the perfect team and the perfect coach. The cloud that shrouds LeBron’s legacy at age 32 is that he hasn’t become Michael Jordan.

The constant comparisons between James and Jordan have always felt silly. Though James began his career the autumn after Jordan’s third and final retirement, they are not contemporaries. The NBA has changed significantly since 2004 and LeBron, with height and power, is a different player than Jordan, who was two inches shorter and about 40lbs lighter during his career. Still, as the best player of his time, James is constantly measured against Jordan with the ultimate criteria being Jordan’s six NBA titles.

As free agency begins this weekend and James can leave the Cleveland Cavaliers once more, his choice is less about basketball and more about defining a legacy. He is forced to make a decision based not on what team will best feature his skills or what city he likes best but on where he thinks he can win the most titles as fast as possible.

 

[Buckeye]

Lakers!

 

[TonyK]

He turns 34 next season. Injuries and declining skills could be problems for him in the next three years.

 

[moviequeen1]

I think its obscene he'll be making $154 million for the next 4 yrs with the Lakers. These athletes are just being paid too much money no matter who they are.

 

[Lethe200]

He turns 34 next season. Injuries and declining skills could be problems for him in the next three years.

We've discussed LeBron on Quora.com quite a lot. Interestingly, he took a number of physical tests last year that showed physically he's closer to a 19 year old than his current age 33. He's a remarkable example of the perfect athletic physique.

If the Lakers can gel their new team during 2019 I have to say they stand the best chance of winning the O'Brien trophy.

The Warriors are still excellent, but their bench is now very weak with the loss of JaVale McGee who joined LJ in LA. The Warriors are in luxury tax penalty with only a small mid-season 'bump' of $5.3M available. They now look very vulnerable with Durant having a player option in 2020 (meaning they only have him guaranteed through next year 2019-20 season)

Only McGee and Iguadola were capable of offsetting LJ in the playoffs, and even then it took a broken hand to slow down LeBron. McGee is good enough to stand-in for LJ to allow him to rest. He doesn't pass or score as well, but he's experienced and mentally tough, proving in the playoffs that he could make an impact coming in cold off the bench.

The big question now is where do DeMarcus Cousins and Kawhi Leonard go? Lakers apparently don't want Leonard (their offer was charitably described as "underwhelming" by ESPN) so who else do they want to add? I think LJ has learned his lesson about being the main scoring threat; he was never super comfortable in that role. He prefers being the playmaker, similar to how Draymond Green operates on the Warriors.

Interesting times in the NBA, for sure.

Addendum: As for salaries, what the market will bear, so it goes. Athletes have a LIMITED prime period. I frankly think it's a lot more obscene for the CEO of Wells Fargo to get a 36% pay increase for the year in which WFB was FINED the biggest penalty ever imposed on a bank:

Mar 16, 2017 - " Wells Fargo's board of directors awarded Chief Executive Timothy Sloan $12.8 million for his work last year, a 17 percent increase, despite scrapping executive bonuses in light of an accounts scandal that rocked the bank last year, according to a proxy filing on Wednesday. Sloan was CEO for only a few months in 2016. "

And let's not forget, breathes there a CEO who doesn't have a golden parachute that usually includes bennies like free healthcare and lifetime corporate jet rides? They make far more out of their corporate careers than most pro athletes ever do - with their biggest physical exertion being a game of golf or racquetball.

 

[TonyK]

"Interestingly, he took a number of physical tests last year that showed physically he's closer to a 19 year old than his current age 33."

He has been playing in the NBA since he was 19. Nobody can predict when Father Time will come calling. It could be at age 35 or age 36, or maybe age 40. The contract might not be a good value once he loses a step. He has admitted that sometimes he plays at "chill mode" due to his age. He's already 18th in the Most Minutes Played in NBA history.

 

[fmdog44]

It is obvious James is concerned only with his personal trophy shelf unlike Jordan. I wish him only another year of failure to win it all. To James there is "I" in team and the "I" is him .