Clippers Rumors: How good are the Clippers with Lebron (Simulation)
By Jason Reed
The latest Clippers rumors have not only been prevalent in the Clippers community but have sent shockwaves throughout the entire NBA.
To be entirely honest, NBA fans should take these Clippers rumors with a grain of salt. After the Cleveland Cavaliers went down three games to none in the NBA Finals rumors regarding basketball’s best player, Lebron James, have been circulation at an incredible rate.
If you have not heard yet, there are rumors, sparked by ESPN’s First Take, entailing that Lebron may finally be set on joining the Western Conference, potentially signing with either the Lakers or Clippers during the 2018 free agency.
Honestly, these rumors are pretty absurd. Lebron is entering the twilight of his career, and he may want to make the permanent move to Los Angeles, make a lot of money, and ride off into the sunset.
However, that is not who Lebron James is. Lebron needs to be in title contention; he cannot get out of the shadow of Michael Jordan and can only come close by winning more titles. Coming to the rebuilding Los Angeles Lakers will not get that done, as much as Laker fans would want to think.
Then there is the Los Angeles Clippers. However, that situation may be even more complicated. James would be joining a contender, but only joining that contender if they still had lob city intact. With both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin owning player options, we may not even see them in Los Angeles next season.
DeAndre Jordan also owns a player option after next season, further complicating things. Sure, Lebron could join this threesome and create a big four to compete with the Warriors, but then everybody is going to have to take a significant pay cut.
More from Clippers Rumors
- Clippers trade rumors: What is next for DeAndre Jordan?
- Clippers trade rumors: What should Portland send LA for DeAndre Jordan?
- Clippers Trade Rumors: The perfect trade to make with the Cavaliers
- Clippers Rumors: Three more realistic trades for Blake Griffin
- Clippers Rumors: The Cavs are perfect suitors for DeAndre Jordan
However, it is always fun to play with “what if” scenarios in today’s NBA. Although highly unlikely, we turned to NBA 2K17, inserting Lebron James on this Clippers team, and simulated the results.
The results were not what you would expect of this super team. With CP3, Griffin, Lebron, and DeAndre Jordan in the starting five the Clippers only managed to play to a 48-34 record, which was good enough for fifth in the West. Perhaps this is the perfect example of too many cooks in the kitchen.
Lebron played phenomenally, he garnered an All-NBA First Team inclusion, backed by 27.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game. Griffin averaged 18 points and eight rebounds, CP3 had 16 points and eight assists, and DeAndre Jordan averaged 10 points and 13 rebounds.
In our simulation the Clippers actually managed to make it all the way to the NBA Finals, going through the Jazz, Warriors, and Spurs to get there. However, they were greeted by the Boston Celtics, who somehow defeated them in seven games.
Next: Fifteen free agent targets for the Clippers
Of course, a simulation with a video game is not the most concrete evidence of how a team will play, but it does bring up the argument that Lebron just may not be a good fit in Los Angeles. Because of this, I would not take these Clippers rumors too seriously.