Lakers Rumors: Is LA still relevant when it comes to landing LBJ?
By Keith Rivas
Would playing with James Harden and Chris Paul be enough?
I think that if LeBron James is realistic with where he wants to go, deep down, then all other teams basically have to give a better pitch than the Houston Rockets. They’ve got the best record in the league, and have been a force to reckon with when Chris Paul and James Harden are healthy. Not to mention that they’re practically unbeatable when you add young center Clint Capela to the lineup.
You’d have to think James finds that as something very attractive, especially for a possible spot to finish out the rest of what he’s got left in his career. If he were to go to the Rockets, it would essentially feel like a Rockets and Warriors conference finals is all but a lock, like it’s felt the last few seasons of the expectation in the NBA Finals being a Cleveland vs Golden State match up.
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The problem that James faces if he goes to Houston has to do with the chemistry, though. When the Warriors were floated as a possible destination for James — as unthinkable as thought would be — he runs into the same issue.
Oklahoma City is a great example of the kind of bumps in the road that can come with chemistry when you have multiple All-Star type players in the starting lineup. However, the Thunder have found a way, it seems, to make a trio of Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and Carmelo Anthony all work out.
Like Golden State, Houston seems to already have the chemistry to do damage and be enough on a nightly basis to beat every team in the league if they’re playing up to it. The only reason at that point that I could see James joining Harden and Paul is if he wants to really form the ultimate super team to erase the Warriors from our memory, if you will.
Because realistically, that’s the only option to keep the Warriors from being favorites in the Western Conference, unless Houston does end up reaching the NBA Finals this year.
Worth Noting: Currently best team in league, leads Western Conference
Biggest Plus: Serious chance to take down the Warriors and not play them in the NBA Finals
Biggest Question Mark: Would the chemistry actually work if you added LeBron?