Lakers Rumors: Is LA still relevant when it comes to landing LBJ?
By Keith Rivas
What if LeBron James chose to complete the process?
The real sleeper team in the hunt for LeBron James is the Philadelphia 76ers, who could go from dumpster fire to mid-tier playoff team to championship contender all of the sudden if they pull off signing LeBron James in free agency.
Rookie Ben Simmons has played lights out in his first full year healthy, and Joel Embiid made the All-Star team also in his first time hopefully completing a full season without any major injury issues. That is the eye sore that plagues this Philly team, even though having James on board would be something great to watch.
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Embiid, Simmons, and latest number one overall pick Markelle Fultz have all had to deal with serious injuries after being selected to play in Philadelphia. The concern for LeBron James here has nothing to do with chemistry problems, as that doesn’t seem like it’d be an issue here — perhaps the least concerning place on the list — but rather what happens when the team around him goes down with season-ending or long-term injuries?
There’s absolutely no guarantee that Embiid can stay healthy moving forward, and you have to wonder if Simmons would be the same dominant player he is right now if he were to go down. Factor in the fact that Fultz still hasn’t gotten a ryhtym and has a terrible shot and it might not be as attractive on second thought.
He’d have to be the top dog here, where that might stunt the growth of someone like Ben Simmons depending on where he fits with the offense a year from now. It’s something to really think about if you’re a fan of the 76ers, and at the end of the day, wouldn’t it feel better to complete the process without all of the sudden depending on LeBron?
Seems like it would be to me, but hey, to each their own.
Worth Noting: If all healthy, could be best overall team for James to join
Biggest Plus: Wouldn’t have to leave the Eastern Conference
Biggest Question Mark: Overall health of all of the talent around him