Even if the Cavs make the trade that some have alluded to (I assume we’re talking about Paul George), I’m not sure it’s enough to bring home the NBA Championship. Oh sure, they’d win the East. But then next year LeBron and Paul George would be somewhere else and the Cavs would be without a top draft pick to help the rebuild.
So it will be a return to how Cleveland basketball was from 1970 to 2003, and how 90% of the NBA is in any given year, in other words
Where he has to get through the Rockets, Warriors, and Spurs to even GET to the Finals? LeBron has never looked west of the Mississippi, and for good reason. They already have superteams that have beat him more often than not in playoff series.
James is a generational talent, but he’s taken advantage of a weak Eastern Conference his entire career. Even the Heat at the height of their glory would have been hard-pressed to make the NBA Finals.
He’s already sending his kids to school in LA, bought a home and has an office there.
I’m not 100% sure he becomes a Laker. LBJ is all about racking up the titles at this point, and the Lakers just aren’t anywhere near a championship now. Worse he’d have to put up with the shit show that is the Ball family. I suspect he’s just as likely to end up with Houston. And Houston is the 4th largest media market in the US and the Rockets have a global following thanks to Yao Ming, so it’s not like he wouldn’t get the press coverage he desires.
If the Cavs traded for Genuine Triubke*, they’d at least get some rebounding help.
a straight-up deal for J.R. Smith sounds doable.
If the Cavs really believe they have no hope of keeping LeBron, they should trade him now. For the right offer, of course. And it would take a haul. But if you think he’s a goner, and you know you can’t beat GSW with this team even if you added Paul George or DeAndre Jordan or whoever else is out there, just get what you can for him.
But the Clippers are. 
Great quote from Pelicans coach Alvin gentry: “Yeah we’ll trade [Anthony Davis], but they’re gong to have to give us the New England Patriots and the two planes they just bought.”
I said at the beginning of the season I thought this team would be an absolute mess defensively so I guess I better stick with it. They just have too many guys, especially on the perimeter, who just can’t play defence. One of those guys is Isaiah Thomas who is a massive downgrade on defence and somewhat of a downgrade on offence from Kyrie. He put up pretty good numbers mainly because he had to being the offensive focal point of the team. Who else was gonna do it on the Celtics?
If they manage to make the finals again, I’m really not sure who guards anyone on the Warriors. Lebron will guard someone, but that leaves a lot of scoring left unaccounted for. If the Warriors were to have an “A” game against them it, they might win by 35 or 40. Lets not forget, the Warriors can actually play defence.
The x-factor, of course, would have to be what gear Lebron has in the playoffs, you have to imagine it’s higher than he has now (which is still pretty good), but is it enough to compensate for the bizarre supporting cast with which Lebron seemed to surround himself. I like Dwayne Wade as a sixth man at this point, which seems to be largely what he is, but he and a myriad of other players on this team just aren’t who they used to be.
As far as a trade goes, what exactly could the Cavs trade for that would significantly help their team? The rumours are DeAndre Jordan, Marc Gasol, Kemba Walker, and I’m pretty sure I’ve heard rumours of either DeMarcus Cousins or Anthony Davis. I think the last two are unrealistic and the first three don’t really help you that much. If I were them, I’d try to keep the Brooklyn pick and try to package it at the draft for one of the top few picks.
As far as their opponents go, Toronto and Boston might be better than them on both ends of the floor this year. This assumes Boston could integrate Gordon Hayward effectively, which considering that Brad Stevens seems to be able to do no wrong, I don’t see why they wouldn’t be able to do that.
Pfff…Lebron would be just as likely to go to Portland as the Clippers.
I’m seriously thinking that Houston would be his choice – I could even see him going back to Miami, or to Washington, DC and playing with John Wall. I don’t see him with LA right now.