LeBron needs to seriously consider Milwaukee but not for the reasons you might think. LeBron just completed another otherworldly regular season and playoff run and once again he was the MVP of the league regardless of vote. And now in the era of “superteams”, where,does he land? Conventional wisdom will say the Lakers or the Sixers, hell Portland is even acting like they have a seat at the table. Two-time incumbent Cleveland must be considered in the top two or three for all of the same reasons they were last time they faced this music. But perhaps King James would step outside the Kingdom only to find that which he has sought all along.
Let’s discuss the why not’s first. It is doubtful LeBron heads to the West. Should things remain the same, there is no dynamic duo situation that works. San Antonio would entail playing for “Pops” and that alone is the true draw there. Leonard has played his hand there and everyone else is either old or average. The Lakers simply have far too much work to do and does LeBron want to go there to be engulfed by that circus and play with a bunch of potential who used to pretend to be LeBron on the playground….15 minutes ago? And Portland is the Buffalo of the NBA, sorry Blazer fans. Curry and Durant and whatever B+/A- duo fills out the majority of the scoring in “The Town” are pretty locked in, so logic would suggest it is still best to attack from the East.
He could stay put and hand pick the best of what is out there, that happens to work structurally and seems like a possible fit on the floor. The Sixers are the flavor of the day, but like Washington, they have established a culture that, for better or worse, is their own. Both have players that can fill stat sheets and win games but have either just missed or have yet to find stardom. The Celtics present a problem because a good 2018 playoff squad gets No 1 and No 2 back in 2018-2019 and are well built and well coached. And unless they get Charles Oakley to bring the fight back to the floor, LeBron will not end up in New York. He’s been there and done that in Miami The “what to do about 23” question will not be asked in Chicago…just leave it up in the rafters’ folks.
So come to Milwaukee. New world-class stadium..call it “The House that LeBron Built…err, before he actually even was a Buck”. But that is not the No 1 reason. Come for the players, Khris Middleton is a legit 20 point per night scorer who is not afraid to pass, play D or take the big shot. And Giannis is a legit superstar and would absolutely be a perfect No 2. But that is not the No 1 reason either. The real No 1 reason is no one there knows how to be an NBA Superstar yet. They all play pretty hard and show at least flashes of 1985 team ball. The things LeBron James could teach the Greek Freak are the type of thing legends are made of and championships are well within reach. LeBron needs to win now, and he’s proven it is very difficult to do with a fellow would-be superstar or two. And those he can truly influence are simply not talented enough. You need the horses, but you need the horses that can be trained. The Milwaukee Bucks offer that scenario better than anyone in the East. You have fellow Mega-Star Aaron Rodgers as a minority owner and they would jump at the chance to hand you the keys you castle.
It is a dream scenario. The greatest living basketball player joins a group of talented but seasoned teammates including a legit All-NBA performer, coached by a “Pop” disciple, in a brand new stadium, and he is still in the East. Tell ‘em to zig and they’ll zig, tell ‘em to zag and they’ll zag with the game to back it up. They will pass and defend. And most importantly they will listen because as of this moment, and in the manner which LeBron is trying to win another championship or two, the most important factor is not who he allies with but how they play.
