The chatter has been pretty negative this week, even as LeBron, with no other all-stars on his squad, is still driving the Lakers right into the heart of the West's playoff picture. KD's comments, if they weren't taken out of context, seem particularly harsh, citing both atmosphere and basketball reasons that would dissuade stars from teaming with him, but those comments also seem to align with the factors that drove Kyrie to beg out of Cleveland. Lowry and Ariza weighed in.
But at the same time, guys like Wade and Bosh, Irving and Love, who were all-NBA players on their own, have rings (or in Wade's case, additional rings) because they were his teammate. But rings aren't everything. I'm sure there are many times when Scottie Pippen feels that he never got his due as a transcendent basketball talent in his own right because he was always second banana to Jordan. So what NBA stars, based on their personality and their position/game, do you think would/could both be happy and thrive professionally teaming with LeBron in LA? Maybe Durant, Kawhi and Butler aren't the right kind of guys...maybe DeMarcus Cousins or one of the other big men hitting free agency: Al Horford, Nik Vucevic, Marc Gasol (too old?), Nicola Mirotic? Maybe an elite off-ball 3 and D like Klay Thompson or Khris Middleton who is used to being a complementary option on offense? Maybe a score-first guard like Kemba Walker (or Kyrie again, lol?) or a do-everything-well combo guard like Eric Bledsoe?
But at the same time, guys like Wade and Bosh, Irving and Love, who were all-NBA players on their own, have rings (or in Wade's case, additional rings) because they were his teammate. But rings aren't everything. I'm sure there are many times when Scottie Pippen feels that he never got his due as a transcendent basketball talent in his own right because he was always second banana to Jordan. So what NBA stars, based on their personality and their position/game, do you think would/could both be happy and thrive professionally teaming with LeBron in LA? Maybe Durant, Kawhi and Butler aren't the right kind of guys...maybe DeMarcus Cousins or one of the other big men hitting free agency: Al Horford, Nik Vucevic, Marc Gasol (too old?), Nicola Mirotic? Maybe an elite off-ball 3 and D like Klay Thompson or Khris Middleton who is used to being a complementary option on offense? Maybe a score-first guard like Kemba Walker (or Kyrie again, lol?) or a do-everything-well combo guard like Eric Bledsoe?
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