LeBron James: Ranking the Top Teams That He Could've Signed With
I've said it since "The Decision" aired: LeBron James made the wrong choice in going to Miami. His style of play clashes with Dwyane Wade's, since they play so similarly.
Also, their propensity to hold the ball for almost the entire shot clock has made Chris Bosh, formerly in the conversation for best power forward in the NBA, simply a spot-up shooter.
Lastly, with the huge contracts of the "Big Three" and the rumors of a hard cap in the new CBA, Miami might not have any room to add better role players.
They cannot and will not win a championship with a team constructed like this. Three guys can't carry the load for an entire team, and looking back, it seems like there were much better options for LeBron than Miami.
Let's turn back the clock and rank each team, seeing what they would've looked like had LeBron signed with them.
4. Chicago Bulls
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Starters
PG: Derrick Rose
SG: Keith Bogans
SF: LeBron James
PF: Carlos Boozer
C: Joakim Noah
Key Bench Players
PF: Taj Gibson
SF: Luol Deng
SG: Ronnie Brewer
The Bulls on paper look like they would win championship after championship if LeBron had signed with them. However, I'm not sure how well this would work since both Derrick Rose and LeBron like to have the ball in their hands.
LeBron's style worked on the Cavs and still works on Miami because they had no true point guards, but on the Bulls with the youngest MVP in league history, things would likely be a little different.
Regardless of that, the sheer amount of talent, role players, and bench scorers on this team would probably enable them to win two championships.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
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Starters
PG: Mo Williams
SG: Anthony Parker
SF: LeBron James
PF: Antawn Jamison
C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Key Bench Players
PF: J.J. Hickson
C: Anderson Varjao
PG/SG: Daniel Gibson
I know that the Cavs have a much different roster this year, but I'm assuming that had LeBron stayed, they would've kept their roster largely the same since they had the best record in the NBA two years in a row.
Many people look at the Cavs' drop off in wins this year and say that it is due to LeBron's greatness. However, there were actually many factors contributing to their fall from first to last in the NBA.
Since LeBron takes the ball up and plays as a point-forward, they did not include any true point guards on the roster. This caused huge problems for them after his departure.
Also, the Cavs consisted of many three-point shooters, which took pressure off LeBron when he was driving to the hoop since the opposing team's players couldn't cheat off their men at the three-point line.
While this doesn't make for a good team without LeBron or another star of his caliber (if there is one), it makes for a great team with him.
Lastly, they were hit with some pretty bad injuries. Anderson Varejao and Antawn Jamison both suffered season-ending injuries, which hurt the Cavs severely considering that they were two of the top three players in their rotation.
The Cavs are a much better team than many people give them credit for, and if LeBron had stayed with them, I could see him winning anywhere from two to four championships.
However, winning championships in Cleveland would've advanced his legacy much more than winning them anywhere else.
2. New York Knicks
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Starters
PG: Raymond Felton
SG: Landry Fields
SF: LeBron James
PF: Amar'e Stoudemire
C: Ronny Turiaf
Key Bench Players
PG: Toney Douglas
SF: Danilo Gallinari
SF: Wilson Chandler
Can you imagine this team? They would've had a great, young point guard in Felton, the best player in the league in LeBron James, and the best power forward in the league in Amar'e Stoudemire.
They would simply dominate opposing teams with that trio, as well as great role players like Landry Fields, the best rebounding guard in the NBA, and Ronny Turiaf, a great shot blocker and energy player.
Not only would the starting five give teams nightmares, but the addition of LeBron would've taken Danilo Gallinari out of the starting lineup, creating one of the most devastating benches in the entire league.
Having Gallo plus Chandler and Douglas coming off the bench would have made for an unstoppable barrage of scorers, as the bench players would come in and continue to run the offense just as well as the starters.
Overall, I could see this team winning four or five championships. However, there is still one team that would've been a better choice...
1. Los Angeles Clippers
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Starters
PG: Mo Williams
SG: Eric Gordon
SF: LeBron James
PF: Blake Griffin
C: DeAndre Jordan
Key Bench Players
SF: Al-Farouq Aminu
PG: Eric Bledsoe
PG: Randy Foye
Very few people, if any, thought LeBron would take this option seriously. However, looking back, this would've been the best choice for him.
All of the starters and key bench players are well below 30 years old, with many of them even being younger than 25.
They would have a great young nucleus with Eric Gordon, a great scoring shooting guard, LeBron, the best player in the NBA, Blake Griffin, a rookie emerging as one of the best power forwards in the NBA, and DeAndre Jordan, a great shot blocking center.
They would most likely dismantle opposing teams with their athleticism and scoring ability, as well as lock them down with great tenacity on rebounding and defense
These players have such great youth that it would allow them to dominate for years before any team took them down.
If LeBron had gone to the Clippers, they may have even won a championship as early as this year with that roster. I could easily see them winning upwards of five championships, shaping up to be one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history.
