Would LeBron really join the Sixers?

By CHRISTIAN KLEMASH | May 13, 2018

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 6: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers and LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers look on during foul shots at the Wells Fargo Center on April 6, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ben Simmons;LeBron James /

As the LeBron James to Philadelphia 76ers rumors swirl, the next decision will be made by one man.

This rumor has been speculated about for months now. Is he coming, should he come, would the Philadelphia 76ers be better without him, will he destroy chemistry? Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, Rumors take on a life of their own, and now that it’s offseason (for the Sixers at least), expect the rumor mill to churn into overdrive.

From my vantange point, only one man can make that call. I’ll give you a hint, he wears number 23 and his nickname is King James. I know that’s too easy, but the only one who will decide this is LeBron James himself. He’s the most dominant player of his generation and has his pick of the NBA team litter.

So then we have to look at the situation from LeBron’s perspective. He’s 33 years old and has won three championships since he entered the league in 2003. He probably has three to four great years left in him, tops. Father Time is undefeated.

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Now, here’s the rub… He’s already established his greatness, but Magic has five rings, Kobe has five rings and Michael has six. If you’re chasing those guys, where would you go? Which team puts you in the best position to win as many titles as you can before you retire? That’s the question LeBron is facing.

The answer to that question is Golden State, Houston, Boston or Philadelphia.

Eliminate Golden State. They don’t need him. They’ve won two out of the last three championships without LeBron James, and have two bona fide superstars already in Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, both of whom play on the perimeter where James would play.

They have a third star, Klay Thompson, who’s a big shooting guard as well. So they’re stacked there. And if they lose Thompson to free agency this year, it will be because they can’t afford him. James will easily make more than Thompson, so it doesn’t work financially for the Warriors either.

Lastly, and most importantly, James wants credit for winning the title. He doesn’t want to be viewed as riding Curry and Durant’s coattails. So forget James going to the Warriors.

Houston is a viable option and adding LeBron to the James Harden-Chris Paul tandem would immediately make Houston legitimate challengers to Golden State’s throne. But to me, it doesn’t work geographically.

LeBron lives in Bath Township, Ohio, which is a 35 minute drive to Cleveland, which is a three-hour and fifteen-minute flight to Houston. I just don’t see him moving four hours away from his family. Sure, he could buy a house in Houston, or anywhere in the world for that matter, but he has two teenage sons and a young daughter. Uprooting his family at this stage of their lives seems highly unlikely. Especially to a city that he will not stay in forever. So, cross Houston off the list.

Boston is another story. They’re very good and very young. They have a media darling boy wonder head coach. LeBron and Kyrie Irving won a title with the Cavs. Boston is a quick two-hour flight to Cleveland. This is more plausible to me.

However, Kyrie Irving left Cleveland for Boston because he wanted to be the top guy on the Celtics. And when he was healthy this season, the Celtics were the best team in the Eastern Conference. That’s a major issue. Players have egos. The Cavs are playing the Celts sans Irving, who is injured, in the Eastern Conference Finals. So no matter what the outcome, Boston has to think they will be even better next year when Irving and Gordon Hayward return.

While nothing is out of the question, and Danny Ainge is a shrewd deal-maker, I think the Celtics stay put with their talented young nucleus and wait for Kyrie and Hayward to return next season.

Which brings us to… the Philadelphia 76ers. Yeah, yeah, you’ll say I’m a homer and that colors my view of the situation, and maybe you’re right. But, I still think it is the best landing spot for James for the reason I stated at the beginning of this article: the Sixers give him the best shot to catch Michael Jordan’s six rings. And that’s what it’s all about.

Philadelphia is an hour and 49 minutes from Cleveland by plane. The Sixers have two of the best, most popular players in the league in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. And in losing to Boston in the semifinals, the young Sixers’ weaknesses were exposed.

With James, they become an instant contender for the title next year, and I’ll predict that they will be the No. 2 favorite behind only Golden State. The Sixers are rising fast, but need help to get over the top. If LeBron lifts them to the pinnacle, he’ll be seen as a savior in Philly.

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He’ll also get to help develop Simmons and Embiid and teach them how to win in critical situations. They could’ve used that against Boston. So, from a basketball perspective, LeBron James to the Philadelphia 76ers makes the most sense for everyone. And it works for James personally which is the most important factor in this equation. That’s a pretty good fit.

The only other option is the Los Angeles Lakers, where LeBron purchased a $21 million mansion in 2015. Real estate prices are no joke in the City of Angels.

But the Lakers aren’t even close to being ready. They were 35-47 this year. Their top pick last year, Lonzo Ball, underperformed in his rookie season, and worse, he has a father, Lavar Ball, who is more famous than his son, for the annoying habit of shooting his loud mouth off incessantly.

That’s not good. I feel bad for Lonzo. The Lakers are a disaster waiting to happen. If you were LeBron, would you go to L.A. to be critiqued by a teammate’s father and get crushed by Steph Curry and Kevin Durant on a regular basis? I know the weather is nice, but not that nice! Say goodbye to Hollywood, LeBron.

Which leads me to this conclusion: if what is most important to LeBron James is what is most important to all of the truly great competitors — if he has the fire in his belly to be the greatest of all-time — not just one of the greats, then he already knows where he’s going. It’s where I’d go.

Next: 15 greatest draft picks in franchise history

I’ll give you a hint: it’s the birthplace of America; it’s where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written. Yep, the City of Brotherly Love. And this homer looks forward to it.