And LeBron James thought things in Cleveland were crazy – Terry Pluto - cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio – This is not a column about how LeBron James should have stayed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He put in his four years on his second tour here, just as he did in Miami.

And he delivered a title to Cleveland in 2016, which probably will be the greatest achievement of his legendary career.

Finally, he wanted out, and he set up his contract to leave.

He had the right to do so last summer.

But, LeBron, the Lakers?

Other than wanting to live in Los Angeles and be close to his entertainment business interests, did he seriously think about the basketball part of the equation?

LeBron went to work for a front office of Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka. Both were rookies in their jobs. Pelinka is a former agent. Magic a former player and a successful businessman, but not in an NBA front office.

That duo couldn’t grasp Rule No. 1 of team building around James: Surround him with outside shooters!

That goes back to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, where coaches Keith Dambrot and Dru Joyce II knew LeBron needed the likes of 3-point specialists Dru Joyce III and Corey Jones on the court.

LeBron had supposedly a great meeting with Magic before signing a 3-year deal with a fourth year player option last July.

What did they talk about?

Magic has some business experience that interested LeBron. But somewhere, it appears the basketball was lost for both men.

First, Magic failed to assemble a roster that fit with LeBron.

Then Magic failed to make a mid-season trade to help the team.

And right before the season ended, Magic flat-out quit. According to reports, he did not tell Lebron.

Even more, he didn’t tell his boss, Lakers Owner Jeanie Buss. She found out at his quickly thrown together press conference.

His excuse was he’d cry if he told Buss. That’s pathetic.

And disrespectful.

LOUSY PLANNING

If LeBron is unhappy with how things happened with the Lakers – and he should be – he is primarily to blame. He went to the Lakers knowing there were no stars on the roster. Nor did the team have a deal in place for a star, as the Cavs did to acquire Kevin Love in 2014 when LeBron returned to Cleveland.

Maybe he thought going to L.A. would create some type of magic because of his own star power.

Or perhaps he thought about when he went to Cleveland in 2014. He inherited a rookie general manager in David Griffin and an NBA novice head coach in David Blatt.

They still reached the 2015 NBA Finals.

But that roster already had Kyrie Irving. Griffin was an NBA front-office lifer, working his way up to a top spot with the Cavs. He was not the usual first-year GM.

Griffin traded for Love and others to highlight LeBron’s skills and cover some weaknesses.

The Cavs really did have a basketball plan in place, along with Owner Dan Gilbert’s open checkbook.

The result was four trips to the NBA Finals in four years.

There were some strange things that happened during his time with the Cavs during those four seasons, but the Lakers’ mess seems far more toxic.

LOST SEASON

As LeBron turned 34, he battled a major injury for the first time in his career. He also was on a losing team for the first time since his 2003-04 rookie season. And he’s with a team now looking for leadership along with a roster that is crammed with question marks.

LeBron averaged 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists. When healthy and motivated, he remained an elite player – even with an obvious decline of effort on defense.

But he missed 27 games with a groin injury.

He was clearly frustrated and distant at times from his younger teammates. Luke Walton is another coach who doesn’t seem to impress him.

The Lakers are an iconic franchise. They have LeBron. A new front office with a clue (hire David Griffin?) can certainly be an upgrade over the Magic Johnson regime.

But LeBron also has to dedicate himself to showing up in the best shape of his career. Is basketball still his No. 1 priority? Here’s his chance to prove it.

Meanwhile, the Cavs are a year beyond the LeBron Era. They have a chance to build a team with younger players and a minimum of drama.

Given what happened in L.A. this season, that is a relief.

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https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2019/04/and-lebron-james-thought-things-in-cleveland-were-crazy-terry-pluto.html

2019-04-11 10:11:00Z
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