Everyone seems to have an opinion where LeBron James should take his talents this upcoming offseason. A popular belief is that he should join a ready-made contender, the Houston Rockets. Chris Paul and James Harden already took the Golden State Warriors to 7 games in the Western Conference Finals. With James in the fold, Houston would have a real chance to dethrone the defending champions. The problem with this hypothetical LeBron destination is that he may not be a huge fan of the overall city.
Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal on ESPNLA had the following:
“I heard this from his own lips when we were in Houston this season. He does not like Houston as a city. So, that would require him moving to a place that he’s not crazy about.”
Dwyane Wade, his former beloved teammate, claimed that LeBron will prioritize lifestyle in the midst of his free agent decision. That could put a wrench in the Rockets hopes to land LeBron. Houston already has to deal with impending unrestricted free agent, Chris Paul and restricted free agent, Clint Capela. If Houston can’t find a way to move Ryan Anderson (who nobody wants) the LeBron talk may be a moot point.
It will be interesting to see if Houston is actually considered. Daryl Morey represents the large analytics movement that may be new information James has never seen before. Then again, Morey probably won’t languish his roster control or let James essentially coach the team. Mike D’Antoni is an offensive mastermind and is credited to the up tempo NBA. If LeBron does really turn down the Rockets because of the overall city and not the situation, fans in Houston may grow to resent him, especially when he takes it talents to the Lakers.
