LeBron James is now sitting out the rest of the season and the Lakers will not be in the playoffs. He should have signed with the Phoenix Suns.
The King has been forced to sit the rest of the season on his throne, watching his new kingdom fail. The Lakers failed to make the playoffs and he may as well have wasted his season. Things could have been different, a lot different. He could have signed with the Phoenix Suns.
Yes, the Suns have only won 17 games on the season but the Lakers have only won 34. Also, if LeBron James had come to Phoenix, you would have to think the team’s win total would be a lot higher than it is.
James Jones, a friend of his, is the interim general manager. Tyson Chandler, a friend of his, was already here as a backup center. He had relations and connections in the valley.
He has issues with Luke Walton, the head coach of the Lakers and there is no guarantee that he wouldn’t have had them here with Igor Kokoskov. However, one would have to think that he would have at least some level of respect for a coach that has won a title, albeit in Europe and not in the NBA.
LeBron, as one of the greatest players the league has ever seen, could have had as much good talk and respect added to his name being in the valley as he has bad and negative being in Los Angeles.
Devin Booker, as hot as he’s been in his last three games (see 157 total points), as scary as the thought would be to opponents could have been even better with the focus on James.
Deandre Ayton, the number one pick in the draft, with LeBron’s pushing, could have been even better than he has been this season. That relaxed, laid back persona of his that fans have become frustrated with would not have lasted long with the King and he would have been pushed to a whole another level.
The four Lakers to start the most games around LeBron this season are Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and JaVale McGee. The four Suns with the most starts this season are Booker, T.J. Warren, Ayton and Mikal Bridges. Both are young and without much experience but one would have to think Phoenix would have offered him more help.
Would you rather have a starting lineup of Ball, Ingram, LeBron, Kuzma and McGee? Or a starting lineup of LeBron, Booker, Bridges, Warren and Ayton?
As much of a leap that Ingram made, out of those eight players Booker and Ayton are arguably the two best and would have provided the most help. You would also have to think that the Suns would have made other moves and built an even stronger supporting cast around the “Big 3” that Booker, LeBron and Ayton could have been.
When Kenneth Faried agreed to a buyout with the Brooklyn Nets, he could have stepped right in as a hustling, energetic and defensive starting power forward (exactly what Ayton needs next to him). That is just one of the many examples. The Suns would have made more of an attempt to get a solid starting point guard to add to the rotation, maybe making a push for Mike Conley.
Conley, Booker, LeBron, Faried and Ayton would have to be thought of as a playoff team. They’d surely be much better than what the Lakers put around him.
Of course this is hypothetical as no one knows what moves the Suns could have made, if the money could have been worked out for all this to happen, etc. It could be argued that the Suns, of all franchises, could have found a way to blow it.
At least, that’s a common statement when you think of any great player and the Suns. However, you can’t help but think of what could have been and it can be argued that Phoenix could have made it into the playoffs this season.
Even if the team would have lost in the first round, it would have been further than the Lakers made it this season. LeBron wouldn’t be heavily criticized as he has been all season and is being right now. If he would have simply ended the playoff drought in the valley, he would be treated like his nickname, a “King”.