On Lebron, Melo, and Capela

  • Some have called my criticism of Lebron’s decision to join the Lakers bitterness, but really I just feel cheated as an NBA fan. Where he plays is his prerogative, and I’m as big a proponent of self-determination as anyone (I supported his initial move to Miami), but as a fan of the sport, we shouldn’t be robbed of one of the prime years of one of the NBA’s greatest players. It’s almost as if he’s punted on challenging the Warriors and complacent to ride off into the sunset and focus on his business aspirations. Have the Warriors broken Lebron? He should be on the Rockets, joining forces with fellow greats in mounting a challenge. Hell, its not even about the Rockets. Go to Philly and show a spine! Maybe the Lakers land Kawhi but even that doesn’t seem like enough. Sure, Golden State’s run will likely come to an end after next season, but its not the same knowing they succumbed to financial woes rather than an actual foe.
  • I’m like on the fence about Melo. He was terrible last year, shooting 40% from the field overall and 35% from ‘3’, and of course a sieve defensively. But he also played with inarguably the biggest blackhole in modern day sports. The effects of transitioning potentially from Russell Westbrook to Chris Paul cannot be underestimated. Maybe Paul can get it to Melo in spots where he can thrive? With Luc Mbah a Moute gone (crying emoji), they’ll need another defensive wing addition to make this feasible, but its not accurate to say Houston couldn’t use more offense, despite their historic efficiency levels. They can put up numbers in the aggregate, but there’s still value in getting old fashioned buckets when the going gets tough. And when the going got tough, the Rockets laid an egg in Game 7 with James Harden exhausted.
  • Carroll Dawson would have already backed up the Brinks truck on Clint Capela. Can we just wait before panicking? They’re not going to bid against themselves. Having said that, I do worry what kind of effect on lingering bitterness will have on the locker room. Management has to tread carefully.

About the author: Rahat Huq is a lawyer in real life and the founder and editor-in-chief of www.Red94.net.

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