LeBron the Elephant

There’s an elephant in the room, and his name is LeBron James, let’s talk about the elephant.

It’s no secret that LeBron might not be the happiest camper in Cleveland and that he might be looking elsewhere for a new home for the 2018-19 season. After leading the Cavaliers to four straight Finals appearances and coming up short in the last two, it’s very likely that the elephant may decide to march on from Cleveland, and perhaps take his talents to Clutch City and play for the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets are a rumored destination for a couple of reasons, even though it may not make the most financial sense. Firstly, the Rockets were the closest team to dethroning the KD-era Warriors. Secondly, Chris Paul, his BFF forever, is a Houston Rocket, or at least, is looking to remain a Houston Rocket next season.

However, for a team that has pretty much half its roster in free agency, people have not begun to grasp the fact that heaven and earth would need to be moved in order to get LeBron to come to H-Town. Granted, Daryl Morey did move heaven and earth to get Chris Paul to Houston from Los Angeles, but this is different. This is LeBron James we are talking about.

If you asked all 30 teams if they would like to have LeBron on their roster, all 30 would say yes and they would do whatever it takes to get him on to the roster. Yes, even the Warriors.

That’s why there are not only rumors of LeBron coming to Houston, but to the Lakers, Sixers, Celtics, and even a return to the Heat.

However, let’s get this all straight. These are RUMORS we are talking about. The reason why it’s fun to talk LeBron is because news is slow in the days between the Finals and the Draft. Journalists need to craft stories to gain clicks and give people reasons to click on their article. It sparks conversations, but the only source that I trust 100 percent is LeBron.

Eight years ago, he was able to nationally televise his free agency decision and put the whole basketball world on notice when he announced his decision to go to Miami. No other athlete in sports has the power or the ability to move mountains like that. And on top of that, even with all the media attention and spotlight on him, he was able to keep it a secret right up until the moment he revealed his decision.

Yes, there was speculation that he was leaving Cleveland because why would you nationally televise your decision to stay with the team you’ve been with for the last seven seasons?

And yes, there were rumors of him going to Miami, but also of him staying in Cleveland, going to New York or Chicago or even the Brooklyn New Jersey Nets. The Rockets were also in play for LeBron that year.

But nobody was 100 percent certain about what his decision would be until it was finalized. LeBron has mentioned nothing about where he is going to play next season. He is still probably on a deserted island somewhere trying to process his Finals sweep and healing his hand he broke.

Yes, NBA investigative journalism has improved in the eight years since LeBron’s decision to leave Cleveland. But if he chooses to repeat history and leave Cleveland for a second time, it is going to come from his mouth and it should be the only mouth you trust (except for Woj, probably).

Look, it’s easy to talk about an elephant. It’s the biggest thing in the room, it’s on everyone’s mind, and it sparks debate and conversation. But the elephant is usually quiet and calm until it is ready to make a noise, but once it makes a noise, it is seismic. Everyone hears the noise of the elephant and it creates waves all over the area around it.

So right now, LeBron is quiet, so virtually, I believe any team has a shot at LeBron. Any team would be aggressive in their pursuit of him and should make a run if they have a chance to acquire him, Rockets included. But once he makes his decision, the NBA is going to change dramatically.