LeBron James was reportedly considering returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a third stint this offseason before ultimately deciding to join the Philadelphia 76ers. His agent, Rich Paul, even revealed that the Cavs were the only team James granted an in-person meeting with.
If it wasn’t for the two biggest stars on the Cavs, James may very well have been down to come back to The Land one last time.
Byron Scott recently said that he believes James would’ve returned to Cleveland if it wasn’t for James Harden. Former NBA center Olden Polynice suggested James wasn’t trying to deal with Donovan Mitchell potentially looking James off during the game and being the main star.
James will instead have to deal with four other ball-dominant players in Philly, but none who play the role of a traditional point guard.
Harden and James are kind of a clunky fit at this stage of their careers, given that both operate best as orchestrators of an offense. Harden tends to seem disengaged when he’s playing off the ball as well.
Defensively, Harden is always a liability, and it’s not reasonable to expect a 41-year-old James to lock down the perimeter.
Mitchell is a deadly weapon off the catch-and-shoot 3-point shot, but he’ll still probably prefer to operate as a loose cannon while he still can.
Aside from the basketball fit, Harden has constantly folded during the playoffs throughout his career, especially last season, as Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks exploited Harden’s poor defensive effort many times during the Eastern Conference Finals.
Harden lacks any creativity or counters to help him remain a deadly scorer if his stepback 3-pointer isn’t falling and too many driving lanes are closed off. Harden also does not get to the free-throw line as much during the postseason, as foul calls are much harder to come by.
If Harden and James were still in their primes, perhaps they could’ve found a way to make this work, especially with Harden able to slip the ball to James through tight windows.
However, their respective physical limitations and play styles just don’t mesh well at this stage of their careers, so, understandably, James chose what he feels is the best fit to win at least one more championship.
Though it could still happen, James doing his farewell tour back where it all started would’ve been a great ending to a storybook career.
