King James Gospel
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Kevin Garnett believes LeBron James should sign with Houston Rockets in the offseason

By Quenton S. Albertie

CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 3: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers is introduced prior to the game against the Houston Rockets on February 3, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 3: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers is introduced prior to the game against the Houston Rockets on February 3, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Kevin Garnett believes LeBron James should leave the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Houston Rockets in the offseason.

Count 15-time All-Star Kevin Garnett among the former NBA stars that believe LeBron James should leave the Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency. Garnett, who believes James should sign with the Houston Rockets, made these comments when appearing on Area 21, a sports talk program that he hosts on TNT’s “Inside The NBA”.

"“LB is gonna move somewhere and when he moves… it usually takes the league upside down,” Garnett said."

When prompted to give an answer on where thought James would go, Garnett offered this quote:

"“If I was him, I’d go to Houston. You know why I say Houston? … It’s the one untapped source that hasn’t been touched in a long time.”"

Garnett joins Shaquille O’Neal (who thinks James should join the Golden State Warriors) and former teammate Paul Pierce (who thinks James should join the Washington Wizards) in thinking James should sign elsewhere in the offseason.

Curiously, a survey was conducted this season with 48 current NBA players as participants and most seem to believe James should (66.0 percent) and will (59.0 percent) stay in The Land.

With that said, James has been tied to the Los Angeles Lakers, who have a great young core and can sign two max players in the offseason. He’s been tied to the Philadelphia 76ers, a team who has rookie phenom Ben Simmons (the highly-talented protege of James), All-Star Joel Embiid and will allow him to stay in the Eastern Conference). James has also been tied to the San Antonio Spurs, who have perhaps the best-run franchise in the league, a sustainable model for success and a coach in Gregg Popovich who James considers to be the best of all-time.

The Rockets are another team that James has been tied to all season thanks to the success they’ve had this year (currently 50-13, league-best record) and their employment of Chris Paul, one of James’ best friends and one of the best point guards in NBA history.

The Rockets also have perennial All-Star James Harden, who will likely finish in the top two of MVP finalists for the third season in four years when this season is over.

The only other teams (out of the four mentioned) that come close to matching what the Rockets will have from a talent standpoint are the Sixers, who have two potential Hall of Famers and a strong supporting cast in the starting lineup. They also have a number one overall pick in guard Markelle Fultz that hasn’t played since October thanks to a wacky shoulder injury but appears to be approaching full health.

The Lakers have a chance to match that talent if they sign Paul George away from the Oklahoma City Thunder and add him to a group that includes Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma.

The Cavaliers will have to get a good bounce in the NBA lottery and select a world-beater with what could be a top-five pick. That player would step into a Big 3 role, with All-Star Kevin Love playing as the second option and a player like Rodney Hood or Larry Nance Jr. having the potential to be part of their Core 4. Even then, the Rockets, Sixers and Lakers might be more talented ball clubs.

However, working against the Rockets is a need to move significant money off their books to sign James. That could result in the team losing one or two auxiliary players who have been key to their success.

Furthermore, James is comfortable with the level of control his has in Cleveland and his familiarity with the organization.

The only other franchises that would afford him those luxuries are the Lakers and Sixers, teams with young and impressionable players that need a leader.

It’s actually easy to see James melding with the Rockets on and off-the-court but if things don’t go as planned with the season, will James be able to get his way? Will he be ok with not getting his way?

James hasn’t hid his frustrations too much during his time in Cleveland and uses their desire to appease him to his advantage in contract negotiations and player acquisitions. In fact, the biggest reason why people began doubting if James would stay in Cleveland is because it seemed as if team owner Dan Gilbert was less concerned about keeping James than the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round draft pick.

It’s uncertain if James will have that power in Houston.

All things considered, from a purely on-court perspective, the Rockets are the best team for James to join of his primary objective is to improve his NBA Finals record (3-5).

The Sixers and Lakers could give the Cavaliers a run for their money.

Despite not having as much talent as the aforementioned teams, the Spurs have a system in place that’s proven to be successful through two decades.

With a race this close, James’ familiarity with his teammates, comfort with the organization and the wishes of his family may be the deciding factors for James. That should benefit the Cavaliers but, with the chaos the Cavs have become known for, it could also work in favor of any of the other four teams, as well.

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