King James Gospel
Fansided

LeBron James would’ve been better of staying with the Cleveland Cavaliers

By Tony Pesta

BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 15: A detail of LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers jersey during the first quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on December 15, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 15: A detail of LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers jersey during the first quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on December 15, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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Akron-born superstar, LeBron James, has signed a 4-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. He should have stayed in Cleveland.

Once again, LeBron James has left Cleveland to play for another city. This time, James has decided to wear the historic purple and gold as he looks to add another championship banner to the Staples Center.

James is joining a team mixed with young talent and savvy veterans. The Lakers are hoping to be in competing for a spot in the NBA Finals this year.

However, is this Laker team better suited for James than the Cleveland Cavaliers? Would James have been better off staying in Cleveland?

When strictly focusing on just this upcoming season, the Cavaliers have the better roster. The Cavaliers have almost everything James needs to succeed.

They surrounded him by elite shooters and let him operate on offense. Kevin Love completely changed his game to fit James’ playing style. Furthermore, players such as Kyle Korver and JR Smith were brought to the Cavaliers solely for the sake of giving James spot up shooters he could pass to.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have virtually no shooters for James to rely on. Last season, the Lakers had zero players shoot above 40.0 recent from three-point range (minimum 75 attempts). In contrast, the Cavaliers had three different players shoot over the 40% mark.

This is extremely important to James as much of his offense comes from dishing it to knockdown shooters.

Now, things are different when looking ahead; the Los Angeles Lakers certainly have a brighter future with young stars such as Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Kyle Kuzma. This means the Lakers could potentially have multiple All-Stars on their roster in the future.

There is only one problem with waiting for the future. LeBron James may not have time to wait. At 33-years-old, James needs to win now. There’s limited time for these players to develop and it’s impossible to shortcut that process.

Next: Cleveland Cavaliers: Top 30 all-time greatest players

Unless the Lakers are able to sign a major free agent, James may have been better off in Cleveland.