"I Used To Play Kobe Until I Played LeBron..."

It is way too early to start speculate on the future of LeBron James.  Come on, ESPN did it in September ... before the NBA preseason even started.

Then LeBron opens his mouth and says something that makes you go "hmmm..." as he did on Thursday after the Cavs-Heat game.  The King said he wants to honor the Greatest of All Time by leaving the No. 23 and wearing No. 6 next season.

Somewhere, Dr. J is wondering when LBJ will honor him?

Anyway, here's the video.



Bulls fans, the first thing you thought to yourself is that LeBron is coming to Chicago.  I know that's what you were thinking, because that's what I was thinking.  James has yet to be linked to Chicago, other than this speculation from former Chicago Tribune scribe Sam Smith.  However, James-to-Chicago is not as far fetched of a dream as some might think.

If LBJ23 turned into LBJ6 and came to Chicago, he would be joining the most talented team he has been a part of since coming to the NBA.  (Yes, more talented than the Cavs team that actually made the NBA Finals a few years back.)  You think I'm using this as hyperbole?  Not a chance.  This is the Game 1 line-up the Cavaliers trotted out before being dismissed by the Spurs.

• F LeBron James
• F Drew Gooden
  
• C Zydruna Ilgauskas
• G Larry Hughes
• G Sasha Pavlovic
  

Without James on board, the Cavs would have been average at best, but more likely would have been preparing for another NBA Draft Lottery sitting next to Elgin Baylor.

The Bulls gave James a taste of how things could be in Chicago with a 86-85 win Nov. 5 on The King's Court.

Derrick Rose scored 14 points and dished out 11 assists in that game, and would probably be the most dynamic player James has ever teamed with, and would be without a doubt the best point guard to start with him since the '08 Olympics.  Luol Deng scored a game-high 15 in the win, and would give James the wingman he would need on the perimeter to team with.  Deng is averaging 17.4 points per game, the best he's done since breakout 2006-07 season.  Joakim Noah is a level above Sideshow Bob Anderson Verejao and is turning into the double-double machine John Paxson expected him to be when he came out of Florida.

The best thing the Bulls have going for them, unlike the last time they cleared out cap space for big-name free agents, is that it is 2010.  Chicago won't have to worry about players being scared off because they would have to follow Michael Jordan's legacy.  The Bulls have had four different head coaches (plus three interim coaches) since the Jordan Era ended.  Chicago has made the playoffs and has even won a playoff series since that time.

If LeBron went to New York, as many speculate that he will, he would join another rebuilding process.  And all the endorsement deals -- deals he could get while playing in a market such as Chicago -- would not be worth the effort put forth having to make up for playing on a mediocre team.

Despite the talk about the Nets, I don't see it happening because the team has still yet to relocate to Brooklyn.  Sorry, Hova, but the Meadowlands isn't a place fit for a king.  Miami could be an intriguing destination, if Dwyane Wade didn't talk like he was leaving Chicago.

Which brings up a dream scenario similar to the one you had last night about that supermodel crawling into bed last night only to find out it was your wife, your dog ... or both.

The Bulls have enough cap money cleared for two (count 'em, two) high-priced free agents.  There has been idle chatter about James & D-Wade wanting to be teammates in the NBA.  I don't have to tell you about Wade's Chicago ties.

Do you see where I'm getting at here?

In this era of the NBA, a team needs three stars to win a title.  Look at the '09 Lakers (Kobe, Gasol, Bynum), '08 Celtics (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) and '07 Spurs (Duncan, Parker, Ginobili) and figure out what they all have in common.

A trio of Rose, Wade and James would not only be just another run-of-the-mill contender, they would also probably be the No. 1 contender.  It would be a challenge each player, hungry for a championship, would be up to taking.

And while I come on this blog and rant about how Jerry Reinsdorf mismanages his basketball team because of his investment in his baseball team, Reinsdorf knows how to make money and knows that you need to spend money to make it.  Reinsdorf made Michael Jordan the highest paid player in the game throughout his NBA career, especially during the championship years.

I'll take a risk here and say on the record that I have a feeling he would be willing to do it again.

So, if LeBron James really wants to honor Jordan's legacy, he would come to Chicago and build one of his own.

Then he could admire the retired jersey in the United Center rafters for 41 games a year.