An emoji teases at the future of The Process
On July 18, 2017 the realm know as NBA Twitter blew up.
With no basketball in sight, an emoji set the world on fire. Behold below what caused such chaos.
Out of nowhere, Ben Simmons tweeted out one of the internet’s favorite emoji’s to the league’s biggest star. The meaning behind the eyeballs is vague, but it could mean one certain thing. Is LeBron James set to join the Philadelphia 76ers after next season?
With the Cavaliers in a “peculiar” place, there aren’t many options better for LeBron than the 76ers. The roster is extremely young with a core that is certain to be in the city of Brotherly Love for the next five years at a minimum. But first, lets analyze how we got in this position.
Simmons and James go way back. Like back during Simmons’ high school days. James was an instructor at the Nike Basketball Academy, while Simmons was a counselor to the students of the game. Basketball is how their relationship started and for Simmons, LeBron is his big brother.
Then, Simmons dominated college basketball, averaging 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, in his lone season at LSU. Despite not making the NCAA Tournament, Simmons decided he proved enough to enter the NBA Draft that following June. Considered as the consensus №1 pick, Simmons could have signed with any agency that he wanted.
So, who does Simmons sign with? Klutch Sports Group, who is owned by James’ childhood friend Rich Paul. Ironically enough, Paul represents Tristan Thompson, who back in 2012 regarded James as a brother.
Fast forward, Simmons sits out his rookie season with injury, but Joel Embiid steps up to showcase the The Process’ bright future. By the luck of the lottery, Philadelphia is able to keep their draft pick, which they trade with Boston to move up to get the top selection in order to select Markelle Fultz.
Now it’s more than likely that James chose Cleveland without the recruitment of Tristan Thompson, but the Cavs had something back then that the Sixers have now. Young players and assets.
When James decided to go home to Cleveland in 2014, the Cavs had a budding superstar in Kyrie Irving, Thompson and that year’s №1 pick overall. The top pick is a beautiful asset, as the Cavs would net Kevin Love to polish off a championship-worthy core. As a result, LeBron fulfilled his promise to Cleveland by winning the Finals.
Compare that to Philly. Simmons, Embiid and Fultz is a core that anyone would take into the future. Add in Dario Saric and Robert Covington, who are strong role players. (I’m excluding J.J. Redick since he signed on a one-year deal). Oh, and a wealth of draft picks that the Sixers can use in a trade or to select players.
A potential starting lineup for the Sixers would be:
PG: Ben Simmons
SG: Markelle Fultz
SF: Robert Covington
PF: LeBron James
C: Joel Embiid
Who says no? With that lineup, there are three primary ball-handlers (Simmons, Fultz, James), three shooters (Fultz, Covington, Embiid), two defensive anchors (Covington, Embiid) and a closer (James).
While Simmons and James are very similar players, the two could mesh with each other’s passing ability. Simmons will not be called upon to lead the team in scoring, with or without LeBron. Simmons job is to set his teammates up, which he could do with James should he decide to move farther East. LeBron is a capable shooter, knocking down 36 percent of his 3-point attempts since the beginning of his Miami days. Just imagine a LeBron-Simmons pick-and-roll.
The Sixers will have cap space, around $40 million to play with. Philadelphia will have to resign Embiid and Covington in order to have the lineup mentioned above, as they’re set for huge paydays after the 2017–18 season.
But, what other options does LeBron have? Winning rings and chasing the ghost of Michael Jordan is what LeBron’s legacy is about. Recent rumors suggest James will head West to join the Lakers. If the Paul George narrative is true than perhaps he could join forces with PG in LA. Alternatively, there are the Banana Boat crew rumors — where James, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade would all join the same team.
For LeBron, going West means a more difficult road to the Finals. James would have to get past the Goliath that is Golden State as well as Houston, San Antonio and another up-and-coming team in Minnesota. And that just the tip of the iceberg with several other strong existing and rising Western squads.
LeBron is the King of the East and he should keep it that way. The East has gotten weaker and appears it will stay that way for some time. That means his two best options are staying in Cleveland or joining The Process in Philly to extend his record seven consecutive trips to the Finals.
Cheers to Twitter conspiracy theories and The Process.
