LeBron James often is called “The King,” and one sports pundit believes the star forward should be treated as such.
James is eligible to become a free agent next summer, and the basketball world already is buzzing about where the three-time NBA champion possibly could end up. The Los Angeles Lakers have been rumored to be a leading contender in the James sweepstakes, but Colin Cowherd believes the Purple and Gold shouldn’t even be in the running.
During Tuesday’s edition of “The Herd” on FOX Sports 1, Cowherd explained why the Lakers should be beneath James’ standards if he tests the free-agent waters.
“The Lakers don’t deserve him,” Cowherd said. “They don’t deserve him. The Lakers have had five coaches in seven years. They gave Luol Deng and (Timofey) Mozgov horrible contracts. They didn’t do their homework. I like Kyle Kuzma, but Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, minimum, are a year away, probably two. The Lakers don’t deserve him, they’re not close. They haven’t shown the kind of ownership, guidance, dependability and star power that’s worthy of LeBron James.”
And the Lakers aren’t the only big-market franchise that Cowherd believes shouldn’t be considered by James.
“LeBron James is too good for the Lakers,” Cowherd said. “By the way, I think it would be fascinating to watch him play with (Kristaps) Porzingis in New York. James Dolan hasn’t earned the right to LeBron James.”
At this stage in James’ career, it only would make sense to be a part of a team with legitimate championship aspirations. With that said, Cowherd stressed his belief that James shouldn’t settle and instead let his illustrious résumé speak for itself.
“If you have worked as hard as LeBron to be this transformative for a decade and a half, you don’t give your services,” Cowherd said. “You don’t give your services to a two-star hotel. You don’t fly in the back of the plane. This is America, where if you rise, you then have better travel, better food, better medical, better companies, better support, better marketing, better teammate, better owner, better GM. Stay in Cleveland, let stars come to you.”
