cosmofizzo wrote:So, been thinking about this. If we sign LeBron, I think the most logical follow-up would be to trade Dragic in a deal for Love. The reasons are simple. With LeBron, we have an extra ball-handler. Dragic would still be useful for getting to the basket and making shots, but much of his contribution could be duplicated in a LeBron-lead offense with Green and Goodwin manning the 2 spot. Dragic will need a big raise next year, and is the best trade chip we have. Dragic, the Morrises, and the Lakers pick for Love probably gets it done without us having to take back Kevin Martin. Moving for Love rather than dumping contracts for Melo allows us to keep Len and Green.
Bledsoe/Green/LeBron/Love/Plumlee
Ennis/Goodwin/Warren/Len
We'd need to add pieces - especially at the 4 spot. But this to me seems like the best team we could put out there.
Pass. I'm all for Love, but why would you hand the keys to Bledsoe who has yet to prove he can stay healthy? Say he misses 20 games, not a terrible number, but you're asking a 20 year old rookie to partner in the back court with Gerald Green? No thank you.
Having an extra ball handler is a great 'problem' to have because your offense can originate from multiple points on the floor, whoever has the ball initiates the offense meaning your offensive set starts faster because there aren't wasted passes looking for the PG/primary ball handler. It just goes. Will LeBron's scoring numbers go down? Probably. Will his and the teams over all effectiveness increase? Most likely.
It also makes us really impossible to double team, because LeBron is such a good and willing passer, if you double team LeBron, he'll find Dragic or Bledsoe and they will make you pay.
I hope that Hornacek comes to the pitch meeting for the Suns to explain that LeBron will have less burden to run the offense and will see less double teams in Phoenix because he'll always have a second (and sometimes third) ball handler on the floor, each of whom can also create their own offense. If I'm LeBron and you're telling me I can eat all day on pick and roll and strong cuts to the basket, and don't have to constantly settle for midrange jumpers, that sounds really exciting.