NBA Rumors: Should the Houston Rockets Be Considered the Favorites to Sign LeBron James if He Falls Short in the Finals?
James' desire to remain in contention for championships could give the Rockets an edge
Over the past few months, the debate about who's the GOAT (greatest of all time) in basketball has seemingly gotten more attention with many fans starting to think that LeBron James has built up a solid enough case to challenge Michael Jordan for that distinction.
In many ways, James can indeed be considered Jordan's equal, and in some regards, the current leader of the Cleveland Cavaliers has already surpassed the man who reigned over the NBA for so long with the Chicago Bulls.
However, there is one important area where Jordan clearly has an edge over James and that's in titles won.
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Jordan won six NBA titles over the course of his legendary career. James has already won three, and he and his fellow Cavaliers will need to pull off arguably the biggest upset in NBA history for him to claim his fourth championship this year.
James has played so well this season that it's easy to forget that this is also his 15th year in the NBA. Father Time is undefeated, so if James wants to catch or even surpass Jordan in titles won, he's going to have to start piling up Finals wins sooner rather than later.
Apparently, that desire to continue winning championships is what's going to matter the most in James' upcoming free agency decision.
A recent article from the Orange County Register's Mark Heisler highlights something that James' business partner, Maverick Carter, recently told sports media personality Rich Eisen. Per the article, Carter hinted that James could probably sell some more merchandise if he starts playing in a bigger market, but he added that winning is still going to be the biggest thing that will help James' brand.
Carter also said that the thing that matters most is if James wins.
Carter is right. James and his brand will benefit the most from winning. The King is famous and recognizable enough that he could probably pack arenas on a nightly basis even if he's playing in a sleepy town in the middle of nowhere, so a winning team should be what he's looking for.
So, if winning is the priority for James, then where should he go next season?
In that same article, Heisler pointed to the Rockets as a possible landing spot for James, and they very well could be the case, since they won a lot this past season. Were it not for an ill-timed Chris Paul injury, perhaps the Rockets would even be the ones facing off against James and the Cavaliers in the Finals.
Of course, James may need to share playmaking duties with Paul and 2018 MVP favorite James Harden should he go to the Rockets, but he's apparently open to doing exactly that.
Appearing recently on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," NBA insider Chris Broussard shared something told to him by people close to James. According to Broussard, James has a desire to play off the ball more moving forward.