Several NBA players want Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James to team up with San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. Recently, ESPN interviewed 48 players to predict the future of James when he becomes a free agent in 2018. When asked which coach they thought LeBron should pair up with, 46 percent answered Popovich, while 18 percent prefer Tyronn Lue of the Cavaliers. Around 36 percent of the players voted for other coaches, including Brett Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers, Mike D'Antoni of the Houston Rockets, Billy Donovan of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors, Doc Rivers of the Los Angeles Clippers, Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat and Luke Walton of the Los Angeles Lakers.
One Eastern Conference center said LeBron should become a player-coach.
James could win 4th title with Spurs
Earlier, Fox Sports 1 reporter Chris Broussard said that James could win a fourth NBA championship if he joins the Spurs in 2018. According to Broussard, if James’ priority is winning, then he should pick the Spurs as his next destination if he leaves the Cavaliers. Aside from Broussard, Max Kellerman believes that James should join forces with Popovich after this season. If he joins the Spurs, James would have the opportunity to play under a legendary coach in Popovich. In his career, James hasn’t had a chance to play under a big-name coach during his stint with the Heat and the Cavaliers.
Big-name superstars like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant played under legendary coach Phil Jackson. In a recent interview, Popovich heaped praise on James when he reached the 30,000-point plateau, calling him a “great, great competitor and a great player.”
James should team up with Kawhi
Spurs superstar Kawhi Leonard was picked by nine percent of the 48 players when they answered the question “Which player do you think LeBron should pair up with?" Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat and Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets each received 12 percent.
Leonard, Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder and James Harden of the Rockets each received nine percent. Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson of the Warriors, Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, Joel Embiid of the 76ers, Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics, DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers, Kevin Love of the Cavaliers, and Russell Westbrook of the Thunder also received votes. One Eastern Conference forward commented that the duo of LeBron and Harden would be unstoppable.
