The NBA’s Summer of Change, Part II: LeBron James Planning a Coup?

In our last installment, I spoke about how John Wall, the freshman sensation from the University of Kentucky, could shake up the league in a major way this summer, as adding a once-in-a-generation talent to an already deep pool of point guards could put any number of good to great PGs on the move.

In this part, I’ll tackle the monkey in the proverbial room: how LeBron James could lead a coup that changes the balance of power in the NBA as we know it.

I’m not breaking any news here, but LeBron James is really, really good at basketball. From scoring to defending to just plain making his teammates better, LeBron James is just entering his prime and showing us a completely different way to play basketball.

This summer, LeBron can pick his team and situation, such is his talent and demand. It’s a given that LeBron will have several championship rings by the time he hangs up his sneakers, and every team in the league would like LeBron to be wearing his jersey when he does it.

But LeBron’s situation is unique in a way that is beyond him, because this summer also features a crop of free agents that will be highly coveted, including many players with high ceilings who are also just entering their prime.

Which brings me to my question: is LeBron James planning a coup of the NBA?

A coup is defined as: A) a quick, brilliant and highly successful act; and B) a takeover of one group by another. Both of which LeBron James is capable of.

League rules forbid collusion and under-the-table agreements between teams and players for what happpens after current contracts are up, but there’s no such rule forbidding players from doing the same with each other.

And that’s where LeBron could really make his move.

In Beijing for the 2008 Olympics, LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, all free agents this summer, played together. Do you think they didn’t discuss playing together after 2010? You’d be foolish to think they didn’t.

Maybe D-Wade proposed that they all come together in Miami, forming a big three the likes of which we’ve never seen before.

Remember how dominant the Celtics Big Three of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were in the 2007-08 season? Well, imagine that they were all in their mid-twenties. Quite a run they’d be set up for, eh?

Or what if those three decide to converge in New York, taking less money from the Knicks, but becoming the central figures in some marketing promotion that puts those three in charge of the biggest city on earth? Pretty scary for the rest of the league.

Maybe Chris Bosh and LeBron spoke of playing together in New York, where now it appears that Tracy McGrady could be their shooting guard. Not too bad for a third option, should Wade, Bosh and LeBron not want to take a paycut.

Or what if Bron and Bosh head to the Windy City? What better way to take on Michael Jordan’s legacy than on his home court, surrounded with more talent than Jordan had?

Derrick Rose, LeBron, Bosh and Joakim Noah? Sounds pretty good to me. Add in a shooting guard free-agent who comes in at a discount to make open threes, and you’ve got a very scary team.

It’s not a leap by any means to say that whatever team LeBron is on for the tip-off to the 2010 season will be a contender. It’s also not much of a leap to think that whatever team is is on could be poised for a Jordan-like era of dominance for the next decade.

LeBron is in a position where he can literally choose his team, coach and castmates. And I mean, he could choose ANY team.

What if he wants to go to the Lakers? He talks about being a “global icon,” and L.A. is a better situation right now than New York.

Imagine LeBron says to Cleveland, “I’m playing for the Lakers next year, so you need to get me there, or I’ll just leave and you get nothing back.”

Do you think L.A. jumps at that chance and will give up almost anything? I do. When I say anything, I mean, ANYTHING.

Kobe Bryant is an institution in L.A., but if LeBron says he wants to play for your team, and he wants to be the Alpha Dog, do you honestly say no, hold onto Kobe for the two or three years he has left, and miss out on LeBron in his prime?

I don’t think so.

Would Kobe want LeBron on his team? Basketball sense, he should, but remember, Kobe is at the point now where he’s been the Alpha Dog for almost nine years now, would he give it up so easily?

Imagine a Lakers squad with Kobe, LeBron, Odom and Gasol (Bynum presumably being included in a sign-and-trade to Cleveland). As Kobe ages, LeBron takes the reins, and the Lakers win at least three titles over the next decade, without question.

Now, I’m being facetious with that scenario, it’s not likely, but it is possible, and that’s what I mean when I say LeBron literally has any team in the league to choose from.

What if LeBron wants to stage his own Battle for Los Angeles? He could go to the Clippers, who it just so happens, are looking very good in every position except for small forward.

Imagine if LeBron went to the Clippers surrounded by Baron Davis (basically the same as Mo Williams), Eric Gordon (an upgrade over Anthony Parker in every way imaginable), Blake Griffin (the only player in the league that comes close to LeBron when it comes to brute strength) and Chris Kaman (a younger, better version of Ilgauskas).

With the coaching situation up in the air, LeBron could basically name his own coach, which is huge, because no one has done more to curtail LeBron’s postseason success than Mike Brown. The rumors have already started that LeBron would be allowed to pick his own coach and GM, should he choose the Clips.

Think about the off-the-court storylines. LeBron re-energizes the league’s worst franchise. LeBron and the Clippers threaten to shift the balance of power in L.A. LeBron and Kobe, sharing the Staples Center and meeting four times a year.

What if LeBron is enticed by Mark Cuban’s idea that several Dallas  Mavericks games get played in Cowboys Stadium, a place that LeBron has repeatedly expressed admiration for?

He’d be teamed up with Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki for the next few seasons, then LeBron and promising rookie Rodrigue Beaubois could take the Mavs into the next era.

The Mavericks have positioned themselves for a pretty good run at LeBron, should the Cavaliers try to get something back for him, with Caron Butler and Erick Dampier comprising a package that would give the Cavs some cap space (with Dampier’s expiring contract) and some talent as well (with Caron Butler headed to the Cavs to play small forward).

The Cavs would be fielding a team with Mo Williams, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, which is infinitely more appealing than filling the small forward void with someone like Rudy Gay.

Clearly, the drop-off from LeBron is a tough one, but it’s a reality that the Cavaliers must be prepared to face unless they want to resort to their pre-LeBron lottery days.

The point is, LeBron James is in a position that is probably the most unique in the history of sports. He can go to literally any team he wants to, and that team will naturally fall over backwards to give him what he wants.

In the process, we will learn a lot about LeBron James and what he values. Does he value the money? Then he might re-sign with Cleveland.

Does he want to be a global icon? Then he might go to New York or L.A.

Does he want to usurp Michael Jordan as the greatest player who ever lived? What better place to do that than Chicago?

Does he was to win championships starting in 2011? Then he could go to Dallas.

Does he want to resurrect a lost franchise, even though it could take valuable years of his prime to do so? Hello New York.

Or does he want the NBA to be his league, his and his closest and most talented friends? If so, he might take less money to go to the Knicks, Heat or Bulls along with Bosh and/or Wade.

The point is, and with all due respect to Kevin Garnett, anything is possible for LeBron James this summer. And how he chooses to use this power is sure to garner lovers and haters all around, but one thing is for sure.

The NBA will never be the same.