NBA Season 2017-2018 - Page 59

NICK WRIGHT: It's why his career doesn't make sense, Colin. It's why when you and I first met and I said he's the greatest player ever, that was some scorching hot take, and by the end of this season, it'll just be conventional wisdom. LeBron's career made sense through the first 13 seasons. He goes to Miami years 8 through 11-- has a clear peak.

He then goes back to Cleveland year 12. Trails off a little bit. Year 13-- trails off more. It's going into Game 5 of the finals. We're like, oh, we're now into a new phase of the NBA. Steph Curry's going to take over. LeBron's on the way down. But starting with Game 5 of the NBA finals two years ago, LeBron has played the best basketball of his career.

Forget the three games to win the finals. Between this year and last year, he has set career highs in rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, three point percentage, and PER while leading the league in minutes both years. No one in any sport ever has played their best this long into their career and been the best in the league for this extended period of time, except for maybe Wayne Gretzky. It's why his career doesn't make sense, and there's no precedent for it.

Nearly two months into the season, circumstances have changed for the Cavaliers, but according to league executives, one thing that has not changed has been Cleveland’s unwillingness to part with that Nets’ pick, even as Brooklyn has exceeded expectations, thus dinging the value of the pick.

“They would be open to a deal by all indications,” one general manager told Sporting News. “But they’re not talking about that pick. That’s the Plan B for the LeBron stuff and from what I know, they don’t want to budge on it.”

As for the "LeBron stuff," he has a player option on his contract after this season and can become a free agent and leave the Cavaliers without their generational player who led them to three straight NBA Finals appearances.