At 33-years-old, LeBron James could have taken the easy route. Perhaps signing with the Houston Rockets — with MVP winner James Harden and perennial All-Star Chris Paul in the mix — would have been the better option for James if all he was concerned about was adding more championships to his legacy.
However, that is just not who he is. The kid from Akron is used to the struggle, and by signing with a young and underdeveloped Los Angeles Lakers squad, he knew what he was getting himself into.
According to Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, there are some who believe — including a prominent agent — that LeBron will have his work cut out for him this year, now that he has shifted to the Western Conference for the first time in his 15-year career.
“My thought was, ‘Good luck. You must really want to live in L.A.'” said the anonymous agent. “Playing Western Conference teams night in and night out is not going to be the same. You don't get a ‘night off.' I would not want to end my career just making the playoffs.”
The NBA has long been criticized for having unbalanced competition within its two conferences. James has spent the entirety of his career in the East, which is considered as the weaker conference. By moving to the other side of the border, LeBron has pitted himself in the more competitive conference in which each and every win will count. This becomes especially true for the Lakers who have not been absent from the Playoffs for the past five seasons.
Nonetheless, James is no stranger to carrying his team on his shoulders. He did just that last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and while a similar scenario may be imminent, his supporting cast this term is arguably more formidable.
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