Debunking the rumor that LeBron James is plotting to join Nerlens Noel in Los Angeles
By Ryan Piers
Rumors are swirling that Nerlens Noel and LeBron James are plotting to play in Los Angeles next year. Here’s why those rumors are likely unfounded.
The player with the most season-appropriate name is making headlines weeks before Christmas, tying himself to LeBron James in the process.
The rumor-mill media corner, along with Yahoo Sports, report James and Dallas Mavericks center Nerlens Noel are in cahoots. Reports say the two are plotting to play in Los Angeles next year.
On a cold winter’s night these rumors are so deep.
The appropriate question to ask is “Why?” Why would the Cleveland Cavaliers forward, one of the greatest players of all time, seek a 23-year-old journeyman who is struggling to find playing time on a measly Dallas Mavericks team as a partner in crime? That’s like Beyonce marrying Jay-Z. She’s a perfect 10-out-of-10 and he’s, like, a 3.5.
Tension surrounding the situation tightened when Noel elected to undergo thumb surgery in Cleveland. A writer from Dallasbasketball.com dot-connected, claiming Noel’s decision to go under the knife in LeBron’s town means he and James are taking relationship steps. We’ll address that point in a second.
The report also speculates on James and Noel’s shared agent, Rich Paul. Other writers make similar speculations that with James potentially bolting for a different team next year, and since Noel is unhappy with his role in Dallas, the stars may be aligning for a potential partnership.
But each article all cite the initial rumor conjured up by Dallasbasketball.com.
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First, a reminder that James is regularly rumored to target L.A., being that he’s already a $23 million home owner in La La Land. Plus, the Lakers finally possess enough young talent to entice the league’s most prized commodity. So the pieces are in place for a James move to Los Angeles.
Noel’s playing style complements that of both James and young floor general Lonzo Ball. He’s an athletic finisher, eager to do dirty work and rim protect, while James, Ball and budding star Brandon Ingram would rather focus on flashier things.
More specifically to James, Noel is an undersized big man. LeBron’s fetish is for smaller post players; think Kevin Love, Udonis Haslem and Anderson Varejao. Plus, free-agent-to-be Brook Lopez is averaging 13.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, both numbers below his career averages. Logistically, the James-Noel combination makes sense.
Bearing all that in mind, the rumors linking James to Noel are unlikely to be true. Like, a 99.5 percent probability to be false. Yes, LeBron and Noel share the same agent. It’s dot one of two in Dallasbasketball.com’s speculation piece.
But players inked by Paul are often paired with James as hypothetical matches. Remember the Eric Bledsoe rumors? He ended up with the Milwaukee Bucks, one of Cleveland’s aspiring rivals.
Noel’s current career win-share is 11.6, hardly three per year. Other post players under the watchful eye of Rich Paul include Nuggets Trey Lyles and Sacramento Kings Kosta Koufos. Both are better options than the NBA’s best Christmas name.
Second dot. Noel underwent thumb surgery in Cleveland, the location of Paul’s headquarters and, obviously, the home of James. It’s sparked thoughts that Noel may have been double dipping; doing surgery and meeting with the two at the same time.
But athletes commonly call on “C-Town” when they need hand repairs. It’s the home of the elite Cleveland Clinic, which specializes in, among other procedures, hand surgery. Former prominent physician, Dr. Thomas Graham, now practices in New York. But during his time at the Cleveland Clinic, he attracted athletes from across the country when hand work was needed. One has to assume his coworkers are also skilled in the repairing damaged carpals, metacarpals and other things needed to hold a ball.
So it’s entirely plausible, nay, extremely likely that Noel was in Cleveland for surgery based on the city’s reputation for repairing the exact thing he needed to be repaired.
And let’s just look at this from a common-sense perspective. James should be nearing the twightlight years of his career and desires to be surrounded by championship-caliber talent. In Noel’s first two seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, the Sixers finished in the bottom two in the Eastern Conference. Dallas finished 11th in the West last season, 9-13 with Noel on the roster.
The King partners with Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. These are proven winners and All-Stars. He raises his nose to players like Noel.
Next: 2017-18 Week 8 NBA Power Rankings
The lyrics to the holiday tune go Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel. This Christmas, those are the only times we should pair “Noel” and “King” in the same sentence.