Charles Barkley points finger at James Harden for Cavaliers missing out on LeBron James
· Yahoo Sports
Charles Barkley has suggested that James Harden’s presence in Cleveland could have been a factor in LeBron James deciding against returning to the Cavaliers.
Barkley was discussing James’ free agency decision when he questioned whether Harden’s situation with Cleveland may have influenced the four-time NBA champion. However, the former NBA star was clear that he was only offering his own theory and did not have any evidence to support it.
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Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesCharles Barkley explains his theory on LeBron James and the Cavaliers
James eventually chose the Philadelphia 76ers after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers, a decision that left Barkley disappointed.
“I was disappointed he went to Philly,” Barkley said on the September 3 episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast.” “I thought it would have been a great ending for him to go back to Cleveland.”
Barkley also believes James returning to Cleveland could have significantly changed the Cavaliers’ prospects in the Eastern Conference.
“If LeBron went to the Cavaliers, they would have been my preseason pick,” Barkley said. “They got a really, really good team. They just need some leadership.”
The discussion then turned to why Cleveland appeared to be a possibility for James before his eventual decision to join Philadelphia.
Bill Simmons suggested that the Cavaliers looked like a serious destination for James earlier in free agency, before something seemingly changed his mind.
Barkley then brought Harden into the conversation as a possible explanation.
The former NBA star speculated that James knowing Harden could remain in Cleveland for several more seasons may have made the Cavaliers less appealing to him. However, Barkley did not present the theory as fact and stressed that he had no inside information about James’ decision.
There is also no confirmed evidence linking Harden’s situation in Cleveland to James choosing Philadelphia.
Barkley’s comments therefore remain speculation, but they offer an interesting explanation for why a potential return to Cleveland did not happen.
For Barkley, though, there was little doubt about what James’ arrival would have meant for the Cavaliers. He believed the team already had enough quality to become his preseason favourite in the East, with leadership being the missing piece.
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