Colin Cowherd: 'LeBron will make you the worst defensive team'

[ASFN Admin]

There is some increasing speculation that LeBron James is definitely heading back to the Cleveland Cavaliers and that it is only a matter of time before he makes an official decision. Some NBA fans even seem to think that he may wait until after the final game of the World Cup, which will take place on July 19, to make an announcement so that he can ensure he gets the most attention possible.

But there is also considerable doubt that James could win the NBA championship with the Cavaliers. A number of people around the league recently expressed their cynicism that the 41-year-old is the right man to put the Cavaliers over the top, with one scout even saying, "They don’t want another old guy."

Sports commentator Colin Cowherd said that if Cleveland adds James, it will become slow and defensively challenged.

"LeBron (James) will make you the worst defensive team," Cowherd said. "Slowest player in the NBA last year was James Harden. He's a Cav. You know the second-slowest player? LeBron James, if he goes to Cleveland. They'll be the worse team in terms defensively, and they weren't very good last year, even with rim protection.

"... Slow is not what you need in the NBA. Youth, speed, and athleticism is."

Harden and Donovan Mitchell, the Cavaliers' starting guards, are weak defenders, and they were exposed and hunted by the New York Knicks when the Knicks swept Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals several weeks ago. James has notoriously not put much effort into that end of the floor for the last several years.

While James led the NBA in fast-break points per game this past season, he picks and chooses his spots as far as when to attack and create pace. All too often, especially in the second halves of games, he walks the ball upcourt and milks the shot clock, which is asking for trouble in the NBA.

The Cavaliers were 19th in fast-break points and 13th in pace, as well as 15th in defensive rating, this past season. If coach Kenny Atkinson wants to make them into more of a fast-breaking team that defends at a high level, James may not be the man to make that happen.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Colin Cowherd: 'LeBron will make you the worst defensive team'

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