Where LeBron SHOULD Go and What Leaders SHOULD Know

Thursday evening on ESPN the top NBA free agent LeBron James will decide where he spends the next 3-6 years of his pro basketball career.  He will choose one of the following six teams listed in alphabetical order:

1. Chicago Bulls
2. Hometown Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Los Angeles Clippers
4. Miami Heat
5. New Jersey Nets
6. New York Knicks

Most people I read and listen to think he is staying with Cleveland.  A handful of experts, with Steven A. Smith the most vocal, think he will join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat.  I agree that Heat will be his selection but that is not where he SHOULD go. 

If you’re fortunate enough to have options in your career and are considering relocating your family, how do you determine if that is the right decision?  The following are some guidelines to go by with applications to James.  For a biblical reference, I will quote appropriately enough from the New King James Version.

Genesis 13:9-10 Abram speaking to Lot “If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”  And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah).

1. Do Not Make A Solely Financial Decision - Lot made his decision based upon the percieved material blessings he saw.  Don’t be seduced by a large compensation package.  Cleveland can pay him the most but that is not the best place for James.
2. Select A Location With Spiritual Vitality For Your Family – Many men make relocation a financial decision but unknowingly take their families into a spiritual wasteland ending in heartbreak and destruction.  LeBron has a family and will want to place them in an area where they can thrive.  South Beach is a place to lose a family, not raise one. 
3. Great Leadership – Genesis 14 gives the account of a number of warring kings and nations which resulted in Lot’s abduction after entering his new home.  LeBron will want to go to the least dysfunctional and best ownership group possible.  Thanks to Jerry Reinsdorf and the GM John Paxson who allegedly punched his coach last year, good bye Chicago Bulls.
4. Don’t Rebuild – Genesis 13:2 states “Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.”  When you have a family to consider, select the organization that provides the most resources around you allowing you to achieve maximum success.  LeBron has been in the league seven years.  The time for him to be part of a rebuilding effort has come and gone.  It is now about his legacy and championships.  New York, your long-suffering will continue with Amare’s contract bringing back memories of Allan Houston.  New Jersey, enjoy next year’s lottery.

The place LeBron James SHOULD go is….yes, the Los Angeles Clippers. 

With Bishop Charles Blake, Bishop Kenneth Ulmer, and Pastor Dr. Fred Price, the city of Los Angeles offers arguably the finest African-America spiritual leadership in America for a family.  Vinny Del Negro is an experienced coach who will do much better being away from Reinsdorf and Paxson.  Finally, the Clippers have the solid and potentially spectacular talent listed below:

1. Baron Davis and Eric Gordon give quality back-court options that can run the floor and provide penetration and outside shooting.
2. Blake Griffin will be the league’s finest power forward in two years. 
3. Chris Kaman is the type of quality center LeBron has played with only during All-Star games the Olympics. 
4. 2010 1st-round picks Al-Farouq Aminu of Wake Forest and Kentucky’s Eric Bledsoe provide depth and growth potential.

If LeBron goes to the Clippers, they make it to the Western Conference Finals next year losing to the Lakers.  In the 2011-2012 season, the Los Angeles Clippers will win the NBA title.

Oh yes, the weather isn’t bad either.

Once again, don’t be seduced by a large compensation package.  Spiritual growth potential for your family, great leadership, and talented complimentary parts.  These form the success links for determining when to exercise courageous leadership and relocate your family.  

Leaders, what were some of your decision points for relocation and how did it turn out?

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