Can LeBron bring Showtime back in the first year? Do not bet against him

For James, however, Monday's scheduled introduction in the local media will put him officially in a virtually unprecedented position. We have to go back to the 2004-5 season, his second N.B.A. campaign, for the last time he started a season with a team more likely to miss the playoffs than to win the championship.

It's still hard for some of us to accept the idea that King James, who turns 34 in December, has voluntarily retired from the league's mix of titles – even for a single season of reconstruction – by choosing the Lakers. Despite all the attractions of his family (and him) for Tinseltown, as well as the obvious appeal of working alongside a Magic Johnson team chairman who surely understands him better than anyone else, until the Lakers could build a support team worthy of a title around him – probably in July 2019 at the earliest.

In the meantime? James may not be as OK with his year 1 as he seemed to be in a recent interview with beIN Sport, in which he listed five teams that did not name the Lakers as the most legitimate contenders in pursuit of Golden State: Houston, Oklahoma City, Boston, Philadelphia and Toronto.

Can he?

"I'm not one to think that being in the West is such a disadvantage," said Dahntay Jones, who played alongside James at Cleveland in the playoffs in 2016 and 2017 before appearing on television. "The West is actually easier for your mind and your body, your morale. It's hot. Practicing each day at L.A., it just puts you in a better mood. I think it will make a big difference for him.

Former Nets defenseman Richard Jefferson is another teammate of James, a recent vintage, who does not expect poor results in the next six months. Jefferson strongly contests the idea that the inevitable problems of growing a team filled with young people (including Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball) and, let's say, unpredictable veterans (JaVale McGee, Michael Beasley, Rajon Rondo and Stephenson) will torment the famous demanding James.

"When he returned to Cleveland, I promise you he did not go thinking," O.K., it's time to go four hours in a row. Jefferson said about James's return to the Cavaliers in 2014. " But would anyone be really surprised if the Lakers qualified for the conference finals? He is so good. Every time LeBron gets on the pitch, he is the best court player. There is a bigger gap than I think a lot of people would really believe. "

The expectation of firm responses is fortunately fading. The Lakers will face the Denver Nuggets in an exhibition match in San Diego on September 30th. Tanter will stay in the building because the Lakers like to take all their show on the roads as often as possible during the pre-season.