LeBron can attract a free agent superstar to the Lakers?

When Kevin Love picked up his phone on July 1 after the announcement, he ended his message to LeBron James by: "I love you".

He repeated it last month when the two former teammates met in New York and that Love had the chance to say so also to James' family. Love and James are well placed, which has not always been the case with their teammates when James has already left the team. This was absolutely not the case when he left Cleveland the first time, when friendships quickly eroded.

So last week, I was not sure what Love was going to say when I asked him the following question: "Let's say that next summer, a free star agent will call you to ask you what is it?" Is that playing with LeBron James, how about you? "

This is relevant for several reasons. First, the Los Angeles Lakers developed their game plan to land another star in free competition next summer. Two, between Kyrie Irving who asks Cleveland, Paul George who does not even attend a meeting with the Lakers and Jimmy Butler who apparently would not have LA on his favorite shopping list, the question of the current lure of James among the stars is debatable. Three, perhaps no team-mate had as much to bear the positive and negative consequences of being with James as Love in the past four years.

"Well, it depends if we're talking about a perimeter player or a post player," said Love, trying to hide and maybe trying to inject a cork for Shock Doctor , a mouthpiece that he thought he had saved his teeth last season when he had crashed into a game in Miami and the supposed reason for this interview.

Finally, however, love has made the point.

"You have to follow, you have to learn a lot about it," he said.

Love said that when he was in Minnesota, he felt that he should have been more of a leader, than it was something expected of him. He worked on it, tried to study it, as a franchise player, he thought it was his role. It did not work exactly, as everyone will tell you. But he never really had someone to follow either.

"It was difficult, this place was a revolving door.We did not have any veterans and there was no continuity," said Love, perhaps with some irony, because that always seems to be a problem for Timberwolves today. "I had bad habits."

In the end, Love was not quite ready when he arrived in Cleveland and met the force that was James, who made sure everyone knew where he was. On the first day of training at Cleveland in 2014, James suspended the proceedings and invited everyone in the locker room to hold a meeting reserved for players, where he described the role that every player in the team should play. Coach David Blatt has been waiting on the training ground as James decides to send the team back.

James is a little softened and may have learned to use a softer hand. During his first training with the Lakers, he did not even go to the team and then said that it was the work of coach Luke Walton.

Nevertheless, the point of love is well taken. Most of the time, a star player will be the de facto voice of his team. But by joining James, most voices and influences have generally been compromised to some degree. Maybe that will not always be the case, James talked about wanting to loose the reins. At one time James envisioned a transition process in which he would cede the Cavs to Irving and assume a lesser role. This obviously did not happen.

"You have to follow, you have to learn a lot about it."

Kevin Love plays with LeBron James

There was a reason why James wanted to play with Rajon Rondo, and part of the reason why Rondo supports and empowers others, including the coaching staff. When James and the Lakers take the maximum of places on the road next July, James will have to explain the functioning of the roles. This could end up being a huge factor in whether the Lakers can get that second star.

"[Playing with LeBron] you are not the best guy. I've just tried to continue to be myself and not to pretend. I said how I felt, "said the love, whether we disagree or agree, my voice was heard."

The love came out of his four years with James with a championship ring, years filled with playoffs and two contracts worth $ 100 million. He was also scolded on the floor, made fun of social media and his manhood was challenged in practice. He had to make massive and sometimes uncomfortable changes to his game. But the intense focus on his team created a huge platform. So when he became vocal about mental illness, his voice became a beacon that changed the way he looked like his life.

In the end, that's why Love thinks it's recommending the stars to try their luck to play with James.

"You have to be resilient, I've had a lot of tough nights, there were dark times," Love said. "But I've always thought I could keep fighting, I was stubborn, and LeBron makes sure you have a chance to win every year." He's got a lot of rings. to win at the highest level, we won and we stuck and we will continue this fraternity ".

It may not be a resounding but honest endorsement.

Speaking of wolves …

Like many of my fellow journalists, I've heard leaders complain in recent weeks of how Minnesota is doing business with the Butler saga. But let's be clear: Wolves have the advantage. They have the player that everyone who calls wants. This means that they have leverage, but also that they have every right to take their time.

That's the same reason why Butler can get by asking for an exchange on the eve of the training camp. Yes, it's a bad look. Yes, it backs up some of the things the Chicago Bulls hinted when they traded it. But guess what, teams will collapse to give him $ 160 million next July anyway. Because he's really good and that he's playing both ends of the field and that he's a fierce competitor. He can do what he wants.