Go East, Young Man?

Marc Stein and Henry Abbott both see LeBron envy as motivating Kobe Bryant's trade demands. He wants, in Abbott's words, "to get himself traded to the East, where a star perimeter player and some role playing teammates gets you to the NBA Finals."

Whether or not that accurately reflects Kobe's motives, there's clearly some truth to the idea that one's odds of reaching the Finals are much better out of the East. It should be said, though, that LeBron's teammates tend to be somewhat underrated. King James plus some role playing teammates actually produces precisely the ineffective offense you would expect -- 105.5 points per hundred possessions, good for 18th in the league. Where Cleveland shined was on defense, where they were fourth best in the league. LeBron's not playing that defense by himself. To be effective offensively -- even in the East -- you need multiple threats even if you're LeBron James, and to be effective without an effective offense you need great defense.

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