Time to Trade LeBron James?

I'm going to start out by saying that I'm not a LeBron hater.  In fact, I'm actually a fan.  Not a die-hard fan, but how can you not be impressed by one of the greatest to ever play the game?

But when it comes to fantasy basketball, it's time to trade LeBron.  Not cheap, for sure, but trade him somehow.  "Why? He was my #1 pick!"  Yeah, mine too, but I just traded him for Steph Curry.  Here's the thing about LeBron.  First off, he's not playing as hard as he can, he's just playing as hard as he needs to.  And there's no fault in that, I mean they're winning games and why burn himself out when they're going to win anyway?  Not to take anything away, Bron Bron is playing great basketball as usual, averaging 26 points, 6.9 boards, and 6.5 assists per game this season.  The thing about LeBron that you don't get that you can get with other players is the game they just go off.  From LeBron, you're going to get a consistent 26-8-6 stat-line every game, with the occasional 30-12-8 or maybe a triple-double (although he hasn't recorded one yet this season).  However, guys like Curry are going to explode for 38 points and 15 assists, hitting 7 threes in a night, or guys like DeAndre Jordan or Kevin Love are going to pull down those 20+ rebounds and 6 blocks.  You won't get freak games like that from LeBron, because he's too good.  He's too much of a team player and wants to make his team better.  Great player, not so much fantasy-wise.

But all that aside, here's why you should really trade him.
Last season, LeBron missed six games.  Why's this important?  These six games all came within the last ten games of the season.  No, he wasn't injured.  He was resting.  Spoelstra likes to rest LeBron a bit toward the end of the season so he can be ready to roll for playoffs.  When does the end of the NBA season coincide with?  Fantasy playoffs.  I won my league last year because the guy I was playing had LeBron, and LeBron didn't play any of the last three games.  LeBron is a good player and good fantasy player none-the-less, but come playoff time, there's a pretty good chance he won't be playing.

The Heat and the Pacers are the only competitive teams in the East, and Spoelstra isn't going to burn out LeBron to ensure a #1 seed.  That's why I recommend trading for a star from the West, like Curry, Chris Paul, Aldridge, or even Harden.  These guys are going to be battling it out for the highest seed they can get, and with the Western Conference as tight as it is (4.5 games separating 1st and 4th), every game will count, meaning these guys are going to be playing hard all season through fantasy playoffs, especially during fantasy playoffs.

Here are a list of players I believe will be in the "LeBron" category, who will likely see resting periods as the season winds down:  LeBron James, Miami SF; Joakim Noah, Chicago C; Tim Duncan, San Antonio C; Paul George, Indiana SF (maybe not so much him, but I expect a few games); Roy Hibbert, Indiana C; David West, Indiana PF (Indiana will rotate games of resting players); Dwyane Wade, Miami SG (if you haven't traded Dwyane Wade by now, it might be too late... but try and get at least something for him)

Here are a list of players I believe will be seeing regular minutes even towards the last games of the season that you may be wondering about: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City SF; Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City PG; LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland PF; Carmelo Anthony, New York SF; Steph Curry, Golden State PG; Dwight Howard, Houston C; James Harden, Houston SG; Kevin Love, Minnesota PF; Anthony Davis, New Orleans C; DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles C; Chris Paul, Los Angeles PG

Best of luck to all in Week 14 of Fantasy Basketball, and if you've got LeBron James on your roster or any of the others in his category, trade him before it's too late!

My advice - try and get the sharp-shooting Super Splash Bro.