The 10 Biggest Threats to LeBron James in 2013-14

Let’s be honest: LeBron James does not have much to worry about these days. It has already been established that he is the best player on the planet. Some circles are even saying he is on pace to become the greatest basketball player of all time. In every hero’s journey, however, there are road bumps. Here is a list of players and teams (and one coach) that could be a threat to LeBron James’ success this season, whether that is in his quest to his fifth MVP award or third consecutive NBA title.

Mikhail Prokhorov pushed all of his chips in this summer by acquiring Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry, and Andrei Kirilenko without losing much at all. The Nets are clearly going for a title this year. They did not crack the Top 10 because there are some big question marks surrounding this team. Can they defend a guy like LeBron? Will first-time coach Jason Kidd be able to handle all of the big egos on this roster? Will Brook Lopez and Deron Williams toughen up? Nobody is exactly sure how much gas is left in the tank of some of these veterans, but there’s no doubt that they have the talent to make a run at the Eastern Conference Finals and beyond.

Kobe Bryant’s new nickname “Vino” implies that he is like fine wine; he gets better with age. Before he got injured last year, it looked like that was the case. There is no doubt that Kobe has been sitting in his living room and getting inspired by the record-setting season of Peyton Manning. He is ready for a comeback. As a matter of fact, reports came out recently that Kobe went back to Germany to get another session of blood platelet therapy. This shows that he definitely has not given up. The Lakers are not going to be much of a threat in the West, but there is no doubt that Kobe is more motivated than ever. Since his team lacks talent, there’s a good chance that Kobe may even have an advantage over LeBron for the MVP award. The scoring record has to be on Kobe’s mind, and with Dwight Howard gone, that only means more shots for the Mamba. Sorry LeBron, but do not sleep on Kobe’s chances in the MVP race.

It has been a long time since Derrick Rose played in a real NBA game. One would think this would be a reason for Rose not to be a threat to King James. But quite the opposite is true. Rose wants vengeance for the Heat knocking his Bulls out of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, and HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy reported that Rose has added five inches to his vertical leap. It showed in the Bulls’ first preseason game too; the explosiveness is back. Hopefully Rose can stay explosive this season, because if he does, the rest of the league better watch out. The Bulls were one of the best defensive teams in the NBA without Rose, now just imagine how good they will be with him back in prime form.

Back when the Boston Celtics weren’t just a bunch of old guys, Doc Rivers’ teams gave LeBron nightmares. As a matter of fact, the Celtics were the last team LeBron played as a Cavalier before getting knocked out of the second round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs. Now that Rivers is the new head coach of the Clippers, he is back in the contender conversation, only this time with the best point guard in the game in Chris Paul. Rivers is already making a big impact because Blake Griffin recently came out and said the “Lob City” era is over. Things are getting serious in Los Angeles.

Dwight Howard has had a lot of bad luck in the last few years. His teammates in Orlando got old on him. He did not fit in well with the Lakers. He is also coming off of back surgery. And to top it all off, he has been the subject of much scrutiny from the media. Does this situation sound familiar? Dwight Howard could be at the point in his career that LeBron James was in when he first moved to Miami. Both were players with Hall-of-Fame talent who were not in ideal situations, so they decided to change scenery. Houston has potential to be the perfect mix to bring back the 2009 version of Dwight Howard. He is surrounded by scoring talent, has a coach that is a former Hall-of-Fame big man, and undoubtedly has a large chip on his shoulder from all of the criticism he has received for his underwhelming season in Los Angeles (although not many players average 17.1 points and 12.4 rebounds per game and are called a disappointment). If there is anyone LeBron should be worried about, it is a rebounding force like Howard coming back to life. The Heat were dead last in the NBA in rebounding last season.

Although practically the entire planet knew LeBron would win MVP last year, there was one writer that believed it should have been Carmelo Anthony. Gary Washburn argued that there was not another player in the league that had to deal with the teammate injuries that Anthony had to deal with, yet he still had a phenomenal year winning the scoring title and pushing the Knicks to the two-seed in the Eastern Conference. Should the Knicks be healthy, watch out for Carmelo to have another monster season.

Had Ray Allen missed that three-pointer in the corner in Game 6, the San Antonio Spurs would be the defending champs. They bring back essentially the same roster, only one year older. Nobody knows when this team’s age will catch up, but after last year’s showing, it certainly will not be this season.

Kevin Durant told Sports Illustrated last year, “I’ve been in second my whole life. I was the second best player in high school. I was the second pick in the draft. I’ve been second in the MVP voting three times. I came in second in the Finals. I’m tired of being second… I’m done with it.” There’s no doubt that Durant is dying for his turn, and LeBron is the only thing in his way at this point. It does not help that Kevin Martin decided to sign with Minnesota and that he will start the season without Russell Westbrook, but these are all the more reasons that KD could have a better chance for the MVP award if anything.

This duo has everything that could be Kryptonite to the Heat. First off, they have Paul George who is equally as athletic as LeBron, and did more than just hold his own against him in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. George broke out last year, and at moments looked like a budding superstar. It will be interesting to see how Danny Granger’s return will affect him. On the other hand, Roy Hibbert gave the Heat some serious problems on the boards. The Heat still do not have anyone that will be able to keep him off, unless Greg Oden’s body finds the fountain of youth. The Pacers came close to knocking off the Heat last year, but did not have enough firepower. Management, however, added some depth in Luis Scola and Chris Copeland. A little depth might be all they need to get back at the Heat for knocking them off.

Here’s an eye-opening stat: Memphis was the only team in the NBA last year that held LeBron James to under 20 points per game. Memphis is one the NBA’s finest defensive teams, and adding Tayshaun Prince on the perimeter certainly helped. Should they make it to the NBA Finals this time, the Grizzlies also have a secret weapon: Mike Miller. Miller played with LeBron for the past few years and knows his game just as well as anyone. It is one thing to know about LeBron’s weaknesses, but it is a whole other ball game trying to take advantage of them. If there’s any team that could push him, it is this one. They have size, perimeter defense, and budding star Mike Conley. Hopefully the loss of Lionel Hollins does not affect them too much, because if there’s any team that can dethrone the King, it’s Memphis.

After Michael Jordan won his first three-peat, he said, “This is the hardest thing I’ve done in basketball.” So heading into this season, LeBron’s biggest threat is himself. At this point, he has very few reasons for being motivated. He has just come off his second NBA Finals. The critics have quieted. The “Greatest Player of All Time” conversations are already played out in barbershops and sports talk shows. Sometimes when you have everything in the world, it is easy to get complacent. Winning three NBA titles in a row is not easy. LeBron has to dig deep and find motivation this season, because there are a lot of guys out there that are hungry for a ring, MVP award, or both.