Where smoke surrounds LeBron James, there is always fire, and the Los Angeles Lakers are burning.
Whenever James has been dissatisfied in his career, whether he tells us directly or lets anonymous sources do the informing, whispers become louder right before a momentous change reverberates around the NBA. We have seen James spin this cycle through Cleveland, Miami, back to Cleveland and now in Los Angeles.
It should come as no surprise, then, that James has made headlines during the NBA's All-Star break, as his sub-.500 Lakers are languishing in ninth place and he nears the final year of his contract.