Bill Walton was one of the NBA's all-time greats who have recognized the capability of LeBron James to exceed exceptions. Following James' remarkable rookie season, Walton firmly believed that the Cleveland Cavaliers should have already visualized their next move.
The way Walton saw it, James' first year in the league was more than enough time to figure out the areas they needed to improve. Weighing in on the Cavs' situation in the 2004-05 season, Walton drew a link between LeBron and Michael Jordan..
For Walton, the Cavs should have deliberately avoided repeating the Chicago Bulls ' mistake with MJ in the first few years in the league. Walton reckoned that the Cavs were just wasting James' prime from the look of their trajectory.
"What he's doing is just so spectacular but it's also sad and frustrating because LeBron has everything going for him – the talent, he reminds me so much of Michael Jordan in the early days of his career," Walton said of James and the Cavs. "Playing out there by himself and his teammates are letting him down right now… You see this guy, who's just 20 years old, doing things that you have really never been done and everybody else out there sort of scratching their head saying 'What do we do?'"
"They need a completely new team around him," the Hall of Famer added. "What you need are foot soldiers around LeBron to do all the dirty work. They need to rebuild the team in the mode that Michael Jordan had with guys like Pippen, Harper, Rodman, Kukoc, versatile players that can play all the positions."
As it turned out, Walton's take on the James and the Cavs was on point. The team stuck to their conservative approach on roster moves and evidently relied on LeBron's talent and star power.
Somehow, because of James' otherworldly set of skills, the Cavs made it to the Finals in 2007. However, they suffered a tough championship sweep to the San Antonio Spurs .
The defeat speaks volumes about how urgent it was for the Cavs to bolster their squad with elite players to aid James. Eventually, even James himself had grown tired and frustrated.
For LBJ, the final straw came when the star-studded Boston Celtics beat the Cavs in the 2010 playoffs. Less than two months after getting eliminated, James stunned the NBA world with "The Decision," an announcement that marked the beginning of a new chapter in his career with the Miami Heat .
The Cavs understandably didn't like what James did. However, just like what Walton envisioned, James thrived alongside fellow NBA elites. Together with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh , he led the Heat to four consecutive Finals appearances, winning two championships in the process.
In 2014, James decided to reconcile with his old team. He made an epic return to the Cavs and formed a new set of Big Three with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love . He led the Cavs to their first NBA championship in franchise history two years later.
All told, it wouldn't be a surprise if some fans wonder how James' career would've played out had the Cavs traded for All-Star players during his first stint with the team.
Maybe he would've never left the franchise that drafted him.
Related: Tony Hawk reveals the unlikely compliment that connects him to LeBron James
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 8, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
