Imagine in this hypothetical that Lebron doesn’t exist and by 2014 KD is a young GOAT. In this scenario, Melo goes to Miami instead of Lebron, do you think they win any titles? I was talking to a friend about this and I think they would be lucky to get one in 2011 but it would be tough for them to even beat the bulls. After that I think they don’t get out of the East and even if they do, the Thunder and Spurs would beat them.
People forget how dominant LeBron was defensively in those years. Switch in a poor defender for a top 3 defensive player, and you’re going to win less games.
Lebron was the better player offensively as well.