Only a handful of MVP-level players have ever switched teams in the middle of their careers. Before this year, the biggest void left had been Moses Malone’s departure from Houston in 1982. That team completely fell apart in 1983 as Moses sauntered to fo fo fo. But then LeBron took his talents to South Beach. And it turns out, that might have been a pretty good decision. No pun intended.

Here are the largest drops in team SRS after the departure of a superstar:

LeBron (Cavs) – 14.9
Moses (Rockets) -10.7
Shaq (Lakers) -6.7
Shaq (Magic) -6.4
Barkley (76ers) -4.0
That list only includes players changing teams mid-career. Look at the list if we include superstars who retired and simply left basketball, like Magic and Jordan.

Jordan (Bulls) -15.8
LeBron (Cavs) – 14.9
Moses (Rockets) -10.7
Magic (Lakers) -7.7
Wilt (Lakers) - 7.3*
*Jerry West also missed 51 games in 1974

Only the Bulls also lost Scottie Pippen. And Dennis Rodman. And Luc Longley. And Phil Jackson. After 35 games this year, Cleveland’s top-8 players in minutes are Parker, Varejao, Jamison, Gibson, Williams, Sessions, Hickson, Moon.

Last year, outside of James, the leaders in minutes were Williams, Parker, Varejao, Hickson, West, Z, Shaq, Gibson, Moon, Jamison,** with only the three players in red departing.

**Aqcuired via trade and has averaged 2 fewer minutes per game this year

That’s fairly strong roster continuity outside of James. And yet the decline in the Cavs is essentially unparalleled in NBA history. It’s even comparable to the deconstructed Bulls of 1999.

It’s not news that LeBron James has been really good for the last few years. What might surprise people is just how god-awful the team around him was.