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Sound the hot take alarms. This one sure is a scorcher.

The Golden State Warriors' resounding beatdown of the Cleveland Cavaliers last week prompted many outlets -- us included -- to remark on how much better Stephen Curry and the defending champs are than the team they knocked off in last season's NBA Finals.

There is much debate over how the Cavaliers, who despite that embarrassing loss still own the best record in the Eastern Conference, can close this gap. On Friday, Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Peter Krouse offered a particularly drastic solution: Trade LeBron James.

No, seriously.

"People in my office accuse me of being a LeBron hater," Krouse wrote. "I assure you that I'm not. But while most people believe the Cavaliers can't win a championship without LeBron, I believe they can't win one with him."

In Krouse's mind, the Cavs would be better off trading James and acquiring "two very good players in exchange who, when inserted in a lineup with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, might make two plus three add up to six."

Six? Six what?

The writer then goes on a lengthy tirade about James' leadership, accusing him of being "an egomaniac" with a "savior-complex" and an inability to accept criticism -- admittedly, all valid points.

"The truth is LeBron blew it with Clevelanders when he skipped town in the prime of his career to play in Miami," Krouse wrote. "And it's looking less likely all the time that he will be able to redeem himself by bringing a championship to Cleveland.

"LeBron is a great basketball player and a good man, but if he has any hope of winning a championship in Cleveland, he must stop thinking of himself as the savior and more like the one who needs to be saved."

Sure, James might not be a model teammate or the type of leader you'd ideally want in your locker room. But trade him? C'mon now. If the Cavs can't win a championship with LeBron, they sure as heck can't win one without him.

Thumbnail photo via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images