Lebron James is going to be a New York Knickerbocker.Finally, people are realizing that he isn't staying in Cleveland. True he went to high school there, but why did everyone really believe he would stay there? This is the same kid who went on record as saying he wanted to be bigger than basketball, that he wanted to be "a global enterprise." Cleveland is not the place you become a global enterprise. Cleveland is the place you go to be miserable. It's the city so ugly and uncreative they named their football team after the ugliest color light produces. It's best known for Drew Carey. Cleveland has not won a championship since the '64 Browns. They are best known for The Drive, The Fumble and The Shot (all of which went against them). The fans themselves believe the city is cursed...and while it's a nice thought that Lebron could finally bring them a championship, no one outside of Ohio cares at all about the city on any day other than election night.
(Browns fans are pewch and I can prove it.)King James is no fool, he and his advisers know how big he will be in New York. You thought Brett Favre was big in New York? Lebron will be bigger. You think A-Rod is big in New York? Lebron will dwarf him. Think of what would have happened if Michael Jordan went to the Knicks. That is what this is. This is New York City getting hoops back. The electricity is going to be felt around the block from Madison Square Garden as soon as you get off the train at Grand Central Station.
Donnie Walsh has quietly done a brilliant job making shrewd trades and getting the Knicks ready to make a run at Lebron. They have $25 M coming off the cap this year. And then the beauty of it all is that for the 2010/2011 season they have just $18 M locked up in Eddy Curry, Jared Jeffries (both player options which will be exercised) and team options for Danilo Gallinari (3.3 M) and Wilson Chandler (2.1 M). Two things here, obviously this is not the cast that Lebron is going to want to surround himself with. The Knicks could pitch to him however that they could use the $17 M coming off the cap in the form of Curry and Jeffries to get him his "Scottie Pippen" the following year (and obviously they will be signing some other role players). Lebron is obviously going to get the biggest deal in NBA history, but but so little money on the cap the Knicks will still have money to sign some other players (not to mention the 8th pick in this years draft could net a solid player, Steph Curry would compliment Lebron well, no?).
The other big thing is what to do with the Knicks best two young players - Nate Robinson and David Lee. Their two contracts are the ones they don't want to lose, but they are both up at the end of next year. The Knicks have a couple options, they can look to extend either or both....or they could sign and trade them. In my opinion David Lee is a perfect fit as a complimentary player to Lebron. He rebounds with the best of them and is a great finisher around the hoop. He would become an all-star type player with Lebron, I'd be willing to bet on that. Nate on the other hand, as much as I like him, should probably be shipped out. Though not a bad option as a 6th man off the bench that can help Lebron to handle the scoring load at times...he ultimately isn't the point guard you really want with Lebron. Hell, I hate Chris Duhon but I feel I'd rather have him out there, just bring it up, dish it to Lebron, play defense and knock down an occassional three.
With the Knicks new-found financial flexibility and the allure of the city of New York, Lebron has the perfect opportunity to become even larger than he already is. The city of New York has not seen a basketball championship since Willis Reed was lacing them up ('70 and '73). Anyone who brings the Knicks a championship will be heralded as a savior - if Lebron does it, he will become a global enterprise.
The NBA is coming off a successful season, people who haven't watched since Jordan started to follow again. It just took a little hit when Lebron got knocked off (even though we could be in for an extremely entertaining, high scoring NBA finals), all the NBA needs right now is to get the Knicks back. David Stern knows this, he has said as much in public (enter your comments on the Patrick Ewing conspiracy theory now). If you don't think Stern is going to have a shotgun to the back of Lebron's head until he signs the dotted line for James Dolan (Knicks owner), you don't have enough respect for the world's most stringent dictator (Mr. Stern).
*Editing in a quick note about the whole "Lebron didn't shake hands thing." First of all, it's a non-story. I can't believe how much attention it has garnered and while I suppose we are adding to it I just want to say that no one on Earth should care whether or not Lebron James shook hands with Magic players after the game. Not you, not me, not Jesus Christ, and certainly not Dwight Howard. I love how everyone is acting like Lebron is the first player to do this...Dwight Howard is coming off as much more of a bitch by acting all hurt about it in interviews...everyone thinks Lebron James isn't being a good friend to Dwight Howard by shaking his hand after the game? What about Dwight Howard not covering for his boy who was clearly upset? He should have simply downplayed it, instead we've had about 3 days of coverage about shaking freaking hands, on the heels of the NBA finals. Rant over.
*Additional edit, thanks to reader B-Wrix:
