The competition has been heating up for quite a while now. NBA teams have been clearing cap room in the anticipation of his emergence on the free-agent market (as well as the other stars that will be available that summer). Many fans, including myself, would like to see LeBron James stay with his home-town team and win a few championships for Cleveland. But the team’s management hasn’t made a great case.
LeBron had to give an ultimatum to management before they went out, spent the cash and surrounded James with some players that could help him win. And while he may have LeBron in his corner, if Mike Brown has proved one thing, it’s that he’s not capable of leading the Cavs to big wins. Nothing says you’re a coach with confidence like throwing in the towel and asking LeBron to go one-on-one for an entire quarter.
While there are many teams that will vie for James’ services there is one clear leader and it’s not for the players, coaching staff or front office. LeBron will go to the New York Knicks if for no other reason than all of the off-the-court opportunities. James’ aspirations go way beyond basketball and as was pointed out on EPSN a while back, there is no better place for him to set himself up for life after basketball than New York. It doesn’t hurt that the Knicks have a coach that is a proven winner, a GM with an excellent track record, and a core group of young players that put up points and play hard. And it doesn’t hurt that the ownership has always been willing to spend the money.
The 23 jersey was freed up after the Knicks moved Q-Rich. But for now it’s been claimed by rookie Toney Douglas. So for their next personnel move, the Knicks either need to cut or trade Toney Douglas. Because soon enough the 23 will be worn by the new King of New York.
Update: ESPN has penned an article predicting where LeBron James will be playing his 2010-2011 home games. They polled 52 of their writers to see what they thought. As expected, Cleveland was the top vote-getter. Also as expected, New York was #2. Interestingly enough, although the Los Angeles Clippers were mentioned by the author of the article, they received a grand total of zero votes. Very interesting.
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2 Comments So Far
10:11 PM
My question is why NYC? I don’t see it. It’s not that I definitely think the chances are greater than 50% that he stays, it’s that one thing matters to LBJ right now – championships. LBJ won’t get championships in NYC.
If LBJ wants a larger market and the chance to really win, I think LA’s other teams stands a better chance. LBJ would look good next to Blake Griffin, Al Thorton, Eric Gordon, Baron Davis (provided that he is healthy), and the Kaveman.
11:52 PM
Stop kidding yourself, Baron won’t be healthy for even 3/4 of a season. Ever. Period. The Clips do have a great young roster, but how long will they be together. One, maybe two years? You’re completely overlooking an aspect that is far more important than players, and that’s management. The Knicks have put a far superior management team in place than the Clippers, even after Elgin Baylor was discharged.
You don’t “see it” because you’re frame of reference is too shortsighted. You’ve got to think big picture, like LeBron. For James, championships are not the only thing on his mind. He thinks larger than basketball. No other city, not even LA can give him the off-the-court opportunities that New York can.
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