Lundberg Me's Blog

by Lundberg - July 6, 2010 - - 5 Comments »

LeBron James will be a Knick. Any other outcome would truly surprise me. It is the only logical choice.

LeBron and his people are still in the midst of performing the greatest case of mass media manipulation ever. He has literally created sports talk; the same sort of hypothetical discussions we’ve always had but for real. We will all remember this forever. Some have already dubbed it the “Summer of LeBron”. Think of it like a film. If he goes back to Cleveland, it’s nice but anticlimactic. It’s a made for TV movie. If he comes to New York, it’s a blockbuster. The reaction will be enormous and he’ll have a chance to create a unique legacy and become immortal by bringing basketball back to the number one market.

Now, forget all those grand possibilities and just think about the facts for a second. “Sources” and “reports” have ruled the Knicks out. But what about the real stuff? What about LeBron flirting with New York for two years? What about him professing his love for Madison Square Garden? What about Nike giving out free hot dogs to everyone outside the Garden at a Knicks-Cavs game (they don’t do that other places)? What about LeBron apartment shopping in the city? What about the absolute look of joy on Mike D’Antoni’s face after their initial meeting? (The guy looked like he peed a little in excitement like small dogs do.)

And most importantly, what about the Knicks having a second, secret meeting with LeBron’s agent on Saturday while LeBron was meeting with the Bulls and Cavs? They obviously didn’t want that to get out and notice how quickly Donnie Walsh spoke to ESPN to put out the fire, especially when rumors of a third meeting on Sunday began circulating. It appeared as if he wanted to downplay the whole situation. As far as I know, no other team had a meeting with LeBron’s agent while LeBron was meeting with another team. That is the realest thing that has happened in this whole ordeal and I can’t believe no one is talking about it.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot…what about Amare Stoudemire? He would immediately be the best player LeBron has ever played with and the thought of them running the pick and roll (the most fearsome in history) is tantalizing. (I also just happened to notice the two of them wore matching Yankee hats to different public events.) The roster not being good enough argument no longer applies. Stoudemire, Gallinari and Chandler comprise a better supporting cast than any he has had with the Cavs. Plus, the Knicks have cap flexibility going forward.

I genuinely feel sorry for Cleveland fans (though I thought the Cavs guilt-based video was cheap). I do. But he gave them seven years. It is time for him to move on. New York is the only logical choice. It is his destiny.

(He should probably consider getting a restraining order against me while he’s at it.)

Tags: basketball, knicks, lebron, nba