LeBron ‘King’ James Can Pass New York’s Show

[duncan228]

LeBron ‘King’ James Can Pass New York’s Show (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_soshnick&sid=aeVq1uUHP_uU)
Scott Soshnick

Nov. 25 (Bloomberg) -- The King, as he’s called, holds court tonight on basketball’s grand stage. You can bet LeBron James will impress throughout the game, the particulars of which won’t be the story.

The real show takes place below deck, about 90 minutes before tip-off, when the 23-year-old wunderkind will face a swarm of inquisitors at Madison Square Garden, their cameras and microphones on hand to document even the slightest crack in what so far has been a steadfast hometown allegiance.

The courtship begins tonight. Unofficially, of course. National Basketball Association rules prevent the Knicks, or anyone else, from professing their love for James, who by himself makes a team a contender.

Don’t be surprised if the Knicks spruce up the visiting team’s locker room. A fresh coat of paint. Some air freshener. New carpet. Nowhere in the rule book does it say the Knicks can’t plant some of the New York Giants courtside, hoping the defending Super Bowl champions will convey to James in no uncertain terms what it feels like to experience the Canyon of Heroes.

Frankly, the Knicks don’t need to say anything. Listening to Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, enough is already being said.

“You keep seeing the same story over and over and over again without any new information and you start to wonder -- is this almost a campaign by a handful,” Gilbert told me earlier this month, even before the Knicks began making trades, clearing salary and positioning themselves as a destination for James, the free agent, in 2010.

Cling to Hope

The kid from Akron, Ohio, who plays for Cleveland is coming to New York, where a long-suffering fan base clings to the hope of him as their savior.

What do you think of New York they will ask, again and again, hoping cryptic answers with a slip of the tongue become something concrete.

What about that Yankees hat you wore during the baseball playoffs -- in Cleveland, no less. Surely that was some sort of signal. Wasn’t it?

What are your thoughts about the history of The Garden, which, seemingly out of habit, the folks around 31st street and 7th Avenue still refer to as the world’s most famous arena?

New York sports fans are dreaming big these days. Jets and Giants in the Super Bowl. James in New York, the No. 1 media market. Surely, bigger is better. What megastar wouldn’t want to play in New York. Or Brooklyn, future home of the Nets, who are owned in part by James’s friend and confidant Jay-Z.

Winning Makes Stars

“It’s unfathomable to some on either coast that he could want to live and stay in his own community and build a championship organization,” Gilbert says.

I’ve spent enough time with James to know that winning is his goal. He knows that championships, not dunks, made Michael Jordan a deity.

Let’s not forget that James, surrounded by so-so talent, led the Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA Finals, where they were beaten in four straight games by a deeper San Antonio Spurs club.

He watched last season as Kobe Bryant, flanked by Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, couldn’t get past the Boston Celtics and their so-called Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. The Celtics had already beaten the Cavaliers in seven games.

“This isn’t going to be a money decision for him,” Gilbert says. “The organization and the belief in winning a championship, the environment and culture is paramount to the difference of a little bit of money from sponsors.”

James is already a global icon. You should’ve seen the reception he received in Beijing, where he and Bryant were the biggest attractions at the Olympics.

Treasure Hunt

Any team hoping to land a free-agent treasure trove is taking a big risk. The Orlando Magic tried it, wining and dining Tim Duncan and Grant Hill. Duncan said no and remained in San Antonio, the 37th media market. They settled for Tracy McGrady and Hill, who promptly got hurt. The Magic never won anything. The man who presided over Orlando’s unsuccessful makeover was John Gabriel, who is now New York’s director of pro scouting and free agency.

James isn’t the only marquee player who can become a free agent after next season. Also available, just to name a few, are Toronto’s Chris Bosh, Miami’s Dwyane Wade and Phoenix’s Amare Stoudemire. None of them compare with James.

Wade teamed with Shaquille O’Neal and won a title in Miami, the 16th-ranked market. From that came national ad campaigns. Winning, not market size, makes stars.

The Cavaliers, thanks to James, are national TV darlings this season. The Knicks, meantime, aren’t scheduled even once on ABC, ESPN or TNT.

James will be a star no matter where he plays. Just ask Chris Paul, who has become a household name in New Orleans, which, at No. 53, is the smallest media market in the NBA.

New York needs LeBron James. LeBron James doesn’t need New York.

[robbie380]

New York needs LeBron James. LeBron James doesn’t need New York.

:toast

[Indazone]

David Stern thinks Lebron should go to Europe

From the USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/2008-10-23-763497385_x.htm):
“I guess if they want to induce NBA players at salaries that exceed the budget of the team to play in games that 1,000 to 5,000 people will go to, they’re free to do that and there will be one or two players that will benefit greatly from it,” said Stern.
“And it’s good if you’re a player to know that that option exists.”
But Stern said average attendance in Europe was only 6,000, so “the system will not support it.”
The top one or two players that the system would work for are Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. There was a report over the summer saying LeBron James would play in Europe for $50 million (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3520860), and the Greek based Olympiakos are reportedly ready to offer Kobe Bryant $83 million (http://www.faniq.com/blog/Kobe-Bryant-To-Be-Offered-83-Million-By-Greek-Team-Olympiakos-Blog-12724). I think KB24 should stay here, but LBJ should think about taking the deal.
Kobe Bryant is 30 years old and probably has three or four more years of high level basketball left. Those years should be spent in the best league on the planet. LeBron James is 23 years old and can opt out of his contract after the 2009-2010. He’d be 25 years old so he could play overseas for two years for $100 million, and be back in the NBA at 28, primed to win a championship.

http://youbeenblinded.com/david-stern-isnt-worried-about-nba-players-leaving-for-europe/2237

[Slydragon]

Were is a list of markets?

[Allanon]

Were is a list of markets?

Full list here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_stations_in_North_America_by_me dia_market)


New York City, New York (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:NYC_TV)
Los Angeles, California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:LA_TV)
Chicago, Illinois (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Chicago_TV)
San Francisco, California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:SF_TV)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Philly_TV)
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Dallas-Fort_Worth_TV)
Washington, District of Columbia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Washington_TV)
Boston, Massachusetts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Boston_TV)
Miami, Florida (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Miami_TV)
Detroit, Michigan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Detroit_TV)
Houston, Texas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Houston_TV)
Phoenix, Arizona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:PHX_TV)
Seattle, Washington (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Seattle_TV)
Minneapolis, Minnesota (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:MSP_TV)
Cleveland, Ohio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cleveland_TV)
Sacramento, California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Sacramento_TV)
San Diego, California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:San_Diego_TV)
Denver, Colorado (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Denver_TV)
Tampa, Florida (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Tampa_Bay_TV)
St. Louis, Missouri (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:St_Louis_TV)
Atlanta, Georgia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Atlanta_TV)
Baltimore, Maryland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Baltimore_TV)
Orlando, Florida (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Orlando_TV)
Indianapolis, Indiana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Indy_TV)
Portland, Oregon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Portland_TV)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Pittsburgh_TV)
Kansas City, Missouri (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Kansas_City_TV)
San Antonio, Texas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:San_Antonio_TV)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Milwaukee_TV)
Salt Lake City, Utah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:SLC_TV)
Norfolk, Virginia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Hampton_Roads_TV)
Charlotte, North Carolina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Charlotte_TV)
Las Vegas, Nevada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Las_Vegas_TV)
Columbus, Ohio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Columbus_TV)
Raleigh, North Carolina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Raleigh-Durham_TV)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Oklahoma_City_TV)
Hartford, Connecticut (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Hartford/New_Haven_TV)
Cincinnati, Ohio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cincy_TV)
New Orleans, Louisiana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:New_Orleans_TV)
Nashville, Tennessee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Nashville_TV)
Birmingham, Alabama (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Birmingham_TV)
West Palm Beach, Florida (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:WPB_TV)
Providence, Rhode Island (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Providence_TV)
Jacksonville, Florida (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Jacksonville_TV)
Fresno, California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Fresno_TV)
Dayton, Ohio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Dayton_TV)
Austin, Texas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Austin_TV)
Memphis, Tennessee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Memphis_TV)
Grand Rapids, Michigan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Grand_Rapids_TV)
Santa Barbara, California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Central_Coast_TV)
Tucson, Arizona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:TUC_TV)
Tulsa, Oklahoma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Tulsa_TV)
Buffalo, New York (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Buffalo_TV)
Little Rock, Arkansas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:LRTV)
Louisville, Kentucky (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Louisville_TV)
Green Bay, Wisconsin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Green_Bay_TV)
Greensboro, North Carolina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Piedmont_Triad_TV)
Albuquerque, New Mexico (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Albuquerque_TV)
El Paso, Texas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:El_Paso_TV)
Harlingen, Texas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Rio_Grande_Delta_TV)
Honolulu, Hawaii (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:HI-tv)
Des Moines, Iowa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Des_Moines_TV)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Susquehanna_Valley_TV)
Mobile, Alabama (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:PensacolaMobileTV)
Champaign, Illinois (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:CDSTV)
Greenville, South Carolina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:GSA_TV)
Omaha, Nebraska (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Omaha_TV)
Monterey, California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Monterey_TV)
Colorado Springs, Colorado (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Colorado_Springs/Pueblo_TV)
Cedar Rapids, Iowa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cedar_Rapids_TV)

[duncan228]

LeBron awaits Garden party of epic proportions (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=txnbanotes&prov=st&type=lgns)
By Anthony Olivieri

The last time LeBron James was at Madison Square Garden to play the New York Knicks, a fan jumped out of the stands to express his adulation for the superstar forward.

When James returns to MSG on Tuesday night, Knicks team president Donnie Walsh might be the one to make his way on to the hardwood.

Or coach Mike D’Antoni - he will be closer.

James, of course, will be playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers but, for all intents and purposes, will be a surrogate member of the home team.

While James’ 50-point performance at the Garden last March made fans dream about No. 23 in blue and orange, those dreams are a lot closer to reality than one may think.

Surely, you’ve heard a case made for this marriage before. But now it has gotten serious.

James, for his part, continues to play it cool, passing the topic off as a space-filler for columnists. They have to write about something, according to ‘Bron, and what is juicier than suggesting “The King” rule Gotham in two years?

He’s right … it does fill space, and I thank him for these 1,000 words.

But, excuse me for infusing reality into this discussion, the Knicks are the ones who have made the pipe dream attainable.

They have all but offered to rename the franchise after the reigning scoring champion when he can opt out of his contract and become a free agent in the summer of 2010.

After a promising 6-5 start had the city buzzing about the team for the first time in years, New York traded its two leading scorers and top rebounder - Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph - in separate deals last Friday.

For the purposes of this column, let’s assume that Cuttino Mobley’s reported heart problem does not hold the completion of the deal.

The reason? To rid the franchise of cumbersome contracts that would be on the books when James hits the free market in (wait for it) more than 19 months. New York will have just four players under contract beyond 2009-2010.

Thus, the Knicks told their fans - who are paying for some of the league’s most exorbitantly priced tickets, by the way - that these next two years are just training camp for when franchise re-enters the NBA.

No, they really told their fans that.

“It’s always going to be a possibility that one day the face of this franchise is going to change,” D’Antoni said after the deals. “(Walsh’s) plan is pretty clear. … In a couple of years we’re going to be under the cap. Everything he will do will lead us to being under the cap in two years.”

So for those people - and you know them - who have asked you … can the Knicks really land LeBron?

Tell them: yes.

These are the Knicks, they’d say, why would he want to come to perhaps the laughingstock of professional sports?

We won’t even deal with the obvious reasons - his home games would be played at the Mecca of Basketball, helping his star burn even brighter. And there’s that little matter of the presumable boost to his Nike contract if he plays in one of the country’s premier markets.

But here’s why he really might make the jump - the Knicks will have the money to give LeBron a high-priced sidekick and a real shot at a championship.

They are on their way to financial flexibility thanks to D’Antoni and Walsh, who pledged to rid the team of the crippling contracts bestowed upon average (at best) players by Isiah Thomas.

Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki and Joe Johnson will be among the stars shopping their wares that summer.

A max contract for one of them - two of whom won a gold medal with James this summer in Beijing - seems more plausible, don’t you think?

No matter the in-roads the team has made with D’Antoni, it was clear that the roster had a ceiling and that most likely was a first-round playoff exit.

Now, there is hope - and it’s tangible.

In return for Randolph, New York got forward Tim Thomas and guard Mobley from the Los Angeles Clippers, while Crawford earned them forward Al Harrington. All three players’ contracts expire prior to the almighty summer of 2010.

In fact, those four stragglers from the current club who could be around are: center Eddy Curry ($11.3 million in 2010-11), forward Jared Jeffries ($6.8 million player option), 2008 first-round pick Danilo Gallinari ($3.3 million team option) and second-year forward Wilson Chandler ($2.1 million team option).

Walsh already has hinted that the hobbled Curry could be the next one out the door. But here’s a shock - LeBron needs teammates, at least a couple.

And that’s what the next two years will be about - figuring out who can help the club win, so when and if LeBron arrives, the team can take the step from good to great.

I know, we are getting way ahead of ourselves.

But for a once-proud franchise, which hasn’t won a playoff game since 2001, the future is all it has to hold on to.

When LeBron is introduced Tuesday night, there no doubt will be a thunderous roar from the crowd. But don’t be mistaken - the love from NYC will not be what woos LBJ.

He still may stay in Cleveland, which is just miles from his hometown of Akron, Ohio. And he may become the most popular figure in the state’s sporting history.

But what no one can deny at this point is the gravity of the matter for James, who will have a huge decision to make.

New York will present a big opportunity for his worldwide appeal, his checkbook and, now, his basketball resume.

Consider another dozen or so teams that will be clearing cap space that summer, including the Detroit Pistons, who shook up a perennial Eastern Conference finalist to land not just Allen Iverson but … cap space.

The summer of 2010 may be the most anticipated offseason in recent memory, making baseball’s hot stove look like a microwave.

So, will James come to the Knicks? It’s too early for the 23-year-old phenom to tip his hand. But for the first time, it’s definitely a real possibility.

Maybe, the fan who gave LeBron a personal greeting last year was on to something - it’s never too soon to start recruiting.

[TDMVPDPOY]

lebron is better off coming to the spurs

splitter/mahinmi
duncan/gists
james/mason
ginoboli/****
parker/hill

[Anti.Hero]

lol KBp, Stern just shit on your overseas BBall love man.

Even he thinks you play in middle school gym.

[duncan228]

James Lifts, Then Crushes Knicks’ Hopes (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/sports/basketball/26knicks.html?_r=1)
By HOWARD BECK

There was a lot to cheer Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden: LeBron James being introduced, LeBron James throwing talc in the air, LeBron James slamming two-handed breakaway dunks and LeBron James refusing to rule out playing for the Knicks.

It was a night to cheer for the future, for the possibilities that come with salary-cap space and for the fantasy that James, a potential free agent in 2010, may some day pull on a blue and orange jersey.

James was as splendid and occasionally dominant, although he hardly needed to exert himself in a game that was never close as the Cleveland Cavaliers dismantled the retooled Knicks, 119-101. He finished with 26 points and had ample support from Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11 points) and Delonte West (16 points).

The Cavaliers were as crisp and efficient as the Knicks were dull and disoriented. Al Harrington and Tim Thomas, acquired in a pair of salary-purging trades last week, seemed shaky in their debuts. The rest of the Knicks looked no better, as the team shot 41.4 percent from the field and turned the ball over 17 times.

The Knicks put James in their sights last Friday when they made two trades to clear cap space in 2010. One of those deals remains unresolved, however.

Cuttino Mobley, the third player acquired last week, remains in limbo because of concerns over his heart, which surfaced during routine testing this week. The Knicks allowed the trade to become final Tuesday, so Mobley is theirs regardless of what happens.

Mobley visited a specialist in Boston on Tuesday and is scheduled for more tests on Wednesday. Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Knicks do not expect him to be cleared this week. That means he will miss at least two more games, against Detroit and Golden State.

So the Knicks played another game with an incomplete roster and a jumbled rotation. The lineup took another blow in the first half, when Nate Robinson left with a strained right groin muscle.

Robinson, who had started every game since the trade, injured himself when he landed awkwardly after converting a fast-break layup. His status is uncertain.

Although Harrington and Thomas have experience playing the run-and-gun, they seemed uneasy in Coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense. They were guilty of stopping the offense at times while trying to become acclimated.

Harrington, who had 13 points, took 16 shots, the second most on the team, and made just five. Thomas (16 points) went 4 for 9. Quentin Richardson led the Knicks with 22 points.

The Knicks sorely missed Zach Randolph’s rebounding, particularly on the offensive end, and Jamal Crawford’s instant offense. Mostly, the Knicks missed the offensive flow they had established before making the two trades.

They looked a lot like the Knicks of Isiah Thomas, with no evidence of chemistry or organization. They were booed frequently in the first half, as the Cavaliers pushed the lead to 20 points, then 30. Cleveland led by 67-38 at halftime and never looked back.

The only consolation in any of this was James’s gracious praise of New York and the Garden, and his graceful avoidance of any predictions about his future. He swatted away a direct question about playing for the Knicks.

“To bring that type of distraction to our team right now would be unfair to my team, my teammates, coaching staff and the rest of the organization,” James said.

During an eight-minute session with a room packed with 60 reporters, James clarified a few of his career priorities. He said he was not concerned with a team’s market size, noting that Tim Duncan has fared quite well in San Antonio.

He said he considered defense a critical factor in winning titles, which would conceivably rule out the Knicks. He said his greatest priority was collecting championships.

James said he was flattered by all of the speculation tying him to the Knicks (and the Nets and the Detroit Pistons), but said it was too early to contemplate free agency. James would be the biggest prize in 2010, when Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire can also be free agents.

“July 1 of 2010 is a very big day,” James said. “It’s probably going to be one of the biggest days in free-agent history in the N.B.A.”

But James left Knicks fans with two valentines to hold for the next 19 months. He said he was “really close” to D’Antoni, one of his coaches with the USA Basketball team last summer, whom he called an “offensive mastermind.”

And he said he loved playing at the Garden.

“Every time I come here it’s a warm feeling, because you know the history,” he said. “Being a basketball junkie like myself, how could you not love it, being in this building.”