Cablevision To Offer LeBron His Own Channel?

[duncan228]

Cablevision To Offer LeBron His Own Channel? (http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap/#)

Frank Isola has heard a rumor that Cablevision will offer LeBron James his own television channel if he lands in New York.

Cablevision is in the process of spinning off its Madison Square Garden operation, which includes the Knicks, into a separate corporate entity.

*********************

LeBron keeps singing the same tune (http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/knicks/2009/09/lebron-keeps-singing-the-same.html)
by Frank Isola
Knicks Knation

LeBron James was - surprise, surprise - noncommittal regarding his future when interviewed on "Good Morning America" this morning. With co-anchor Chris Cuomo chanting "Knicks, Knicks" in the background (so much for objectivity) LeBron said he doesn't know what he'll do next season.

That raises the official tally to 5,312. That's the number of times LeBron has said he's keeping his options open for the summer of 2010.

Speaking of which, the latest LeBron to the Knicks rumor I’ve heard is that Cablevision - which owns the Knicks but not the Daily News - will circumvent the salary cap by giving LeBron his own channel. I don't know exactly how that will work but that's what I've heard.

As of today, I say there is a 90 percent chance LeBron is coming to New York ... and 100 percent chance that I won't be watching the LeBron channel.

The other big news is that Stephon Marbury has announced his retirement. Figures he would be the last to know. The rest of us thought he was retired when he watched him in the playoffs. Heck, Mike D'Antoni had him retired on opening night.

Good luck, Steph.

[ChumpDumper]

That would be a pretty boring channel.

[ginobili's bald spot]

:rolleyes

[DJB]

:wakeup

[UrAphag]

Maybe it will be an informative channel on how to properly execute the crab dribble.

[BRHornet45]

sons I don't want to watch King Crab travel all day long

[eisfeld]

At least he wrote about happier news too... goodbye Marbury.

[23LeBronJames23]

Are they trying to make him go to NY?
wow

[hater]

will there be a video of him getting dunked on by a nobody?

[Culburn369]

or a video of Orlando chasing him out the side door?

[boutons_deux]

"Video Shilled The Travellin Star
ew ee ew"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0janfcZ8LUw

[duncan228]

Picture This: All LeBron, All The Time On NYC TVs (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-picturethisalllebron&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews

The LBJ Network? If a report in the New York Daily News is correct, that's one way the Knicks will try to entice LeBron James to sign with them in the summer of 2010.

The report says Cablevision, which owns the Knicks and Madison Square Garden, would give LeBron his own channel as a way to circumvent the salary cap. New York can't offer James more money than the Cavaliers can, so it seems the MSG brass is trying to get creative with the TV gig.

For his part, James on Wednesday played coy—again—about his future. He told the ABC Network's "Good Morning America" that he still doesn't know yet what he's going to do after next season.

[duncan228]

Knicks May Try to Bend the Rules to Get LeBron (http://www.nesn.com/2009/09/knicks-may-try-to-bend-the-rules-to-get-lebron.html)
by Evans Clinchy

At this point, what's left to be said about LeBron James theories? Everyone has one, and most of them stink. And at this juncture, no one really knows the truth about what will happen to the Cleveland Cavaliers' franchise player when he hits free agency next summer.

He might stay in Cleveland, proving his loyalty to the state where he was born, raised and blossomed into a superstar. He might jump ship and head to New Jersey, where fellow marketing icon Jay-Z is a part owner trying to get a piece of LeBron. Or he might head to New York, poised to enhance his image on the biggest stage in the world.

It's that last possibility that just got a little bit more interesting. Because here's the latest rumor: If LeBron goes to the Big Apple next summer, the New York-based corporation Cablevision will circumvent the salary cap and find a way to give King James some extra income during his time in New York.

By giving LeBron his own channel (http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/knicks/2009/09/lebron-keeps-singing-the-same.html).

That's the rumor anyway, and it's certainly plausible. Cablevision is run by chairman Charles Dolan and president and CEO James Dolan, and it's the parent company of the Madison Square Garden corporation, which owns the Knicks. The Dolan family has the corporate clout to turn the world upside down for LeBron James. And if they want to see one of the world's best athletes take the floor at MSG, then they just might.

Ethically, this is beyond sleazy. The Knicks have deeper pockets than just about any franchise in pro sports, and this is a spectacular way to exploit it. And if it works, what's to stop the Knicks from trying something like this again in the future? What's to stop another team from trying a similar stunt? What's to stop Jay-Z from giving a player his own record label? What's to stop the Cavaliers from...

Wait. That's the problem. The Cavaliers could never do anything like this -- they don't have the money or the corporate influence to even consider it. In fact, few teams do. The Cavs are going all in for LeBron, and the Knicks are trying to raise them out of the pot. It's crooked, it's corrupt, and unless someone steps in and puts a stop to it, it'll probably work.

It takes courage to stand up against a move like this. The NBA is probably intrigued by the Cablevision rumor -- it only means more money being poured into an already filthy-rich game, and it'll make the league's most marketable star even bigger. How can the league say no?

Simple. Commissioner David Stern needs to put a lot of thought right now into what's more important -- the game's economic growth or its integrity.

Those are probably his two biggest concerns as the league's commissioner, and when the two conflict, it's never pretty. But in this case, he needs to do what's right for the game.

The salary cap is in place for a reason. It creates parity in a league where one superstar signing can change everything. Basketball isn't a team sport in the same way baseball or football is, in the sense that it takes much more than one star player to rebuild a team. On the hardwood, a LeBron James type can alter a franchise's history overnight.

The Spurs drafted Tim Duncan a decade ago, and their win total shot up by 36 in one season. The Celtics traded for Kevin Garnett a couple summers back, and they won 42 games more. In the NBA, these things happen. Star players mean everything.

And that's why the league needs to do everything in its power to make sure the stars are acquired fairly. If one team doesn't play by the rules, it's a slippery slope. The parity that this league worked so hard to ensure might become a thing of the past.

This is just one rumor, and it may turn out to be nothing. But it's still a warning sign to the commissioner and the rest of the league offices: Things like this are possible. And it's up to the powers that be to ensure that this rumor never becomes a reality.

Basketball should be played the right way. Both on the floor and off it.

[Dex]

Knicks May Try to Bend the Rules to Get LeBron (http://www.nesn.com/2009/09/knicks-may-try-to-bend-the-rules-to-get-lebron.html)
by Evans Clinchy

At this point, what's left to be said about LeBron James theories? Everyone has one, and most of them stink. And at this juncture, no one really knows the truth about what will happen to the Cleveland Cavaliers' franchise player when he hits free agency next summer.

He might stay in Cleveland, proving his loyalty to the state where he was born, raised and blossomed into a superstar. He might jump ship and head to New Jersey, where fellow marketing icon Jay-Z is a part owner trying to get a piece of LeBron. Or he might head to New York, poised to enhance his image on the biggest stage in the world.

It's that last possibility that just got a little bit more interesting. Because here's the latest rumor: If LeBron goes to the Big Apple next summer, the New York-based corporation Cablevision will circumvent the salary cap and find a way to give King James some extra income during his time in New York.

By giving LeBron his own channel (http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/knicks/2009/09/lebron-keeps-singing-the-same.html).

That's the rumor anyway, and it's certainly plausible. Cablevision is run by chairman Charles Dolan and president and CEO James Dolan, and it's the parent company of the Madison Square Garden corporation, which owns the Knicks. The Dolan family has the corporate clout to turn the world upside down for LeBron James. And if they want to see one of the world's best athletes take the floor at MSG, then they just might.

Ethically, this is beyond sleazy. The Knicks have deeper pockets than just about any franchise in pro sports, and this is a spectacular way to exploit it. And if it works, what's to stop the Knicks from trying something like this again in the future? What's to stop another team from trying a similar stunt? What's to stop Jay-Z from giving a player his own record label? What's to stop the Cavaliers from...

Wait. That's the problem. The Cavaliers could never do anything like this -- they don't have the money or the corporate influence to even consider it. In fact, few teams do. The Cavs are going all in for LeBron, and the Knicks are trying to raise them out of the pot. It's crooked, it's corrupt, and unless someone steps in and puts a stop to it, it'll probably work.

It takes courage to stand up against a move like this. The NBA is probably intrigued by the Cablevision rumor -- it only means more money being poured into an already filthy-rich game, and it'll make the league's most marketable star even bigger. How can the league say no?

Simple. Commissioner David Stern needs to put a lot of thought right now into what's more important -- the game's economic growth or its integrity.

Those are probably his two biggest concerns as the league's commissioner, and when the two conflict, it's never pretty. But in this case, he needs to do what's right for the game.

The salary cap is in place for a reason. It creates parity in a league where one superstar signing can change everything. Basketball isn't a team sport in the same way baseball or football is, in the sense that it takes much more than one star player to rebuild a team. On the hardwood, a LeBron James type can alter a franchise's history overnight.

The Spurs drafted Tim Duncan a decade ago, and their win total shot up by 36 in one season. The Celtics traded for Kevin Garnett a couple summers back, and they won 42 games more. In the NBA, these things happen. Star players mean everything.

And that's why the league needs to do everything in its power to make sure the stars are acquired fairly. If one team doesn't play by the rules, it's a slippery slope. The parity that this league worked so hard to ensure might become a thing of the past.

This is just one rumor, and it may turn out to be nothing. But it's still a warning sign to the commissioner and the rest of the league offices: Things like this are possible. And it's up to the powers that be to ensure that this rumor never becomes a reality.

Basketball should be played the right way. Both on the floor and off it.

Great take. If the Knicks are willing to sell their soul over the luxury tax, so be it. They still haven't been able to field a decent team doing that for that past decade.

But I thought these type of under-the-rug deals were forbidden by the NBA.