General

Attention Knicks Fans: It Is Not Your Birthright to Get LeBron in 2010

Nov 26, 2008, 3:15 PM UTC

â†µâ†µ

â†µKnicks fans, I sympathize with your plight. (I mean, I grew up in Cincinnati during the ‘90s. Not the greatest era of pro sports.) Your team is awful. They were awful before they dumped Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford, and they’ll continue to be awful for at least another year or two. But know this: you are not special. I don’t mean that your mom was lying to you growing up about you being unique and how every snow flake is different, I just mean that if you think it is your right to pillage the entire class of 2010, you’re delusional. â†µâ†µThe facts:
â†µâ†µ

â†µâ†µ1. The Knicks aren’t the only team with cap space for 2010. Everyone is clearing cap space for what is arguably the biggest summer in NBA free agency history. Here’s the thing though: Every team with a guy like LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh already has the money to pay these guys whatever they want. Detroit, Cleveland, New Jersey, Sacramento and Minnesota -- just to name a few -- will all have tons of cap room for that summer.â†µ

â†µâ†µ2. New York isn’t home. Cleveland and Akron will never be mistaken as the city that never sleeps, but where LeBron James has lived his entire life will never change. That matters.â†µ

â†µ

â†µ3. You'll need a Robin to LeBron's Batman, and that's no sure thing either. One name going around lately seems to be Carlos Boozer landing with the Knicks in advance of 2010 -- possibly this offseason -- but does that really seem like a relationship that will work after he left 'Bron at the altar in Cleveland once already? If history has taught us anything, it's that cap space doesn't always equal free agency domination. I'd also like to give you, as an example, the post-Jordan Bulls, who had all this money and were allegedly set to land every free agent out there. How'd that work out?â†µ

â†µâ†µ4. He’s getting endorsements either way. Right as I was finishing this post, Darren Rovell posted something I initially neglected to include. There is no bonus for LeBron James from Nike if he plays in New York. Do you hear this? We please stop perpetuating this myth now.â†µ

â†µâ†µ5. You are not special. I really want to hammer this point home because entitlement from sports fans drives me up the wall. The Knicks, as a franchise, are absolutely special. They have history, and I can appreciate that. But to quote the great philosopher Cheese Wagstaff (slightly edited), “There ain’t no back in the day. Ain’t no nostalgia to this here. There’s just ... what happen here today.” â†µ

â†µâ†µMike D’Antoni makes the Knicks an undeniably attractive destination for any player -- LeBron or otherwise. And if he goes there for a change in style, it would be completely understandable. (Although I think they’d tie Danny Ferry and Mike Brown together and throw them in Lake Erie if LeBron asked.) But the point is this: There is a lot of work to be done by the Knicks before No. 23 changes area codes and it’s hardly the slam dunk that many make it out to be. Until then, can’t we all just take a tip from KD over at Ball Don’t Lie and just enjoy a really great player while we can? Tomorrow isn’t promised. â†µ

â†µ

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

See More: