Every year, it seems that whenever Lebron James plays in New York, the rest of the basketball world stops to gawk at the impossible--Lebron ... in New York City. It’s unclear when all of this began, but it’s been going strong for a solid three years now, and on the brink of the 2010 free agency extravaganza(!!!), Lebron’s trip to “The City” carries even more significance than usual.
Lebron James Officially Headed to New York (To Play The Knicks)
(Note: people that call New York “The City” deserve to be bludgeoned. Me? Yeah I’m just going to jet up to the city for the weekend, get some drinks with a few friends. There’s this new place in SoHo called “Spot.” Or maybe it’s “The Spot”.. I don’t know. We may also hit up this party starting at 3 a.m. at this club called “Furniture.” Should be a great time... DIE.)
This is the only time Lebron will be in New York all year, so the media has to cram all their media hysteria into one, bloated newsday. With that in mind, let’s take a look around the web:
True Hoop's Knicks Blog writes an open letter to Lebron, asking him NOT to join the Knicks:
Now, were you to join our team, I can say with a good degree of certainty that you would greatly improve our chances of winning on a day-to-day basis and possibly even elevate the squad to the status of, “championship contender”. Many of my fellow fanatics would very much like this to happen. I’m here to formally ask that you please do not join our team.
According to Frank Isola at the New York Daily News, Lebron will NOT be attending the Yankees victory parade. But to prove he’s still kind of a dick, James says “My parade starts at 8,” referring to the Knicks game.
Howard Beck from the New York Times asks, “Does Lebron James Need New York?” From the Times:
So what do you get for the superstar who has everything? More fame? More awards? More money? The answers might determine where James lands next summer, if he becomes a free agent as expected. [...]
In Cleveland, James has been blessed with solid teammates, deep playoff runs and a finals appearance. The Knicks, lacking any of that, will try to mesmerize him with Broadway lights and Madison Avenue riches.
It is the conventional wisdom that infuses every discussion of James’s pending free agency: If he leaves Cleveland, it will be to chase fame and fortune in the greatest market of all.
But it might be a misguided pursuit, based on a faulty premise.
While the New York Post provides some quotes from the Icon, himself:
“July 1 is right around the corner, so it’ll be really exciting. I’m looking forward to winning an NBA championship here [in Cleveland]. It’s going to be a long season, and I can’t think about what’s going to happen July 1 or after that or what I’m going to do.”...
“I don’t tease. I’ve never teased the New York media by saying I was coming to New York, or playing for the Knicks,” James said. “I say the same thing every time: When July 1gets here, I’m going to approach it like a businessman and approach it for the best fit for LeBron and his family.
“I’ve been a Cav for seven years now, and I’ve never given any indication I was leaving. For me to say I’m not going to be a Knick, I’m going to be a Cav, or I’m going to be a Knick, I’m not going to be a Cav, I’m not going to do that. I’m going to leave my options open.”
And the Post’s Peter Vescey chimes in as the unintentional caricature of all the hype:
Let's play a game of hypothetically speaking, shall we?
Suppose for the purpose of our game you were good -- very good, damn good -- at whatever you did for a living. You have several things going for you: 1) You're on the open market sooner rather than later. 2 ) Your name is known far and wide. 3) Just about every organization where you're able to ply your trade wants to hire you.
...
Superintendent of his own solar system, LeBron is guaranteed to leave no loose ends unaccounted for this enchanted evening. What should Knicks fans be rooting for tonight and for the remainder of this season regarding LeBron? His team's utter self-destruction?
...
A still darker inner-sanctum belief is that a favorable Supreme Court decision -- a franchise first title -- is needed to ensure LeBron remains rooted to his home state.
Then again, in LeBron's mind, would getting crowned fulfill such fidelity? Would winning one for the city of Cleveland give him the freedom of mind to fly the coop?
Meanwhile, Knicks players held a closed door meeting last night, and are apparently growing frustrated with the franchise’s perceived apathy toward this year’s players:
According to one player, there is a sense among many Knicks that this season doesn't mean anything to the organization since management has made it clear that it will look to add an impact player next summer. In order to do that, most of the players with expiring contracts will not be re-signed. Harrington, David Lee, Nate Robinson, Darko Milicic and Hughes are in the last year of their respective deals.
The players also don't like hearing about the organization's interest in potential free agents LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson. (Team officials are prohibited from talking about players on other teams and most of the speculation has come via the media.) A few players have said that they have been so soured by their experience in New York that if James were to solicit their advice about playing for the Knicks, they would not give him a favorable scouting report.
And finally, SB Nation’s Knicks blog has a simple request for Knicks fans. For the next 24 hours, how about just not mentioning one name?
I'm not going to go so far as to call this a "rule", but let's say I'm making a "request" for the extent of tomorrow. As you know, the Cleveland Cavaliers come to New York tomorrow. With them, they'll bring perhaps the world's best ballplayer and an absolute circle jerk of media excitement. If you ask me, all the hooplah is completely tasteless. I understand the 2010 plan and am fully invested in its potential rewards, but the fact that this summer's free agency has been a point of emphasis for almost a year now is really frustrating. For better or worse, the Knicks have to play this season's games as currently composed. Fawning over opposing players is, for the time being, quite lame. Strikes me as bad karma, too.
Now, I'm not the authority on all things Knicks, but I am the authority of this li'l Knicks blog. That said, I'm "requesting" that we all abstain from using the name of the man pictured above. Not his first name. Not his last name. Not his initials, nor his faux-regal nickname.
And really, that’s the part about this story the resonates the loudest--this is TERRIBLE karma. Like, it’s fine to plan for the future, but what the Knicks organization has done over the past few years has been an utter embarassment to its players and fans. Will Lebron go to New York? Who knows, but in the meantime, it seems that the media, the Knicks, and their fans are all willing to foresake any semblance of dignity, and completely ignore the 2009 season. I mean, at least pretend to care about this year.
Instead, everyone froths over something that's completely theoretical. And while the speculation's understandable, at this scale, it borders on the absurd. Doesn't everyone realize he's going to the Nets?
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