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Left, Nate Robinson is defended by Brook Lopez of the Nets (AP); Right, Sean Williams of the Nets is defended by Jason Smith of the 76ers. (AP)
For basketball fans in New York, the upcoming NBA season is really all about next year. July 1, 2010, to be precise; the exact moment when free agents like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh hit the market. It’s a strange year because you won’t have much to root for and apart from a few core players; the Knicks and Nets will be willing to trade away players in exchange for cap space next summer. And don’t forget Knicks’ fans, former GM Isiah Thomas traded away the 2010 number one pick for Stephon Marbury, so the draft lottery isn’t a possibility.
New York brought back David Lee and Nate Robinson in the offseason and added Darko Milicic via trade. They drafted Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas, but neither is expected to play much initially, so it is basically the same squad as last year with a healthy Danilo Gallinari in the mix.
That club won 32 games, which is probably right around where this year’s club could finish. But remember that the focus is on 2010 and maximizing cap space. That means Donnie Walsh is going to try and get someone to take Jared Jeffries (possible) and Eddy Curry (not unless Isiah becomes GM somewhere else) off his hands. Maybe a contending team wants Al Harrington and is willing to take Jeffries as part of the deal. That would make the Knicks worse this year, but in better shape in 2010 and that is what this season is about.
For the Nets there are more questions off the court than on them. Will they play in Newark this year? Will they ever move to Brooklyn? Will they have a Russian billionaire as an owner? On the court they have two nice pieces in Devin Harris and Brook Lopez. But, after trading Vince Carter, they are going to have trouble putting the ball in the basket. Unless Yi Jianlian suddenly develops (doubtful) there will be some very long nights wherever they end up playing in New Jersey. But, just like the Knicks, it’s not about this year.
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What are the chances that LeBron actually wants to come to the Knicks in 2010 though. Assuming that they throw the bank at him, the team would still suck. He would go from one of the better (if not the best) Eastern Conference team to one of the worst. His addition would make them playoff contenders, I think, but that's not really saying much. And how much of a team could the Knicks actually build around him if they spend all the money on their star player.
'Bron is definitely coming to NYC. He's not stupid -- this is a man that shares tea parties with Buffet. He wants to build a billion dollar empire, and the City, with all its branding, marketing hilarity, is the place.
As for winning: quick, name me one decent player on the Cavs (Shaq doesn't count); Mo Williams? (eh .. ) The Cavs are LeBron. Period.
He can take the Knicks back to winning ways even with a HS varsity team. David Lee, Nate, etc. are at least as good as the Cavs "players." The kid-man is that good.
To be clear, what the Knicks (and all other teams cept Cavs) can offer Lebron is 17 mil. That's hardly the bank and that still leaves about 10 mil left in the cap created by Knick GM Donnie Walsh to sign another FA. So, that combination, plus Chandler and Gallo, plus 2 huge expiring contacts in 2011, the lore of NYC, the history of the Knicks, the huge fan base that is present in every city they travel to and of course another 100 million from Nike.... eh... I think he's coming to NYC one way or another.
I hear you, I do. But I still think all this talk of inevitability is still a bit premature.
There are a few teams in the league right now that are in good positions to pick up Lebron. Some more than NYC even. Because what he's really looking for is a team's ability to pay (yes, of course) but also a team that can build a long term winning franchise around him. I think that means young talent. NYC is not exactly bursting at the seams with it.
I think NYC's courting of Lebron is going to really begin when we see how they're willing to change the makeup of their team over the course of this season to be more accommodating to him and the future he wants to lay out for his career.
And I have to specifically disagree with your point about Knicks fans in other cities. We're not talking about the Yankees here. They're a storied franchise with a great history, but I see more Lakers jerseys around than Knicks jerseys these days. Not that it makes me anything but intensely annoyed.
There is no way LBJ is coming to NYC. The Knicks are one of the worst organizations in pro sports — he would never come to play in such a terrible setting.