# Chances of LeBron James as a Knick?



## TwinkieFoot (Jul 8, 2006)

How have the Cavs losing to the Magic in the playoffs impact our chances of acquiring LeBron James? 

I personally did not by into the LeBron to New York rumors but have recently as a result of how poor the Cavs performed late in the playoffs. I would even go as far as to say that the Knicks offer a better supporting cast should they retain their key players especially with this draft pick coming in. What do you guys think?


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## Floods (Oct 25, 2005)

LeBron leaving Cleveland will be a decision made (by him) before summer 2010, I think. Should he leave, the Knicks and Miami are the only teams I can see being serious suitors.

He'd have to choose between the big stage and likely more money (New York), or a possible teamming up with Wade and maybe even Bosh in Miami.


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## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

50/50,


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## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*Twinkie....*

Check out a post by DuhonDuhon on the realgm Knick forum about this. It is by far the best analysis of the power of the marketing aspect that I have ever read. Well worth searching. It was written yesterday or today.


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## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*Here it is*

He has many responses...worth the time. It was an excellent discussion on the economics of the move.




http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=910993&start=30


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## Kiyaman2 (May 31, 2009)

We are talking about American economics....which makes the chances of the Knicks getting Lebron the same as the Atlantic City or Los Vegas SLOT-MACHINE. 

*New York $$$$$$ Market?????*


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## Tragedy (Dec 9, 2002)

I agree with R-Star. 50/50.

People always say why would he leave Cleveland to go to a crappy NY team.... well the fact is Cleveland has won NOTHING yet, and with the best they could do they still got beat handily. 

Now Cleveland is not in the same position as NY. They can't just wait till 2010 to have a good amount of money to spend. Who will be the guy to tell Lebron to wait another year? The Cavs HAVE to make a move NOW. And if they make a move it won't be major IMO, and if they make the move and it doesn't work...why would Lebron stay with a team mired in upper mediocrity?

Now if they do get Lebron to wait...

The cavs would have Mo Williams, and Delonte West under contract. Is that really better than Gallinari, the draft pick this year, and Lee or Robinson or neither? Lebron alone would turn just about every team in the league into a playoff team. 

Now, I dont think marketing money is as big a point anymore. Lebron is huge already. It won't be about the world market, it will be about the gain of the NEW YORK market of 8 million. Now, say another star wants to play with Lebron...would he want to go to cleveland...or would he tell Bron, hey, I want to play in NY...let's do it... I think the latter is more likely.


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## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*You're both naive*

It is not about the NY economics. It is indeed about the global economics. We are not talking tens of millions, we are talking about hundreds of millions or more. Neither of you knows squat about that end of it, same as me. If you want to know what is at stake, read the linked post above, specifically Duhon-Duhon's responses where he explains all this. That man obviously is in the field and knows what he is talking about. Thinking this is about NY economics as opposed to world economics is a child-like view. Even the entire US market is dwarfed by the untapped potential remaining in the emerging global markets. Tragedy, if you think he has been exposed as much as he could be already, you're nuts. Kobe is #1 in the world...by a large margin. As big as KG was, he is bigger now that he is in Boston and it's not by the amount of the Boston population. AS I said...markets DO matter. Nike's contract with Lebron is also up next year. Do you really think with all the money available from advertising and marketing that they won't have some input where he goes? If they want him in NY, they can sweeten the pot well beyond what any team is able to pay. Facts of life. Now do they? I have no idea, but it makes financial sense.


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## TwinkieFoot (Jul 8, 2006)

*Re: Twinkie....*



alphaorange said:


> Check out a post by DuhonDuhon on the realgm Knick forum about this. It is by far the best analysis of the power of the marketing aspect that I have ever read. Well worth searching. It was written yesterday or today.


His piece was one of the more informative posts I've ever read and has helped push me further into believing LeBron will be a Knick. Thanks for that info.

More than ever, I'm starting to believe that there are transactions and agreements that are taking place behind closed doors with the Knicks, LeBron's representatives and 3rd parties (ie Nike). Don't you believe that it is interesting that Stephen Curry is lobbying so hard to become a Knick? Is it just a coincidence that he's particularly close with LeBron? Is it also just a coincidence that we've held onto someone like Jared Jefferies, when we could have traded him to free up more cap space? It shouldn't be shocking that he has a contract with Nike and would benefit emmensely from the notriety of playing with LeBron James. Then of course there is the fact that Mike D'Antoni left a contender and bypassed a deal with a more promising Chicago team just to sign with us; the same D'Antoni I might add that has helped coach LeBron in FIFA competition and has extensive ties to European culture, which LeBron's representative are hoping to access financially. Is that conspiracy I smell? I don't even think we need to continue to gut this team anymore to sign a 2nd FA all-star, to make our team more attractive because it seems like that much of a given.


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## knickstorm (Jun 22, 2003)

*Re: Twinkie....*



TwinkieFoot said:


> His piece was one of the more informative posts I've ever read and has helped push me further into believing LeBron will be a Knick. Thanks for that info.
> 
> More than ever, I'm starting to believe that there are transactions and agreements that are taking place behind closed doors with the Knicks, LeBron's representatives and 3rd parties (ie Nike). Don't you believe that it is interesting that Stephen Curry is lobbying so hard to become a Knick? Is it just a coincidence that he's particularly close with LeBron? Is it also just a coincidence that we've held onto someone like Jared Jefferies, when we could have traded him to free up more cap space? It shouldn't be shocking that he has a contract with Nike and would benefit emmensely from the notriety of playing with LeBron James. Then of course there is the fact that Mike D'Antoni left a contender and bypassed a deal with a more promising Chicago team just to sign with us; the same D'Antoni I might add that has helped coach LeBron in FIFA competition and has extensive ties to European culture, which LeBron's representative are hoping to access financially. Is that conspiracy I smell? I don't even think we need to continue to gut this team anymore to sign a 2nd FA all-star, to make our team more attractive because it seems like that much of a given.


ehhh we've held onto jared jeffries because he's hurt all the tiem and no one wants him...........LeBron doesnt care about marketing/advertising like its always been done....that's why at some point a few years back, he basically fired everyone and replaced them with some childhood buddies.


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## TwinkieFoot (Jul 8, 2006)

*Re: Twinkie....*



knickstorm said:


> ehhh we've held onto jared jeffries because he's hurt all the tiem and no one wants him...........LeBron doesnt care about marketing/advertising like its always been done....that's why at some point a few years back, he basically fired everyone and replaced them with some childhood buddies.


We had a deal on the table with the Sacramento Kings to exchange Kenny Thomas (an expiring contract) for Nate Robinson and Jared Jefferies. Being that the Knicks apparently had no interest in retaining Robinson (evident from their interest in PG's in the draft and Sergio Rodriguez), I would think that there is a reason why Jared Jefferies is still on this team.

I think that your crazy if you think LeBron doesn't care about marketing/advertising. If that were the case, would he really be interested in taking those promotional tours to other countries such as China? He hired those guys because they are people he can trust and because his name pretty much sells itself in our country, meaning he wouldn't need a crack team of agents to help his name make money.


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## TwinkieFoot (Jul 8, 2006)

After reconsidering my position, I think it might be in our better interest to pursue a trade for Chris Bosh during this offseason. I'm starting to believe that LeBron going to New York is more an inevitability than a possibility. As much as I think we would have a solid enough supporting cast as it is with our current team, an established star (in spite of his flaws) that has repport with LeBron would seal the deal IMO. David Lee and Nate Robinson are expendable at this point. Throw in some more assets and we have a deal that benefits both teams.


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## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*I just don't like Bosh, Twinkie*

He is not a #1 and I don't know what he really gives as a #2. If James wants him, OK, but he is not really good at any one phase. Mediocre-good rebounder, lousy shot blocker, not really a good ball mover...not a great shooter......certainly not a max $ guy, which is what he will want.


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

Lebron won't go anywhere unless he's got a substantially greater chance of winning titles there.That makes New Orleans more likely than New York.Noone is good enough to win with their current roster and therefore Lebron is not going to come.The only way he increases his earning power is to win titles.Any endorsements he wants to do he can do regardless of what his uniform says on the front.


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## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*For an education on the marketing angle...*

Perhaps you should read the realgm post referenced above. The poster obviously knows his field. Look, do you really believe the Knicks would have ANY trouble getting guys to fill out the roster to the point of being a title contender IF LJ was here and IF they were under the cap? Seriously....you can't doubt that.


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

I don't doubt it.I absolutely dispute it.It simply isn't true.You fill out lottery teams with scraps.You need legitimate players to win titles.


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## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*I agree*

But you're missing my point. They will have a bus load of money after the first signee (Lebron, ie). In fact, the Knicks may have enough for 2 max players depending on if trades are made. They also have Galliari(who will likely be at least a 3rd option, Chandler (at least a solid 4th) and this years pick. They could go with Amare'(stated he wants NY) or Gortat(solid role player) at center. That leaves only role players to be picked up and there are plenty who would love to play with Lebron in NY and compete for a title.


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

That's a ****ty team and we all know it.Lebron isn't stupid.He ain't going to ride into the metropolis on the back of a turnip truck and fall off in front of MSG.


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## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*Difference between ****ty and young.*

You really think Amare', James, Gallo, Chandler, and, say, Curry(Flynn) is a ****ty team? Wow....Second best player in the game....top 3 or 4 front court player in the game...and three very good young players is a ****ty team? Helluva lot better than Cleveland is now.


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## TwinkieFoot (Jul 8, 2006)

Diable said:


> Lebron won't go anywhere unless he's got a substantially greater chance of winning titles there.That makes New Orleans more likely than New York.Noone is good enough to win with their current roster and therefore Lebron is not going to come.The only way he increases his earning power is to win titles.Any endorsements he wants to do he can do regardless of what his uniform says on the front.


The Knicks team can easily rival the Cavs supporting cast. Let's review san-Lebron

*PG:* Duhon vs Williams *Advantage:* Williams
*SG:* Hughes vs West *Advantage:* Hughes
*SF:* Chandler vs Szerzbiak *Advantage:* Chandler
*PF:* Harrington vs Wallace *Advantage:* Harrington
*C:* Lee vs Ilgaukaus *Advantage:* Lee

...That's 4 out of 5 by my count. We even have a better 6th man with Nate Robinson and have bench players that can easily rival anything the Cavs have off the bench (ie Wilcox vs Vareajo). Then, your not even factoring in the teams ability to sign players in the future, which is very much possible. The Knicks are in a much better situation than the current Cavs with LeBron.


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## TwinkieFoot (Jul 8, 2006)

*Re: I just don't like Bosh, Twinkie*



alphaorange said:


> He is not a #1 and I don't know what he really gives as a #2. If James wants him, OK, but he is not really good at any one phase. Mediocre-good rebounder, lousy shot blocker, not really a good ball mover...not a great shooter......certainly not a max $ guy, which is what he will want.


I have no doubt that Chris Bosh is this generations Shareef Abdur-Rahim. By that, I mean a particularly skilled player good enough to post impressive statistics but still nothing more than a role player. But then again, do you think Shareef Abdur-Rahim couldn't win a championship if he had Michael Jordan on his team? LeBron James is very much this generations Michael Jordan and undoubtedly would benefit from Bosh's game, as flawed as it may be. Bosh is substantially better than anything the Cavs presently have and yet LeBron helped that team steamroll to 67 wins and into the Eastern Conference Finals. If all we'd have to give up are two players we don't really want to give up cash to (Nate and Lee), then I think this is the deal we need to make. I know you like Amare but Amare geniunely has his head lodged in his *** and might be arrogant enough to think he can get more touches than LeBron; a recipe for disaster.


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