Was reading Jon Heyman's baseball column today and was surprised to find this Lebron note-

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jon_heyman/04/13/bonifacio/1.html

Rare basketball note: James Knicks bound?
A couple folks inside the Yankees' clubhouse say they believe LeBron James will be headed to New York as a Knick in a couple years. How they know this, well, they didn't say. But my guess would be that Sabathia, who knows James from his Cleveland days, expressed this opinion to them. I am sure he wouldn't give away any secret like this publicly, so there's no sense me even asking him. But it's something to watch for.

Take it for what it is...

wow, that's the best knicks rumor I've seen in years

The misery we have suffered this past decade is going to pay off considerably. We have cap room, a talented young roster, and a player friendly coach and system. Its a situation ripe for a savior or two. Very attractive place for a superstar right now. NY is like one of those untapped goldmines from the mid-19th century.

Lebron signing w/the Knicks would be bigger than Reggie Jackson, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixiera & AJ Burnett signing w/the Yankees combined, only because in basketball these types of signings are so rare.

I think it would be on par with Shaquille O'Neal signing in Los Angeles. Shaq back then was probably an even bigger star than Lebron is now, and a more dominant force.

Posted by VDesai:

I think it would be on par with Shaquille O'Neal signing in Los Angeles. Shaq back then was probably an even bigger star than Lebron is now, and a more dominant force.

I disagree I think Lebron is a bigger star, and would have a much bigger impact

As much as I'd like this to mean something, it unfortunately means nothing. Again, pure speculation, based on an assumption, based on hearsay.
I hope he comes, but I currently don't have a good feeling about it.

Guys, lebron not coming here. Wake up! I think a more suitable chioce would be dwayne wade. Lebron has it going on in cleveland with best record in the franchise history and looks like he'll be getting a title this yr so why would he leave to play for the knicks. Knicks aren't a winning team and can't be in the same sentence w/ cleveland. Guards/ small forwards rarely leave their team via free agency.

Posted by WOODMANnYk:

Guys, lebron not coming here. Wake up! I think a more suitable chioce would be dwayne wade. Lebron has it going on in cleveland with best record in the franchise history and looks like he'll be getting a title this yr so why would he leave to play for the knicks. Knicks aren't a winning team and can't be in the same sentence w/ cleveland. Guards/ small forwards rarely leave their team via free agency.

I think the chances are just as good that he's coming as opposed to him not. There are a lot of external forces that the city of Cleveland has no hope in matching.

Posted by Elite:

Posted by VDesai:

I think it would be on par with Shaquille O'Neal signing in Los Angeles. Shaq back then was probably an even bigger star than Lebron is now, and a more dominant force.

I disagree I think Lebron is a bigger star, and would have a much bigger impact

Its close- in terms of basketball Shaq is definitely one of the greatest players of all time and one of the players who most influenced world championships b/c of his presence. And he was about as marketable as any athlete in the mid 90's with his larger than life size and personality. Not only was he doing tons of commercials- he was doing movies, rap albums etc. It was a huge marketing opp for him to move to LA.

Posted by VDesai:

Posted by Elite:

Posted by VDesai:

I think it would be on par with Shaquille O'Neal signing in Los Angeles. Shaq back then was probably an even bigger star than Lebron is now, and a more dominant force.

I disagree I think Lebron is a bigger star, and would have a much bigger impact

Its close- in terms of basketball Shaq is definitely one of the greatest players of all time and one of the players who most influenced world championships b/c of his presence. And he was about as marketable as any athlete in the mid 90's with his larger than life size and personality. Not only was he doing tons of commercials- he was doing movies, rap albums etc. It was a huge marketing opp for him to move to LA.

True. But his stuff outside of b-ball was considered a joke for the most part. The biggest thing that Shaq had going against him was his height and size. A seven-foot behemoth is a marketing liability and is limited in his appeal. His shoes flopped, his jerseys flopped, his movies flopped. Its just awkward, because casual fans cant relate to a giant.

This is especially true of females. A hidden component in the Jordan phenomenon was the fact that females loved him almost as much as the males did. Not that I'm trying to go the no homo route with Lebron, but he has a better chance to tap into that resource than Shaq and garner more well-rounded appeal.

Plus, guards are just cooler and more fun to watch. Nobody is trying to see a back-to-the-basket bruiser.