One person with ties to James told The Post he feels "The King" will bolt Cleveland -- but that the Nets have a better shot than the Knicks in the six-team LeBron race.

THE ALIENATION OF THE NEW YORK MARKET ANGLE:

One angle that I feel no one is addressing is what LeBron would LOSE by not coming to New York.
LeBron would lose nothing if it weren’t for the two year tease-a-thon that LeBron put the city of New York through. But it happened. And LeBron has the opportunity to go to the city he is supposedly obsessed with. An interviewer hands him a Knicks hat and he “giggles” and he shows up at Yankee stadium with his Yankee hat (Met fan here) for the Indian series etc. etc.

Here is what he would lose: If LeBron does not come to New York and goes somewhere OTHER THAN Cleveland, he has alienated, angered and lost a big market. Do you think people in New York will buy LeBron Miami/Chicago jerseys? No. Because it is a slap in the face to New York. If he returns to Cleveland, I think New Yorkers can even understand that that is a good thing. Maybe not for the LeBron but for a struggling American city. Miami or Chicago? Not so much.

You do not want to alienate the New York market. And teasing New Yorkers for two years may just have that affect. LeBron can forget about galavanting around New York City and being welcomed at Yankee Stadium.
Yes it will be fun to have LeBron James be public enemy #1 but will that help him become the global icon he wants to be? No.

You may say: “Well Michael Jordan was public enemy #1 and he sold shoes, underwear, jerseys etc.” The difference is the Knicks never tanked it for two years based on Michael Jordan teasing them. Yes the Knicks had a slim shot of landing Michael Jordan but they never completely rearranged their business strategy for Michael Jordan. Here the Knicks, and the city of New York, sacrificed for LeBron and suiting up in Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat uniform is a slap in the face (Notice I don’t mention NJ for obvious reasons).
I can get into my various arguments as to why the Knicks should not be disregarded and why the other locations are vastly overrated and not a good fit but Tommy Dee has already done a good job of that. I just wanted to point out the effect LeBron going to Miami/Chicago/New Jersey.
I apologize for rambling.

There is no scoop

wake me up on July first

maybe jimimou and LBJ will be neighbors??? He can come toour next poker game

'Twas the night before Knickstmas, when all through the Garden

Not a creature was stirring, not even an Albert named Marvin

The jocks were hung by the lockers with care,

In hopes that The King soon would be there;

The Ultimate fans were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of fast breaks danced in their heads;

And mamma in her Knicks tank top, and I in my NYK cap,

Had just settled down for a midsummer nap,

When out In Cleveland there arose such idle chatter,

I called Worldwide wes to see what was the matter.

Away to the ATM I flew like a flash,

damn near emptied my account and wired Wes some cash.

The moon on the breast of Wes' favorite ho

Gave the lustre of new bling to the homies of Ohio

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a stretch limo, and Bill Laimbeer,

With a little old driver, whose hair looked a bit false,

I knew in a moment it must be Donnie Walsh.

More rapid than eagles his coaches they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Hiolzman, Stu Jackson and even Isiah

On, Riley and Willis who was a helluva playa

To the top of the key to the top of the goal

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild Starks shot fly,

As a Jerry Lucas bomb that would drop from the sky,

So up to the blue seats the rumors they flew,

With Marc Bermans sources, and Steph Marbury too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the orange pinwheel roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

With my Camby shiek towel on my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney Donnie Walsh came with a bound.

He was dressed in a full length fur, from his head to his feet

And his clothes reminded me of Clyde all garnished with pinstripes and sweet

A bundle of free agents he had flung on his back,

And he looked kinda happy just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! excited like Dancing Harry

He even brought a tshirt with the Stooges Moe, Curly and Larry

He made a bunch of deals that no one could fore telly

He shook up the roster like a bowlful of jelly.

He traded Jamal and Zack not such a jolly old elf

And I laughed when he traded Nate, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know We had cap space instead

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled the frontcourt and backcourt then called Berman a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

Blew out a lugie, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his limo, to his team gave a whistle,

And it was off to Las Vegas like a laser guided missile

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Knicksmas to all, and to all a good-night."

it's over. he's going to chicago or new jersey. done done done.

martin wrote:

crzymdups wrote:You know it's officially time to stop talking about lebron when the Knicks meeting with him went 1.5hrs and the Nets meeting with him went 3hrs.

it's over. he's going to chicago or new jersey. done done done.

no it didn't. much less than 2 hours for Nets. check out timeline: http://twitter.com/PDcavsinsider

ah, okay. i was actually going by that timeline but i misread it. still, it sounds like the knicks went in after 1pm and lebron was getting coffee by 2:25pm. that really can't be good.

Introductions

"New York, New York" - Frank Sinatra

Money on the table

end of meeting