http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/knicks/2010/04/if-lebron-stays-in-cleveland-s.html#ixzz0kn6M5pMS The deadline trade is looking even better nowadays. I loved getting Kevin Martin and the extra picks and though Hill had a chance (doing well so far), even liked Jared Jeffries. This team should be better next November, but Morey has also made May though October more interesting for fans as well by giving us quality offseason drama. Usually, the Rockets offseason are boring-- Morey plays thing close to the vest and the Chronicle never reports a thing. This is good for the team's competitiveness but leave us nothing to do in the offseason but speculate on made up trades. But this year, we have the Knicks soap opera, and it's relevant to the Rockets since the Rockets go their pick. And the Knicks scribes are MUCH funnier than boring old Jonathan Feigen. They take subtle (well... not so subtle) jabs at management, at each other, and even at random Cleveland beat writers. Thank you, Daryl.
I read an article last week (wish I could remember where I saw it) in which the writer interviewed just about every major New York sports icon of the last thirty years. All of them went on and on about how there's nothing in the world that can compare to being a sports hero in Manhattan. There were pretty compelling arguments. Up to that point, I thought for sure LeBron would re-sign with the Cavs, but reading that article made me imagine what it must be like to be the greatest BB player on the planet, and how that alone would force you to make different choices than mere mortals would make. Simply put, LeBron can be a hero if he stays in Cleveland. But he can be a transcendent sports icon if he were to revive the Knicks after what those fans suffered through this last decade.
In all honesty, if LeBron and the Cavaliers win the championship this year, I don't think there would be a great need for James to go to the Knicks in terms of his overall basketball resume/legacy. I mean, if the Cavs win it all, why would LeBron get up and leave Cleveland to go to a rebuilding project in New York? Before Jordan made the Bulls into what they were in the 90s, Chicago wasn't even a pro basketball town much like how Cleveland wasn't much of a pro basketball town (save for the couple of blips during the Price/Dougherty era) until James was drafted. IMO, the only reason why LeBron would/should leave Cleveland isn't because of marketing dollars (he's making money regardless of where he plays), or because he needs New York (he really doesn't), but because the Cavaliers' roster is looking towards a dramatic drop in talent in the next couple of years.
James' decision has no real effect on the value of that draft pick IMO. I mean ya, a little... but nothing worth caring about. NY owes D'antoni and they are in prime position to upgrade the roster. It really isn't hard to put a competitive team on the floor, they've just been restricted while trying to accumulate that cap space. Bottom line, James or not, they will almost certainly be a playoff team. There are a lot of FAs out there.
Sure, the East is weaker than the West. But you make it sound like anyone can just snap his fingers and make a playoff team in the East. I don't think it's that easy. While it is entirely possible that a Lebron-less Knicks team can make the playoffs next year, it certainly won't be as anything more than a low seed. Cleveland, Orlando, Atlanta (even without Joe Johnson), Boston, Milwaukee and Miami (which will be adding a max player themselves) would all be better than just about anything the Knicks could put together next year. Then, you have Charlotte, Chicago and Toronto (if they manage to keep Bosh) to contend with for a playoff spot. Also, don't count out the New Jersey Nets, who will be adding a top 4 draft pick, a top coach (JVG, anyone?) and likely some good free agents of their own. To just say, "the Knicks will make the playoffs 'cuz it's easy" is an over-simplification, to say the least.
No body wish Knicks suck as much as we do the next two seasons, not even the people up here in Boston. :grin: We will hate the Knicks.
I think there are a lot of compelling reasons for Lebron to bolt for the Knicks, but there are a few major reasons why he shouldn't: 1. Money. As much as people like to say with NYC comes the money, I'm not sure that's the case here. Contractually, it clearly isn't short of a sign and trade - which won't happen, cause who would the Cavs want from the Knicks. In regards to marketing, it's hard to imagine Lebron being more marketed than he currently is. And finally there's the taxes. By my count, Lebron takes home a fair amount more cash by staying in Cleveland. Yes, he will always have more than he needs, but on the other hand he is clearly a brand of his own and a businessman - money is an issue to him, like everyone else. 2. Championships. He's much more likely to win a championship in Cleveland....if not multiple. The Knicks, even if they signed Lebron + Bosh, which would be their best case scenario, are still a bunch of players short of championship contention. Playoffs...sure. Win a series....sure. And I think Lebron does more with less than anyone in the league. But short of Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, they've got nothing else, and no more money to sign anyone else...AND, as we Rockets fans know, no more draft picks of note. 3. Place in history. Bringing a championship to Knicks undoubtedly would surpass doing it most anywhere else. But bringing one (or more) to Cleveland isn't a bad consolation prize. Considering it's more likely (see #2 above) anyway, imo, and considering Lebron is an Akron/Cleveland/Ohio guy through and through, he would basically cement his status as the greatest Ohio professional athlete ever by winning with the Cavs, and staying there his whole career. A status that isn't likely to change for many decades to come. Again, winning in NYC = legendary. But even still, he'd just join (and not even be at the top of) a long list of NYC legends. As much as they support all their pro sports their, New Yorkers are a baseball town first, and partly because the Knicks have been so bad, a football town second. If the Cavs lose this year, I think Lebron more likely to leave. Win or lose, I think it's probably close to 50/50 either way. If I was a betting man at this point, though, I'd put money on Lebron staying, D-Wade staying and being joined by Bosh, Joe Johnson staying with an Atlanta team that may improve again next year and the Knicks ending up with....??? Rudy Gay??
He's not gonna leave Cleveland, c'moooon. Pipe dreams. There's only one real reason why LeBron, or any of the super elite free agents for that matter, would leave their current team and that's winning. Last time I checked Cleveland was doing pretty good and is a shoe-in by many to make the finals. Toronto, not so much. Miami, meh, they've already given Wade a ring so his situation isn't as dire as Bosh's. Another thing about LeBron is that friendship, chemistry, and brotherhood are very important to LeBron. At least it was for the old LeBron, the one we see in his documentary. If he leaves Cleveland it's because the fame and attention has changed him and persuaded him.
I think the only reason LeBron would leave for the Knicks is if Nike is giving him a huge kickback for doing so, and that rumor was dispelled about a month ago.
LMAO. You got to love it whenever the grammar police fail at their jobs. Nothing is funnier than that!
Explain. I am not a native speaker, but I think I have a decent understanding and "feel" for English (I was better than 99 % of everyone who took the test on the verbal section of the GMAT, and that includes native speakers). Could it not be that correct usage would be "so sure as" in this case" and here is why (in layman's terms): "Than" is comparative, indicating a "more" or "less". So if he had said (for instance) "I have never been surer than I am today", it would have been fine, but when he says "so sure [as/than] I am today", then he is talking about a specific state of being sure. In other words, "than" follows a comparative form of an adjective, but "so sure" is not a comparative form of an adjective. I am genuinely interested in a competent answer to this. I'd actually be willing to take a bet. P.S.: 1,970,000 Google results for "so sure as", 32,700 results for "so sure than" (and most of these are a misspelling of "then" - as in "why are you so sure then"?)
Correct - but you would say "Nothing is so funny as that", not "Nothing is so funny than that", wouldn't you? So who failed?
i luv how ny feels theyre entitled but they wont get Lebron, its gona blow up in theyre face and its gona b a beautiful thing to watch.. and in our laps will fall 2 top ten picks in a row I call it a lottery lapdance :grin:
