Upon further consideration................

I am not going to comment on the debacle in Queens this weekend. When your starting pitching goes in the tank like that and your hitters all take a collective break, you're gonna lose, even to a bad team like the Mets (especially when they throw their two best pitchers at you during the series). I could talk about how badly Teixeira has been playing, how little power A-Rod has showcased this year, and how the collective slumping of Jeter, Cano, and Gardner has hurt the team, but I would rather take the high road and wait it out. Let's see how they react against the Twins this week. If they can win a few there, they can easily settle into a very accomodating June schedule. Let's see if someone can help right the ship here.
Instead, I want to talk about my second favorite subject on this blog over the last few months and that is Lebron James. A few weeks back I wrote that Lebron would be a New York Knick if he knew what is good for him. I still think the Knicks have a compelling case to make. They are the only team that can bring in two max free agents, meaning that Lebron can essentially pick with whom he would like to play for the next 10 years.
However, after further review, I have decided to amend my earlier statement. Yes, I believe Lebron is leaving Cleveland. Yes, I believe he is coming to New York. But, I believe when he arrives, he'll be wearing a Nets jersey (pun intended).
Why?
Looking at it, I believe there is really only one hurdle (a big one) that prevents New Jersey from being the absolute, prohibitive favorite when it comes to the James sweepstakes: their home for the next two years. I can't believe that playing in Newark seems like the answer to an NBA dream for Lebron, and it is a mountain that has to be climbed. Granted, playing in Newark for the next two years, before moving on to Brooklyn, is better than playing in the IZOD center, the Tropicana Field of the NBA, but it still represents a lateral move in terms of cities when it comes to Lebron. And, if the move were coming in, say, a year, then I would say it wouldn't be as big a problem, but two years? It doesn't seem like much, but in sports two years can be a lifetime.
That being said, I still believe Lebron ends up in Newark with the Nets. There are ways around the geography, other things that will come into play, that will make it easy for James to accept a new, temporary home in Newark.
1.) It is temporary - Lebron, in signing with the Nets, wouldn't necessarily be committing to Newark. He would, instead, be committing to Brooklyn. If all were to go as planned, the Nets would move into the Barclay Arena in Brooklyn in the 2012/2013 season. Lebron, by that time, would be 27 years old. He would still have the best five or six years of his career ahead of him, if not more (Lebron could easily be a 35 or 36-year old playing at a high level).
Playing in Brooklyn, bringing professional sports back to that area, has got to be appealing to Lebron. Brooklyn has been pining for something since the Dodgers left what seems like a million years ago and basketball seems like a perfect fit. No, the wait isn't ideal, but the final destination ultimately is.
2.) Mikhail Prokhorov - What everyone keeps focusing on is that the NBA's version of Donald Trump has a whole lotta money. That's true, and that is a huge factor in why Lebron would choose the Nets. Unlike Cleveland, whose owned by a run-of-the-mill milionaire, Prokhorov is worth billions. Lebron needs his owner to splurge for a new small forward down the road, so be it. Need your owner to go well beyond the salary cap for not just two or three years, but 10 years? You found your man.
But, Prokhorov's fortune goes beyond just simply his ability to sign Lebron and put some high-priced pieces around him. It is also about what he can offer the budding superstar. Lebron wants to be an international star, beyond what he already is, and there is no owner in the NBA that offers a greater opportunity to promote that brand worldwide than Prokhorov. Also, the Nets are a minority owner with the Yankees in the YES Network, the most successful regional sports channel around. Having Prokhorov and the Yankee-run Yes Network behind him would seem more than a small step towards truly promoting his brand. Finally, it offer Lebron options in terms of a contract I can't imagine he would get anywhere else. What is going to stop Prokhorov from including provisions within Lebron's contract, or striking a second contract outside the lines of a normal NBA performance agreement, that would allow Lebron to take advantage of certain aspects of his empire that no one else has. I can imagine that, if Lebron really wants to eventually be a billionaire and owner of a team, that kind of a connection and possible partnership, one that can't be duplicated in the NBA, is invaluable.
3.) A little talent never hurts - It would seem somewhat comical to talk about talent and a team that won 12 games last year in the same breath, but the Nets are in a better roster position than most teams looking to bring in Lebron. First, if Lebron wants to sign outright with the Nets, he would join a team with Devin Harris, Brooke Lopez, and a very talented young player in Terrence Williams. That is a threesome Lebron could join right now that would provide for athleticism and talent, and plays well into Lebron's strength. There is no one that sports the potential big man like Lopez, and Harris is a very good distributor and jump shooter, while Williams adds a load of athletic ability. Lebron could rack up triple doubles with those guys without even breaking a sweat. Also, don't forget that the Nets have Yi Jianlian, who isn't as dominate a presence as a lot had hoped, but is an excellent spot up 3-point shooter, something Lebron despertaley needs.
Also, while the Nets didn't land the number 1 pick and John Wall, they did land the number 3 pick. Let's say that pick ends up being Derrick Favors from Wake Forrest. This is a 6-10 kid, 7-2 wing span who will be able to block shots and dunk on the world right out of college. If his offensive game comes around, he could be terrific (some are saying he has the raw tools to end up being the best player to come out of the draft in the next 5 years). That would add another big time talent to the Nets. Let's also not forget the Nets have the cap room to sign another top-talent player to the mix. Since Lebron could use a good spot-up jump shooter to go along with Yi Jianlian, what about signing the veteran Rip Hamilton? I think Detroit is looking to go in the direction of Ben Gordon anyway. Hamilton is 32, which makes him a young old. He is the perfect "run him off screens and get open" kinda guy. He can hit threes and, perhaps most importantly, he has won a championship, which means he can be a good influence for Lebron.
A team of Lebron, Harris, Hamilton, Favors, and Lopez, with Jianlian, Williams, and Courtney Lee off the bench, seems pretty darn good, doesn't it? If Favors ever became the type of player his talent dictates he could be, that is one special kinda team. Harris suddenly becomes option three, Hamilton option four, and Favors, in his rookie year, is simply asked to be athletic, rebound, block shots, and dunk when Lebron or Harris throws him an alley-oop.
The depth also allows the Nets to be major players if Lebron wants a sign and trade with Cleveland. This would allow him to sign the full contract with the Cavs but then move on to the Nets. Now, you might ask why the Cavs would do this: simple, because, if you know Lebron is outtie 5,000, why not accomodate him and get something back in return? In that scenario, it's hard to imagine that the Nets offer with Harris as the centerpiece wouldn't be extrememly attractive.