Still like New York's chances

To quote one of my least favorite bands, "wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend."
That, of course, is directed to all my Knick fan bretheren who have been told over the last few days that the golden child, Lebron James, once thought to be a lock for Madison Square Garden, will soon be following in Michael Jordan's footsteps in Chicago. That's because Chicago, by trading away Kirk Henrich and their draft pick away to the Washington Wizards on draft night freed up enough cap space to offer two max contract players agreements this off season. Up until that point, the Knicks remained the only team with such maneuverability.
The logic behind Chicago's assumed victory when it comes James is that the Bulls can offer too much in terms of talent for him to turn down. Chicago, with their cap space, could legitimately offer James a lineup of Derrick Rose, Lebron James, Luol Deng, Chris Bosh, and Joakim Noah, plus a young and decent bench, a roster that probably puts the Bulls at the top of the list for championship favorites.
However, here is why I still believe Lebron is coming to New York: Eddy Curry.
There was a report a while back that Lebron had met with Eddy Curry, and it got people wondering whether James would like to play with Curry, who is represented by Lebron's agent. However, I doubt there is much thought in Lebron that he wants Eddy Idle as his teammate for the next however many years. Curry's lack of motivation is now notorious and, even if he were motivated by his reported debt and pending free agency, and the fact that this year is a must, in terms of performance, if he is to have any hope of regaining his career, what are the chances good play would last far beyond this year, and those factors? If Curry were to play well and earn another pay day, it stands to reason he would quickly be back to his old ways.
So, I don't hold out any hppe that Curry is an attractive piece for the Knicks to sell to Lebron. However, I believe his contract is what continues to give the Knicks an advantage over every other team, including the Bulls.
See, Curry's deal has been a weight tied to the neck of thise franchise for years now. No one wanted it and no one wanted him. Now, however, Curry's $11.3 million is good for this year only. That gives the Knicks what has become the NBA equaivalent of the Willy Wonka Golden Ticket: an expiring contract. If you're a team with a high-priced player, but no where near winning, and in need of cutting payroll, Curry is your ideal. He clears space and is off your books once next season starts. He is instant flexibility. Plus, considering everything I just mentioned, he might be an asset for a team in a backup role.
So, when the Knicks sit down with Lebron, yes they are going to tout New York, the glitz, the glamour, the marketing opportunities and the business connections he can make, and yes, they are going to market the fact that Lebron can join with Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire or Carlos Boozer right when the year starts, and yes, you're going to tout Danillo Galinari as a top young player who can shoot it from a mile away and grab some rebounds in the process. But what you can also offer is the chance to nab another top-flight player as early as mid-season or, at the latest, next season.
There are a lot of teams that would be looking to dump salary come this season. One can forsee the Suns, Warriors, Hornets, Rockets, and Pistons, to name a few, who would be interested in clearing space, and all of them have deals that would most certainly be attractive to the Knicks. You could also see a team like the 76ers being interested in the contract, as they look to build around newly-drafted Evan Turner. Names like Andre Igudola, Baron Davis, Emeka Okafor, Tayshaun Prince, or Al Jefferson should pretty much all be in the mix in terms of trades, and all would be a great compliment to Lebron. There is also the outside chance that Chris Paul could be on the market come the trade deadline, and Curry's contract would allow the Knicks the flexibility to be in the bidding for that. Also, if you were to add in Wilson Chandler's contract, which is about $1.3 million, you could imagine multiple player trades.
Let's look at some possibilities, in terms of Knick starting five, assuming they trade Curry: Lebron James, Andre Igudola, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Chris Bosh, or Baron Davis, James, Chandler, Gallinari, Bosh, or James, Chandler, Gallinari, Bosh, Okafor, or (perhaps most attractive) James, Chandler, Gallinari, Bosh, Al Jefferson.
I would put those teams up against the possibilities for the Bulls any day of the week.
Now, I'm sure other players will come into the mix and, as I said, if you threw in Chandler, you could probably get a multiple deal done. If you traded Curry and Chandler to the Hornets, for instance, you might get Okafor and Darren Collison back. In that scenario, the Knicks would add a sharp-shooting, quick point guard and a tough, rebounding, good defensive center who can get up and down the court. I have to say, if the Knicks team at some point next year were Darren Collison (PG), Lebron James (SG), Danilo Gallinari (SF), Chris Bosh (PF), and Emeka Okafor (C), I'm liking that team a lot. They might run into serious problems with Dwight Howard, who gives Okafor fits, but at least they would have a guy who could compitently guard Howard one-on-one. It would also give Lebron two sharp-shooters to play with (Collison and Gallinari) along with the great player in Bosh. Wouldn't you be looking at that Knicks team, right there, to compete with the Celtics and Orlando as the best team?
Look, no one knows what is happening in Lebron's mind right now, except, I believe, Lebron. This weekend I have read the following reports: he is a lock to go to Chicago and he still doesn't want to play in the shadow of Jordan; his business manager and trusted friend want nothing to do with the Knicks, and that his best friends still insist that his desire, from the outset, has been to play in New York and that "nothing has changed." In essence, all of these teams vying for Lebron's services are pretty equal, in my opinion. You can create lineups and rosters for all of these teams that put Lebron in a position to win. If he goes to Chicago, his lineup could be the one mentioned above. If he goes to the Knicks, you can create several different lineups that give him a terrific chance to win. If he goes to the Nets, he can join his buddy Jay-Z, be plugged into a Russian billionaire, and can play with young, talented players. A lineup of Devin Harris (PG), James (SG), Terrence Williams (SF), Derrick Favors (PF), Brooke Lopez (C). That is pretty darn attractive in its own right.
Since one can only speculate, we all seem to simply project what we would do in his shoes. So, I'll offer my two cents. If I were Lebron, my top choice would be the Knicks, second would be the Nets, third would be the Bulls. I wouldn't want to play in the shadow of Michael Jordan, nor would I look at Rose as being an ideal compliment to his game. If I were he, I would want a terrific big man in the middle (Bosh) and another really good player on the wing, but no one who is looking to be the "big dog" on his own one day, and one can't imagine Rose being happy being the third wheel.