I've Got New York In My Mind...

Charlie Klein

Last night, LeBron James looked like a player who had already cleared out his locker for the season. While the rest of his team were running pick and roll after pick and roll, he was standing on the other side of the court bent over clutching the bottoms of his shorts. While Anderson Varejao, Antwoine Jamison, Mo Williams, Shaq and Delonte West were attempting to win a basketball game, James was a complete afterthought.

James has cited a bum elbow as his reason for the decrease in his numbers from the regular season. Which would be all well and good were it not for the performance he turned in Game 3. James lit up the Cavaliers, playing 39 minutes scoring 38 points with 2 blocks, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. So we all know he has it in him to produce. And then in the most important game of the season (up to that point) LeBron went 3-14 from the field, only scoring 15 points with 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Good numbers for your third best player, but certainly not for your best.

One of the funniest things to observe in the sports media today is the total hypocrisy that surrounds their assessments of the Cleveland Cavaliers. We heard all season the the Cavs were the best team in basketball and that LeBron and his supporting cast were finally poised to hand Cleveland its first title in four decades. And now that they are down 3-2 to a veteran savvy Boston Celtics we hear a completely different story, that goes something a little like this:

LeBron's supporting cast is trash. There is no one on that team that is even within the same universe as this guy. Now that is generally true of the league and so such an assessment may seem a bit harsh. But let's put it this way: there is no one else on that Cavaliers team who is capable of carrying them when LeBron is not playing well. Jamison is not going to give you a triple-double or anything close to it, William's shooting has been to erratic and he himself has proven that he does not have the heart necessary to succeed in the playoffs. Varejao is an overpaid Sideshow Bob and Delonte West cannot string together nights of consistent shooting.

This Cavs team would be in the lottery were it not for LeBron. Speaking of lotteries, it appears that the New York Knicks are about to hit the jackpot this summer. These improvised lyrics came to mind watching the play of Prince James last night:

"In my mind I'm goin' to New York
Can't you see the all the money
Can't you just feel the lights shine
Maybe just like a friend of mine
It hit me from behind
Yes I'm goin' to New York in my mind"

For me it is obvious that he has mentally checked out of Cleveland. All of the be a God to your hometown by staying is a load of tosh in my mind. Being the Jesus of Cleveland sports just has not panned out. People may have knocked Joakim Noah when he came out and spoke poorly of Cleveland, but his comments are not too far off the mark.  

"I don't know about Cleveland, man, there is nothing going on. It's bad, man."

Buzz Bissinger, a sportswriter who knows a thing or two about LeBron, had this to say about James' future.

"I am not privy to any special information, but my gut tells me he will leave the Cavaliers whether they win the NBA championship or not. He has aspirations beyond basketball. He wants to be a billion dollar athlete. He likes challenges and bright lights. There is nothing like New York and the goal of making the Knicks champions again is an incredible one. So I say he goes to the Knicks, IF THEY GET THE RIGHT SUPPORTING CAST. And as you know that's a big "if" when it comes to the Knicks. LeBron would own New York in a way that no athlete has ever owned it, except maybe for Reggie Jackson after game six of the 1977 World Series when he hit three home runs, and as we know the love affair did not last forever. It would be exciting as hell to watch and I think LeBron would luxuriate in it. But as you say he also loves Ohio, so it is going to be a very difficult decision and I don't think he has come close to making it yet. And remember, the most important value in LeBron's life is loyalty. Still, I say he goes."

And I could not agree more. Colin Cowherd on his radio show this morning said that from what he hears from his sources, LeBron would net an additional $20 million from being a New York Knick, just in terms of sponsorships and endorsements alone. He also argued (and I agree especially in the context of the NBA) that unless you live in one of the "it" cities in America, you can forget about your team winning titles on a consistent basis.

For a star player like LeBron James, Cleveland simply is not big enough for what he wants to be and do. Bringing a championship to Cleveland will be a "heart-warming" story, but bringing the Knicks back to prominence would be ones that sports writers will write about for generations. As much as it sickens me to think of New York adding one more star player to its list of residents, nothing has really ever made more sense than for LeBron James to play there. And if the Knicks get Chris Bosh to play with him, look out.

I would just caution Knicks fans that it may not happen and if it does, it is not a lock that you will win a title with LeBron. In his seven seasons in the NBA, James has proven that he alone is not enough to win a title. And you cannot just blame his lack of a ring on his supporting cast (who were good enough to earn home court throughout the playoffs the past two seasons). A team that wins 60+ games does not immediately start playing like one that won 20. I still have serious questions of whether or not LeBron has what it takes to win a title. Does he have that Kobe-like passion to win? After watching Game 5 it certainly does not look like it.

What does it say about the Jesus Christ of basketball if it is his supporting cast that truly decides whether or not he can win a title? I think people just prefer to lay the blame on everyone else but LeBron. If Knicks fans think they can just ignore this aspect of Lebron's game (or lackthereof), they are horribly mistaken. 

For now Knicks fans can only dream about what LeBron would look like wearing the No. 6 in Knickerbockers white, blue and orange. But those dreams just might become reality in a few months time.