The King of Cleveland
“There are some athletes who need New York,” says Arash Markazi. “They need to be in a big city and play in a big market to validate their legacy and marketability.” LeBron James is not one of them:
If James were shopping for a penthouse or looking to start a magazine, this move would be a slam dunk, but he’s trying to win basketball games.
The Knicks haven’t had a winning record since the 2000-01 season, finishing with fewer than 40 wins for seven straight seasons, a streak that will likely stretch to nine when James becomes a free agent in 2010. They’ve only won two championships in their history, with the last one coming in 1973. Their last trip to the Finals came a decade ago. This isn’t the Yankees or the Lakers, two storied franchises in big cities littered with championships. If the Knicks didn’t play in New York, they’d be the East Coast version of the Sonics (except for the whole relocation thing), a decent team that had some success in the ’70s and ’90s but fell on some hard times.
Would James sign with the Sonics, er the Thunder, if they cleared cap room for him? No, and he should take the same stance with the Knicks.
Up to this point, James has been giving mixed signals regarding his plans after his current contract expires. But I figure that Markazi is calling it right: if what LeBron wants most is a championship ring, he stands the best chance of getting one by standing pat.
And one other thing: does anybody really, truly, want to deal with the Knicks’ James Dolan on a regular basis?
Kay Dennison »
29 November 2008 · 7:26 pm
I certainly hope not!!!!!!!!!!!!