The Domino Effect Part 5
The bottom line when it comes to LeBron will be whether or not it is money that he's after or glory. So where will LeBron actually land?
That depends on what LeBron's ultimate goals are. If he really wants to make a boatload of cash, then he goes to New York. New York City is by far the biggest market in North America. It's really not even close. To put things in perspective, NYC is roughly twice the size of Chicago and 1.5 times the size of Los Angeles. After those three cities, there is a major decline in the size of the rest of the cities in the U.S. It is really those three markets that are huge, but New York is especially huge. That is exactly why the New York media tends to dominate other sports markets. In Miami, for instance, all you hear about on sports talk radio are about the New York Yankees and the New York Jets. The Miami Heat, Miami Dolphins, Florida Marlins and the Florida Panthers are barely talked about. In fact, college football may be bigger than all of those sports in southern Florida. But in any case, the point is that New York is the talk of the town. And it is the talk of the town in so many other markets.
Donnie Walsh did a great job of gutting the Knicks' roster to create cap space. But he also sent away legitimate talent that could have worked in rebuilding the Knicks quickly if he had gone about things the right way. Zach Randolph? He's now an all-star for the first time with the Memphis Grizzlies. Jamal Crawford? He just won the sixth man of the year award with the Atlanta Hawks. David Lee? He became an all-star this season - whether he deserved the spot or not - and Walsh failed to extend him. Lee is now an unrestricted free agent and his future in New York is very questionable.
This is the same Donnie Walsh who sent away Ron Artest, Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson and Brad Miller, the legitimate core of a contending Indiana Pacers team who had made the NBA finals, to throw the Pacers into hell for years to come. You can't necessarily trust this guy to make a good sales ptich when his track record says he's better at blowing things up than building things. He passed up on Brook Lopez and Eric Gordon to select Danilo Gallinari two seasons ago and he passed up on Brandon Jennings this season to draft Jordan Hill. He then traded away Jordan Hill, a decent role player in Jared Jeffries and draft picks for an aging and injured Tracy McGrady. Who's the best player under contract for the Knicks right now? Danilo Gallinari. That's not saying much.
Simply put, the Knicks are terrible. They are so unbelievably bad. And their best players in David Lee, Al Harrington and, dare I say it, Tracy McGrady are all no longer on the books. They are a lottery team waiting to happen. But here's the thing. With the amount of cap space that they've been able to free up, you have to believe that they're going to get better. The allure of playing in New York will attract free agents. But those free agents are ones who have to be willing to be patient with the Knicks in their rebuilding process and/or are looking for a major payday.
If LeBron James is strictly looking for endorsements galore, he will be a Knick next season. But moving to the Knicks is not a basketball move. It is a marketing move. However, since the NYC market is so big, it could be too difficult to pass up.
What are the Knicks' chances of landing LeBron James? 30%
