Top 5 Reasons LeBron James Is Going to NYC
June 7, 2009 by The Sports Watchers
Filed under More Sports
Cleveland Cavaliers fans do not want to hear this, but when real issues face us, we must confront them. The issue of the day is, whether or not LeBron James will depart for greener pastures (i.e. New York City) and leave the city of Cleveland behind him?
The short answer is: Yes. LeBron James is going to leave. The long answer involves five reason why LeBron is likely to go to New York City.
1. The Talent Just Isn’t There This Off-Season – This last debacle in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals where King James’ supporting cast failed to “support” is the straw that broke the camel’s back. With very little (if any) game-changing free agents on the market this off-season, coupled with a recessionary market, it is unlikely that Danny Ferry and the Cavaliers organization will be able to acquire the type of star player LeBron James needs to win a championship. However, the year LeBron is set to go into free agency is riddled with star players, such as Amare Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. With many of the 2010 free agent class members already stating interest in playing for Mike D’Antoni and the New York Knicks, it stands to reason that New York will be where LeBron can get his #2 guy.
2. Not So Powerful Power Forwards – Both Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao have the ability to opt out of their contracts this off-season. Yet, it is very unlikely that either of them will, as this recessionary market will certainly result in those two garnering far fewer dollars than their current contracts will pay them during the 2009-2010 season. Thus, that leaves both of those money-sucking big men on the Cavs roster, and most likely, in the starting lineup, leaving very little room for improvement on the one part of the roster the team can improve upon the most. On the contrary, the Knicks frontcourt already has a rising star in Wilson Chandler and perhaps David Lee, and Chris Wilcox is on the books as well.
3. Likely Woes This Season – One would think that the Cavaliers have very little to worry about next season, and that they will be back in position to earn a trip to the Finals next year. However, with little in free agency and the same returning front line, the Cavs might not be that good of a team next year. Think about it, the Magic are clearly headed in an upward direction and will get Jameer Nelson back next season. The Celtics are likely to have a healthy Kevin Garnett next year. Moreover, both the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat will be better off on their newfound experience alone. With all of these other teams getting better, and with the Cavs likely to remain stagnant, it’s not unfathomable that the Cavs become the 4th or 5th best team in the Eastern Conference. With those other teams making moves, who is to say that the Cavs will be back in the Eastern Conference Finals? They had an easy route there this year, and they lost to a team without their second best player. Let’s face it, it will not be smooth sailing for the Cleveland hopeful in 2010, and that’s all the more reason for LeBron to take off for New York City.
4. LeBron Loves New York – LeBron wants to be in New York. He loves the Yankees. He loves the city. He loves Brooklyn, and even though the Knicks (nor the Nets) will play in BK, he can always buy a condominium there. LeBron is a New York kind of a guy, and with reported New York-bound boosters in his endorsement contracts, why wouldn’t he love the city that never stops paying?
5. Championship Glory – Do not get me wrong. It would be amazing if LeBron James could bring a championship to Cleveland after years of heartbreak in just about every major professional sport there is. However, let us not kid ourselves. The kind of hoopla, media-hype, and all-around circus that bringing the NBA Finals, nevermind an actual championship, to New York City would bring is beyond belief. Hell, I remember when decent players like Larry Johnson, Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston brought the NBA Finals to New York City; it was crazy then. So just imagine what kind of craziness that would bring if LeBron were the frontman. LeBron James would go down as a New York City legend if he brought the championship back to the Big Apple. And honestly, there are only a few things in sports that get more acclamation than New York City legends.
Look, I mean no disrespect to Cleveland fans, and for their sake, I hope LeBron does stay in the Cleveland. Nevertheless, he has every reason in the world not to stay, and I won’t be surprised when he signs with the New York Knicks. But for sake of Cleveland fans, I hope he can bring them some relief before he does leave for greener pastures in a concrete jungle.
