LeBron James hasn’t made a decision yet, but as speculation rises, those who feel like they will be imminently scorned are talking about disrespect.
There’s Cleveland, the city LeBron debuted with in 2003. His hometown Cavaliers feel like they’re owed something. They drafted the King and helped make him what he is today. They gave a young kid a home, back when he was 19 years old and didn’t yet know his place, and they built a powerhouse team around him. With his Cavaliers, he established his home in the NBA.
The Cavs were and are willing to give LeBron whatever he wants, as long as he stays and gives disillusioned Cleveland fans what they deserve.
Then there are the Knicks.
LeBron’s Ultimate Decision will be made in Greenwich, Conn. That has to mean something, right? Why would he make his announcement that close to the home of the Knicks if he is going to choose, say, the Bulls or the Heat?
Getting fans’ hopes up like that would just be wrong.
Then there’s the fact that he’s been running around town for the past week wearing a Yankees hat. Yes, LeBron has come to be known for his affinity for the pinstripes, but still, wearing that hat all week and then ultimately choosing a team outside of the Big Apple would just be cruel and unusual punishment.
New York needs LeBron, that much is certain. The Knicks know it, and LeBron knows it. The Knicks haven’t won a playoff game in nine years (although they did compete for a fictional championship in front of Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in 2003). They haven’t even had a winning record in nine years, and this year – amid their brutal 29-53 finish in the Atlantic Division – the only beacon of hope on the horizon was the idea that, maybe next year, the best player in basketball would be around to deliver salvation.
Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh has made his case – a good one, we assume, as he admitted to the New York Post that he knew he needed to “swing for the fences” – but will it be good enough? Will it be more alluring than joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami?
All of the signs are there – the location, the Yanks hat, the desperate need. The Knicks have been dumping salary for two years in preparation for a moment that they pray will come a few minutes before LeBron goes on the air to notify the world of his future plan.
For LeBron to scorn the Knicks after all that would just be cruel.
