No NYC for LBJ

In a recent interview with Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times, Indiana Pacer forward Danny Granger spoke his mind on the possibility of LeBron James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the New York Knicks.

While I was never quite sure that New York would be his destination, for reasons you will see later, I used to share this belief that James would relocate.  The acquisitions, the field, and the Knicks have made me reconsider.  In the highly anticipated summer of 2010, I see James going nowhere (sorry to all non-Cavs’ fans).

Granger said that if he were James, he’d go to New York, so first off, let’s not get too excited over this quote—he’s only speaking in the hypothetical.  And that’s a big “if.”  If he were LeBron, which he’s not, he’d go to New York.  That may be true.  Look at Granger’s situation—he’s the leading scorer and All-star candidate on a team that hasn’t been a factor since making it to the 2000 Finals.  The Indiana Pacers are not even making the playoffs this season, so sure Granger would rather be in New York.  It’s a larger market; he’s still the star; and his situation does not worsen.  But, it’s a different story when it comes to LeBron James.

LeBron James is the leading scorer on his squad, a team headed for another deep playoff run and a legitimate shot at the 2010 NBA title.  In fact, LeBron not only leads his team, but he leads the league in scoring with 29.9 ppg.  Not only that, but each year, he seems to inch a little closer to that Oscar Robertson type, triple-double season.  This season, James puts in 7.2 rpg and 8.5 apg in addition to his immense scoring output.  Individually, James is doing well, but, as mentioned, his team is excelling, too.

The Cavs once again pace their division and the Eastern Conference with the best record.   In 2007, James made a run to the NBA Finals, only to be flattened by the dominant Spurs.  The 2008 Champion Celtics look weary and tired, having recently lost to the Cavs on Sunday, 104-93.  The Orlando Magic still look tough, but not quite as tough as they looked with Hedo Turkoglu.  With Atlanta on the outside looking in, the Cavs have a window in which they can pursue the title(s).  When this team was not as good, it was easy to listen to all the talk about James leaving.  With this team atop the Eastern Conference, there is no need for such chatter.

One argument that has some, albeit lessening accuracy, is that the Cavalier management has had some trouble putting decent pieces around LeBron James.  For several years, they were adding disheartening pieces like Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and a past-his-prime Ben Wallace.  But, in recent years, they’ve picked it up, adding Mo Williams, Shaquille O’Neil, and Antawn Jamison.  Sure, these pieces still are not the best, and some of them have been added past their prime, but the trend is going in the right direction to keep LBJ.

The other reason Granger is dead wrong are because New York is going nowhere.  Even if they add two max contract players in the off-season, they would have to give up David Lee, their only All-star and a legit 20-10 guy.  So, that would leave the Knicks with two big contract players and Al Harrington, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Bill Walker, Tracy McGrady, Sergio Rodriguez and Eddie House.  Perhaps I’m jumping out on a limb here, but I doubt that adding two big contract names to that lineup equals a championship.

If anything, I agree with some writers, like Tony Kornheiser of “Pardon the Interruption,” who suggests that James might leave for a larger market.  Of course, for him that team is New York.  I would argue that New York is out, unless some monumental changes occur.

All these factors point to LeBron James staying in Cleveland, and only the right combination of factors (a great team, a large market, the max contract, and a chance to win the title) could possibly be enough to lure him away.

R.S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. One of his life-long pursuits has been writing and covering anything related to sports, specifically the NBA. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.