The New York Knicks are playing a dangerous game of chance with LeBron James. The moves they have made over the last week have been a clear sign that the Knicks have begun the process to ensure they will be able to offer LeBron the maximum dollar contract the league allows when he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2010.
If it's money LeBron is after, then the Knicks are a shoe-in to swipe him away from the Cavaliers. While the Cavs can offer him more money than the Knicks can just to play basketball, they can't offer him the same type of exposure and the lucrative business opportunities that the city of New York can.
Indeed, few cities in the world have the appeal that the Big Apple does.
LeBron once said that he wants to become a billionaire. If that is still a career objective, it will be easier for him to achieve that goal in New York rather than in Cleveland. While it's an unusual target that few athletes can actually aspire to, for him it would seem to be within reach.
However, watching the Cavs blow the Knicks apart 119-101 Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden showed that the Knicks may be overlooking something that should become more important than just dollars and cents.
The state of the Knicks organization and the direction it is heading in should outweigh the idea of how much money LeBron could make. It should be the first factor James considers when making his decision.
When the summer of 2010 rolls around, he'll be entering his prime and will no doubt be looking to join a team where he'll be able to compete for an NBA championship immediately, and for many years to come.
If the Knicks are hoping to go from bust to instant championship contenders when they sign King James, then they are dead wrong.
The recent trades of Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph were done to lessen financial commitments, but will they incur a greater cost down the road? Tim Thomas, Cuttino Mobley, and Al Harrington all have talent, but the trade hasn't been perceived as a move to strengthen the immediate core of New York's squad.
LeBron wants to play for a team with demonstrated title aspirations of their own. He is looking for a franchise with playoff experience that has traveled along a similar path that James has. Right now, the Knicks' current roster doesn't have that and it's unlikely that will improve to the point where it will have done so over the next two seasons.
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