[Mr.Knick 32Participant]

There are a lot of opinions out there today about who is supposedly in and out of the LeBron James sweepstakes.

Some have already written the Knicks off, and some have weighed in with actual facts about what took place in their meeting Thursday with James.

I am here to tell you that I believe the Knicks are still very much in the race, and I’ve gathered a little intel of my own regarding what went on behind those closed doors off 9th Street in Cleveland.

Aside from their financial pitch to James that he could most easily become a billionaire by playing in New York, the Knicks made a basketball pitch to James — backed up with video highlights — demonstrating how their complimentary players are better suited than anyone else’s to supplement what James and the big man of his choice (Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, David Lee, Carlos Boozer) would bring to the table.

Question: How many shooters do the Bulls have? Answer: None. Derrick Rose is a career 24 pct. 3-point shooter, and Luol Deng is at 31 percent — the same as Wilson Chandler, who would get a lot more open looks than he did in the past in a LeBron-centric offense. The Knicks also have Danilo Gallinari, who is shooting 39 percent from 3-point range for his career. (Toney Douglas also hit 3s at a 39 percent clip last season.)

Variation of the same question: How many shooters do the Heat have? Mario Chalmers (who lost his starting job to Carlos Arroyo last season) hits ’em at a 38 percent clip. Michael Beasley is at 33 pct in his two seasons. Joel Anthony has never taken one, which merits mentioning because he, along with Beasley and Chalmers, are the only players Miami has.

Question: What possible hidden gem does Chicago have on its roster? Only Taj Gibson and James Johnson qualify, and one or both might have to be moved in a sign-and-trade in order for the Bulls to get a second max player. Compare those two to Bill Walker, who was one of the most highly recruited and touted players in the 2006-07 high school senior class that included O.J. Mayo and Rose. Walker’s career was sidetracked by a serious knee injury, but he has dropped 27 pounds (from 254 to 227) since the Knicks acquired him from Boston in the Nate Robinson trade, and his knee is fully recovered.

Question: What kind of salary cap/trade deadline flexibility will the Bulls/Heat have going into the 2010-11 season? Answer: Virtually none. Chicago has to lock up Joakim Noah next summer and Rose the year after that, and Miami, if it gets two max players, can only gain flexibility for the summer of 2011 by declining the fourth-year option on Beasley’s contract prior to the start of the ’10-11 season. The Knicks, on the other hand, have Eddy Curry’s expiring $11.3 contract to use in one of two ways: Trade it at the deadline for a player or players that would make the Knicks stronger championship contenders next spring; or let it come off the cap at the end of next season, putting the Knicks some $10-12 million under the cap for the Summer of Carmelo.

I have it on good authority that the Knicks pounded those points with James, arguing that their complimentary players are better than they’ve been given credit for, and that adding a third max player in 2011 is an achievable possibility.

Those are persuasive arguments, and the Cavaliers (capped out next summer because of Antawn Jamison trade) and Bulls can’t make similar cases when they meet with James today in Cleveland.

And what about the Nets?

I don’t count them out, but I also think their two-year temporary relocation to Newark while they await the construction of the new arena in Brooklyn is a deal-breaker.

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, who has covered James since he was in high school, and whose mother taught math to James at St. Vincent-St.Mary high school in Akron, thought it would be a good idea a couple of Januarys ago to take an Amtrak train from Newark to Washington, D.C. while the Cavs were on an East Coast road swing.

I’ll let Windhorst take it from here:

“I would describe it as an hour of staying away from the wackos and drug-addled degenerates while keeping a serious close eye on the various unsavory individuals who were an obvious threat to property and body. I went out and on the platform, where it was 15 degrees, because there was nobody else out there,” Windhorst said. “I don’t want to offend the Newark Chamber of Commerce, but I would never plan on doing that ever again. And I’m a big Amtrak fan.”

One more question: How many media people have spoken to LeBron James about any of this? (I have tried, but he is not returning my messages.) I’d bet a dollar the answer is none.

And until The King speaks, I’m not counting anybody out.

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/knicks/post/_/id/150/some-writing-off-the-knicks-in-lbj-sweepstakes-not-me

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

A lovely article that tries to rationalize irrational hopes and dreams. Only someone completely in the bag for the Knicks can try to craft an argument that the Knicks are in a better position than Chicago, Miami, or New Jersey. Nobody outside New York thinks Wilson Chandler matters. Nobody thinks Danilo Gallinari is any good or that Toney Douglas is on the verge of being a great point guard. Nobody cares how highly regarded Bill Walker was in high school Stop it, these are pros who know the league and know who is good. Even the Knicks know it isn’t true, because if it was they wouldn’t have put together a presentation centered on making money in New York as opposed to say dynastic possibilities that would come with playing alongside Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, or Chris Bosh.

[Mr.Knick 32Participant]

Nah, I think you and most of the basketball world need to realize that the Knicks aren’t slouches in this LBJ race.

I think alot of people look at the Knicks and say ” Well, let’s look at the roster” when almost everyone else’s roster is not complete- Just like the Knicks. If you think NY is just gonna add LBJ and say, were done- That’s not gonna happen. We will add more pieces.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

Then why did the Knicks not mention anyone on their roster to LeBron when they gave their presentation?

Miami’s pitch has been simple: three stars and Pat Riley to fill in the missing pieces.

Chicago’s pitch: 21-year old All-Star in Derrick Rose, try hard big men in Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, and a willingness to do what is necessary to get yet another star.

New Jersey’s pitch: Lopez, Harris, Favors, $30 million in cap space, an owner with more money than he knows what to do with, and a brand spanking new Brooklyn arena in two years.

New York pitched lifetime earnings and tried to say that LeBron would never be loved in Chicago because he would need to match Jordan’s six titles to be appreciated. Yeah, they must really think Gallinari, Walker, and Chandler are major selling points.

[Mr.Knick 32Participant]

Oh you was in the room with them or were you reading rumored details on the meeting?

Yea, that’s what I thought.

The Knicks talked to LeBron about players and adding them around him, I’m pretty sure. Don’t go off all that rumored talk. Some of it is true but some is just made up. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that. The Knicks already gave LeBron a breakdown of the roster and now Amare will help us seal the deal to get LeBron.

I gotta ask: Are you a Knicks hater? I seen you post anti-knicks things alot. It’s cool if you don’t like them I’m just asking.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

The presentation was posted online.

http://blogs.forbes.com/sportsmoney/2010/07/lebron-james-what-the-knicks-told-lebron-new-york-and-make-billion-dollars/

Like I wrote, if they liked what they have then why not mention it?

I don’t hate the Knicks and don’t hate New York, but both have a completely misplaced view of where they are in the basketball world. It isn’t the mecca. This isn’t MLB and the Yankees. The league has grown just fine with the Knicks not winning since 1973 and not being relevant for a decade. This same stuff was written about Jordan wanting to play in New York. It is just nonsense. It’ll be nonsense when it will be written that Durant will want to play there if he doesn’t sign and extension with OKC this summer. It has already been written about Melo. Where is the long list of NBA free agents who have signed with the Knicks? Take a look, and then tell me it is some kind of mecca.

[Mr.Knick 32Participant]

That’s the presentation of the financial aspect on Forbes.com

I’m pretty sure somewhere within that 3 hour conversation, Mike D’Antoni discussed a gameplan and his players.

I get what your saying about NY but it’s not all about the Knicks when they started with the Mecca. It was the whole advancement of college basketball teams ( Syracuse, St.John’s), Streetball and then the development of PG’s and other players in the 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s. NY is considered the Mecca because back in the days, alot of NBA players liked playing in NY and usually played ball in Rucker in the summertime. I agree with you. I think California and Baltimore are bigger NBA hotbeds.

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