The serpent played tricks run game like the Knicks
Build you up just to lose the championship
-Lauryn Hill
As a Knicks fan I know that the headline above is supposed to be my worst nightmare. It would mean that everything that Donnie Walsh and his staff have done has gone for naught. I am supposed to be excited by the team's recent moves which puts them in better position to contend for 2010's vaunted free-agent class that includes, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and Lebron James. Trades that sent the team's top two scorers, Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph, to the Warriors and Clippers respectively were to be readily accepted because in two years, Lebron James might be donning a Knicks uniform. So what if it means that hard-working Knicks fans will have to stomach two years of watching a rotating cast of lame-duck players--in two years we may get a chance to bear witness to King James on a nightly basis. And of course since sportscasters, other NBA players, and many sports writers see it as a foregone conclusion that Lebron James will be a Knick in two years, all of this maneuvering by the Knicks makes sense--and not only does it make sense for them, but it also makes sense for the league because the NBA's marquee franchise in its marquee city will be home to its marquee player.
However, as a basketball fan, nothing would make me happier than seeing James resign with the Cleveland Cavaliers. For one, all that a person needs to do is look at Yankees star Alex Rodriguez to see what happens when a superstar moves to New York. Superstars don't start winning championships overnight. Instead what happens is that their personal lives suddenly become fodder for the endless media outlets that their agents and marketing reps told them they needed in order to expand their brand reach. As a matter of fact, isn't the whole idea that one needs to be in either New York or LA to be more marketable a dated concept?
The other story line is that James's arrival would restore the Knicks to glory? What glory? Last time I checked the rafters, the Celtics and Lakers were the NBA's winningest franchises, and even less "storied" franchises like the Bulls, Pistons and Spurs have more championships than the Knicks, many of them coming at the expense of the Knicks. Lest we forget, Michael "Double Nickel" Jordan, the player to whom James is often compared solidied his legend by repeatedly downing the Knicks, often on their home court. Moreover, as any basketball historian can attest, there's a thin line between Bob McAdoo and Michael Jordan. A phenomenal player in his own right, tafter an auspicious start with the Buffalo Braves, McAdoo was beset by injuries during the latter half of his career which included a stint with the Knicks.
And as tonight's game between the Cavaliers and Knicks will undoubtedly prove, basketball fans don't need Lebron James to be a Knick in order to get reinvigorated by the NBA, what we need is for the Knicks to be better so that there's more drama when Lebron, Kobe or D-Wade comes into town and beats them at the garden. Sure, given their current plan, James's arrival would make the Knicks better, but I'm far less certain that it would make Lebron any better.