Empty the Bench

By: Zachariah Blott

It’s official: the New Jersey Nets are now the number one destination for LeBron James this July. That is, if he leaves Cleveland (big if). The Nets earned the top contender billing by blasting the Knicks 113-93 in Madison Square Garden on Saturday night after falling behind by 16 in the first quarter. That win means the 7-56 Nets are 2-2 against the Knicks, a team many people feel LeBron could sign with during the 2010 Free Agent Gold Rush.

New York’s place in the LeBron Sweepstakes already took a big hit on March 1 when Cleveland clowned them for a 31-point victory, which included King James acting the part of the jester and dancing for the crowd’s enjoyment during the game. Then came the New Jersey incident.

Although the Knicks probably still retain a better chance of landing LeBron’s services than the Clippers and Bulls, they’re now a distant distant third in the running. My money is on him returning to the Cavs, but I’m willing to discuss why the Nets would be an intriguing new home. Here’s the rundown of why he could or should end up on each of these three likeliest clubs.

Why LeBron Probably Stays in Cleveland

Let’s start with the most obvious reason: superstars tend to remain with their teams for the long haul if they’re treated well. The Cavs have continually shown that they’ll listen to LeBron’s roster suggestions and that they’ll spend money to surround him with talent. GM Danny Ferry goes out and gets pretty much whoever the star wants. An aging Shaq at $20 million to bully Dwight Howard, you say? Yes, sir. An endless group of guards who are good at shooting wide-open threes? Sure. Use 12-year company man Ilgauskas Zydrunas as a pawn to bring in Antawn Jamison? Not a problem.

The results have been quite good, another major reason he will likely stay put. Lest we forget, Cleveland was 17-65 the season before LeBron’s arrival. The Nets are mathematically within reach of that win total. With the maturation of LeBron and the overhaul to their supporting cast, the Cavaliers were a NBA-best 66-16 last year, and are a NBA-best 50-15 this year. Next year, they return everyone except Shaq and Big Z, but I’m sure they can find adequate replacements with the $20.6 million these two earn; replacements like Shaq and Big Z.

Last but not least, Cleveland is his home. LeBron was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, a town less than 45 minutes south of The Mistake by the Lake. He still hangs out with his high-school buddies back in Akron, and he’s heavily involved in events and charities in both communities. LeBron is very close to his mother, the only relative he lived with while growing up, who still lives in the area. Also, his long-time girlfriend, who is the mother of his two children, is a high-school sweetheart, so you know her family is in the area. LeBron has a high comfort level in Ohio, something that can’t easily be discounted.

And, oh yeah, he stands to make more money in Cleveland than any suitor can offer him.

Why LeBron should play for the Nets or Knicks after the break….

Why LeBron Should Play for the Nets

The perfect Big 3 for any squad consists of a center who can control the paint defensively and grab 10 boards a night, a fast point guard who makes good decisions, and a versatile scorer who can do the inside-outside thing. Now imagine this: Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, and LeBron James. Lopez and Harris wouldn’t be expected to carry the load, so they can focus more on what they do well and less on forcing the action so that there is some action. You could pencil in all three as perennial All-Stars, which would put them head-and-shoulders above any trio you can name on Cleveland.

Courtney Lee, Yi Jianlian, and Chris Douglas-Roberts would suddenly be far more open for scoring opportunities, and Terrence Williams could concentrate on what he was born to do: defend. Josh Boone would start to look like the Josh Boone people imagined when he was drafted, a hard-nosed defender and rebounder who lays in a few easy ones each contest. Throw in another $20-30 million (NJ’s on the books for only $22 million next year) for a couple perimeter defenders/shooters and a veteran banger, and you have a team that conceivably looks better than Cleveland right now.

Oh yeah, they also have a top-4 draft pick. Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson (deadly shooter with all the skills to be a great defender) or an interior monster like Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors, Kansas’ Cole Aldrich, or Kentucky’s DeMarcus Cousins all fit the bill for areas of need. It goes without saying that the Nets are soon moving to Brooklyn, the cool part of New York, and they have a new owner who’s considered pretty hip (which in this case means he is tall, very rich, and has an accent — congratulations to Mikhail Prokhorov’s parents).

Why LeBron Should Play for the Knicks

They play in Madison Square Garden (bu-bye to Kobe’s 61), which is in The Big Apple. He’ll score 47 points per under Mike D’Antoni. They also have the money to bring in Chris Bosh. Their defense is certain to remain bad enough to necessitate that LeBron plays every minute and constantly stays in must-take-over mode. Uhmmm… Danilo Gallinari?

Look, either he’s dying to play for the one team in the sexiest market on Earth no matter what, or he isn’t. I’m assuming he has standards.

Zachariah Blott cannot recommend Rick Telander’s “Heaven Is A Playground” enough.

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