With the Cavaliers basically collapsing at the hands of Boston’s three game torrent, nearly every NBA fan and Fantasy Basketball Manager are waiting on baited breath to see whether or not King James will make his exodus from Cleveland, and if so, where he will wind up.
But with so many teams competing n the 2010 LeBron Lottery it almost seems trite to attempt to guess which—if any team at all—will be the new king’s throne.
Chicago seems like a nice town, but Dwayne Wade, the native Chicaoean, on the FA market the likelihood is pretty low.
Los Angeles (Clippers) would be an interesting choice since it is LA, and the Clippers sure could use something…ANYTHING new and shiny, but there isn’t that allure is there?
Especially with Kobe playing on the other side of town.
So that leaves one city that is full of glitz and hoopla. One city that is destine to have a new king rule with grace and pizzazz; one city that is already a huge favorite of James.
New York City!
New York is almost a given destination for James should he actually decide to leave his current digs for several reasons, but will it have a positive or negative effect in the fantasy realm?
Here’s the thing: New York needs someone who can come in and actually inject some oomph into this offense because the Knicks have struggled to consistently put up points for several years.
James is the man!
But consider this also: The Knicks have already begun building for the future and basically have cleared out a room at the inn so to speak for a high profile veteran to come and take the reins of a team on the cusp of betterment.
James is the man!
Other players have come along, but those faces could be a tired remembrance of has-beens in the coming weeks:
- Chris Duhon was basically being put in the front window for shoppers, and will eventually be replaced with Toney Douglas.
- Al Harrington is comning off of shoulder surgery, and the consensus is he will NOT be brought back to New York unless they absolutely have to.
- Tracy McGrady—as good as he is—says he will retire if that troublesome knee doesn’t get any better by next season, and even if he does stay, his days are numbered anyway.
- David Lee really wants to stay in NY—personally I hope he does—but could be forced to consider other options depending on exactly what happens with James.
That leaves a team of youngsters in Earl Barron, Wilson Chandler, Toney Douglas, Danilo Gallinari, and J.R. Giddens, with the possible holdover of veteran journeymen, Eddie House and Jonathan Bender, so you can begin to see where James could fit right in.
James is a player who is known for his offense, that is a given. But he has also become a player who has learned the art of being a leader via making the team around him better. Barring other unforeseen moves in the FA market, the chances are pretty good for James and New York to become one and if so his fantasy stock could get even better and make him the hottest commodity in 2011.
My prediction is he will walk, he will land in New York, and his average numbers will increase a bit with added opportunity as a new team leader.
Figure on LeBron averaging out at around 31.4 PPG, 2.1 SPG, 7.6 RPG, 7.9 APG and expect his TO to drop to about 3.0 as a potential Knick.
BUT, if he doesn’t land in NY, he obviously will still be a viable number one consideration, but with so many players on the market right now (Dwayne Wade, Joe Johnson, Amar’e Stoudemire to name a few) things could get real interesting in 2011 for fantasy basketball fans!
Do you think James will leave for NY, or stay in Cleveland, or potentially wind up elsewhere? Let us know and get the debate going!
